The 2018 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony was an enshrinement of a surefire candidate in Martin Brodeur, a renowned international veteran Alexander Yakushev, and a controversial yet innovative commissioner in Gary Bettman.
In addition, greatness was celebrated from three other unlikely sources.
Indeed the complement of Jayna Hefford, Martin St. Louis and Willie O’Ree, who took divergent paths into earning hockey’s highest honour, can be considered a hat trick of underdogs.
Hefford, the sixth woman to be inducted into the Hall, grew up in the 80s Kingston, Ontario playing on boys’ teams. With no female players to emulate, she idolized NHL players, including her favorite, Wayne Gretzky.