Inductees Natalie Darwitz, David Poile, Pavel Dastyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Colin Campbell, Krissy Wendell and Shea Weber along with Jayna Hefford #16 and Eric Lindros #88 take part in the ceremonial face-off after receiving their honoured member blazer prior to the Team Hefford vs Team Lindros Hyundai Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic at Scotiabank Arena on November 10, 2024 in Toronto, ON, Canada.
photo: © Kevin Sousa/Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its seven newest members during a ceremony in Toronto on Monday night. The list includes Shea Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Pavel Datsyuk, Natalie Darwitz, and Krissy Wendell-Pohl in the Player category and Colin Campbell and David Poile as Builders.
Weber had a storied career both for Team Canada and in the NHL. In the former category, the imposing blueliner was a winner at every level. He helped his country win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, won a gold and silver at the only two IIHF Ice Hockey World Champiomships he played (2007, 2009), and won gold with the 2005 World Junior team. The native of Sicamous, British Columbia was also part of Canada’s championship team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Known for his ferocious slap shot, Weber also logged 1,038 NHL games with Nashville and Montreal and took the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals during the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.
“The two things that have been most important about my journey are friendship and mentorship,” Weber said in his speech. “As a kid, I played a lot of road hockey outdoors, dreaming of scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the finals, and then doing it all again the next day…I’d like to thank David Poile and Barry Trotz and everyone at the Predators for giving me a chance and believing in me. But some of my favourite times were with Team Canada. There is nothing like the international game and representing your country.”
Darwitz was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame just this past May to honour a career that was second to none on Team USA during her era. From 1999 to 2010, the ace Minnesota forward was a core player, winning three IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championships (2005, 2008, 2009) and five silver medals, on top of three Olympic medals (2002 silver, 2006 bronze, 2010 silver).
“I’m so humbled and truly honoured," Darwitz said. "Being the only girl on my team made me have a target on my back, but that only made me work harder. As my dad always said, 'They can’t hit you if they can’t touch you.' To USA Hockey, thank you. I was fortunate enough to play for a decade and have great leaders on the team like Cammi Granato, who showed me what true leadership is all about. And I was also fortunate enough to start with Krissy Wendell. We were linemates for many years even though we were very different people. I learned so much from all of my teammates, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Indeed, Wendell-Pohl’s career overlapped with Darwitz, and the two are now the third and fourth U.S. female players in the Hockey Hall of Fame after Cammi Granato (2010) and Angela Ruggiero (2014). Wendell-Pohl started in 1999 as well and played until 2007, during which time she was one of the most feared scorers in the game. She was named Women’s Worlds MVP in 2005, when the Americans captured their first gold medal in tournament history.
“Growing up, I played every sport, but hockey was the one that I loved the most," Wendell-Pohl said. "The greatest thing about hockey was the people I met along the way. Playing in the Olympics was never why I played the game at the start, but it was an honour to wear the red, white, and blue for USA Hockey all those years. And it was such an honour to start with Cammi Granato, who was the gold standard for teammate and leader. I’m so grateful to be able to call you a friend.”
Colin Campbell was a fourth-line NHL player for 11 seasons with four teams. Having served with the 1994 New York Rangers’ Cup-winning team as an assistant coach, he became the head coach soon afterwards. In 1998, he joined the NHL’s head office, where he continues to serve as the director of hockey operations.
“Upon joining the NHL in 1998, 'Colie' transformed how video was used for games and supplemental discipline decisions,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during his congratulatory remarks. “He created a situation room that became the envy of every league, and he worked with people at all levels to introduce a new suite of rules after the work stoppage of 2004-05 that have made the game more exciting. He has embraced change in the game but has worked hard to maintain hockey’s authenticity.”
Poile joins his father Bud Poile in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The senior Poile was inducted back in 1990, while David Poile retired last year after decades in the game as a general manager, starting with Washington. He later moved to join the expansion Nashville Predators and guided them to their first Cup finals in 2017.
“He was young and innovative, committed to winning, and not afraid to make the tough choices to make the team better—that’s successful leadership,” said Mike Gartner, incoming Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame as he takes over from Lanny McDonald, who served for 10 years. “David has created an outstanding body of work as a GM with Washington and Nashville, and he is the longest-tenured GM in NHL history, having worked for 41 straight seasons.”
Datsyuk won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002 and 2008. In all, he played 14 seasons in the NHL, all with the Red Wings. He was a premier two-way player, winning the Selke Trophy three times. In IIHF play, Datsyuk appeared in seven Worlds, winning four medals, including gold in 2012. The Yekaterinburg native also played in five Olympics between 2002 and 2018, culminating with a gold medal with OAR in his final appearance. That win earned him membership in the Triple Gold Club.
“There are no words to say how thankful I am to the Detroit Red Wings, and to the fans for their passion, loyalty, and support," Datsyuk said. "You were the heart of my game. And thank you to my opponents. You were my nightmare, but you forced me to play better, and you were an important part of my journey.”
Roenick is widely considered one of the best American-born power forwards. The brash Boston product performed for the United States at two World Juniors, the 1991 Worlds, the 1991 Canada Cup, and two Olympics, winning a silver on home ice in Salt Lake City in 2002. Additionally, he played 19 NHL seasons with five teams, twice scoring more than 50 goals and retiring with 513 career goals.
He started by thanking Mike Keenan, his first coach in Chicago: “Thank you for bringing out the toughness I never knew I had and for making me the player I became.”
Later, Roenick opened up about difficulties as his career wound down: “In 2007, Doug Wilson, who was one of my first teammates in Chicago and then became GM in San Jose, asked me if I wanted to play for the Sharks. I said, ‘Hell, yes!’ He said there are three rules—you have to play for the league minimum, no media, and no alcohol. I emptied my beer and shook his hand. Doug, you saved my life. Thank you.”
The Hockey Hall of Fame is now home to 306 members in total.
Weber had a storied career both for Team Canada and in the NHL. In the former category, the imposing blueliner was a winner at every level. He helped his country win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, won a gold and silver at the only two IIHF Ice Hockey World Champiomships he played (2007, 2009), and won gold with the 2005 World Junior team. The native of Sicamous, British Columbia was also part of Canada’s championship team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Known for his ferocious slap shot, Weber also logged 1,038 NHL games with Nashville and Montreal and took the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup finals during the Covid-shortened 2020-21 season.
“The two things that have been most important about my journey are friendship and mentorship,” Weber said in his speech. “As a kid, I played a lot of road hockey outdoors, dreaming of scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the finals, and then doing it all again the next day…I’d like to thank David Poile and Barry Trotz and everyone at the Predators for giving me a chance and believing in me. But some of my favourite times were with Team Canada. There is nothing like the international game and representing your country.”
Darwitz was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame just this past May to honour a career that was second to none on Team USA during her era. From 1999 to 2010, the ace Minnesota forward was a core player, winning three IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championships (2005, 2008, 2009) and five silver medals, on top of three Olympic medals (2002 silver, 2006 bronze, 2010 silver).
“I’m so humbled and truly honoured," Darwitz said. "Being the only girl on my team made me have a target on my back, but that only made me work harder. As my dad always said, 'They can’t hit you if they can’t touch you.' To USA Hockey, thank you. I was fortunate enough to play for a decade and have great leaders on the team like Cammi Granato, who showed me what true leadership is all about. And I was also fortunate enough to start with Krissy Wendell. We were linemates for many years even though we were very different people. I learned so much from all of my teammates, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Indeed, Wendell-Pohl’s career overlapped with Darwitz, and the two are now the third and fourth U.S. female players in the Hockey Hall of Fame after Cammi Granato (2010) and Angela Ruggiero (2014). Wendell-Pohl started in 1999 as well and played until 2007, during which time she was one of the most feared scorers in the game. She was named Women’s Worlds MVP in 2005, when the Americans captured their first gold medal in tournament history.
“Growing up, I played every sport, but hockey was the one that I loved the most," Wendell-Pohl said. "The greatest thing about hockey was the people I met along the way. Playing in the Olympics was never why I played the game at the start, but it was an honour to wear the red, white, and blue for USA Hockey all those years. And it was such an honour to start with Cammi Granato, who was the gold standard for teammate and leader. I’m so grateful to be able to call you a friend.”
Colin Campbell was a fourth-line NHL player for 11 seasons with four teams. Having served with the 1994 New York Rangers’ Cup-winning team as an assistant coach, he became the head coach soon afterwards. In 1998, he joined the NHL’s head office, where he continues to serve as the director of hockey operations.
“Upon joining the NHL in 1998, 'Colie' transformed how video was used for games and supplemental discipline decisions,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said during his congratulatory remarks. “He created a situation room that became the envy of every league, and he worked with people at all levels to introduce a new suite of rules after the work stoppage of 2004-05 that have made the game more exciting. He has embraced change in the game but has worked hard to maintain hockey’s authenticity.”
Poile joins his father Bud Poile in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The senior Poile was inducted back in 1990, while David Poile retired last year after decades in the game as a general manager, starting with Washington. He later moved to join the expansion Nashville Predators and guided them to their first Cup finals in 2017.
“He was young and innovative, committed to winning, and not afraid to make the tough choices to make the team better—that’s successful leadership,” said Mike Gartner, incoming Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame as he takes over from Lanny McDonald, who served for 10 years. “David has created an outstanding body of work as a GM with Washington and Nashville, and he is the longest-tenured GM in NHL history, having worked for 41 straight seasons.”
Datsyuk won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002 and 2008. In all, he played 14 seasons in the NHL, all with the Red Wings. He was a premier two-way player, winning the Selke Trophy three times. In IIHF play, Datsyuk appeared in seven Worlds, winning four medals, including gold in 2012. The Yekaterinburg native also played in five Olympics between 2002 and 2018, culminating with a gold medal with OAR in his final appearance. That win earned him membership in the Triple Gold Club.
“There are no words to say how thankful I am to the Detroit Red Wings, and to the fans for their passion, loyalty, and support," Datsyuk said. "You were the heart of my game. And thank you to my opponents. You were my nightmare, but you forced me to play better, and you were an important part of my journey.”
Roenick is widely considered one of the best American-born power forwards. The brash Boston product performed for the United States at two World Juniors, the 1991 Worlds, the 1991 Canada Cup, and two Olympics, winning a silver on home ice in Salt Lake City in 2002. Additionally, he played 19 NHL seasons with five teams, twice scoring more than 50 goals and retiring with 513 career goals.
He started by thanking Mike Keenan, his first coach in Chicago: “Thank you for bringing out the toughness I never knew I had and for making me the player I became.”
Later, Roenick opened up about difficulties as his career wound down: “In 2007, Doug Wilson, who was one of my first teammates in Chicago and then became GM in San Jose, asked me if I wanted to play for the Sharks. I said, ‘Hell, yes!’ He said there are three rules—you have to play for the league minimum, no media, and no alcohol. I emptied my beer and shook his hand. Doug, you saved my life. Thank you.”
The Hockey Hall of Fame is now home to 306 members in total.