Martin Brodeur, the league’s all-time winningest goaltender, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and pioneering black player Willie O’Ree and top the latest class for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
The 46-year-old Brodeur was a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils who was elected in his first year of eligibility as the goalie with the most wins, shutouts and games played in NHL history.
The Montreal native was the last real standup goaltender as the position moved almost exclusively to the butterfly technique, and his puck-handling prowess led the NHL to institute the trapezoid behind the net as a way to increase scoring.