{allcanada} June 29: Messier, Francis elected to Hall of Fame

 

Ebates.ca - Amazon.com - Amazon.ca - Wal-Mart - GameStop - Match.com - Work From Home

THIS DATE IN HISTORY: June 29

2007: The Hockey Hall of Fame announces the election of four players, all in their first year of eligibility.

The quartet includes two of the top four scorers in NHL history, Mark Messier (No. 2) and Ron Francis (No. 4), as well as defensemen Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens. It's the first time voters have elected four players to the Hall of Fame in one year since 2001 (Mike Gartner, Viacheslav Fetisov, Jari Kurri, Dale Hawerchuk).

All four enter the Hall having played more than 20 seasons; each owns at least one Stanley Cup ring. Messier leads the group with six championships, five with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the New York Rangers, leading him to quip that, "Hopefully, they can sew a jersey together and split it down the middle and I can go in as both."

 

MORE MOMENTS

1968: Forward Theo Fleury is born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. Despite big offensive numbers in junior hockey, Fleury's lack of height (5-foot-6) leads many teams to doubt he can play in the NHL. The Calgary Flames take him in the eighth round (No. 166) in the 1987 NHL Draft. By the middle of the 1988-89 season, Fleury is in the NHL and helps the Flames win the only Stanley Cup in franchise history that spring. Fleury has career highs of 51 goals and 104 points in 1990-91 and spends 10-plus seasons with Calgary before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March 1999. He signs with the New York Rangers that summer, plays three seasons with them and one with the Chicago Blackhawks. He finishes his NHL career with 455 goals and 1,088 points in 1,084 games.

 

1990: Ten years after passing on center Denis Savard with the top pick in the 1980 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens bring him home in a trade that sends defenseman Chris Chelios to the Chicago Blackhawks. Savard, a Montreal native, isn't the offensive force he was in Chicago (five 100-point seasons), but he helps the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup in 1993. Chelios, a Chicago native, also returns home after spending seven seasons with Montreal. He stays with Chicago for nearly five seasons before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Chelios doesn't retire until 2010, after 1,651 games, 948 points and winning the Stanley Cup three times.

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html