Sergei Makarov will be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, an honor he absolutely deserves. He joins Ed Belfour, Rob Blake, and his longtime linemate Igor Larionov as former Sharks in the Hall. Makarov officially retired in 1996, and every year it seemed increasingly unlikely that the selection committee would give him this honor. His international credentials are phenomenal, but his time in the NHL was shorter than that of Larionov and Slava Fetisov.
Better writers will recount Makarov’s numerous successes in the Soviet league and international competitions, and the struggles he and his teammates faced in leaving the Soviet Union to play in the NHL.