Caroline Ouellette is going to have to look for that speech from her IIHF Hall of Fame induction less than a month ago. She and six others have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto after today’s announcement from HHOF Chairman Lanny McDonald, so she’ll have to share stories from her great career one more time.
 
Joining Ouellette will be three goalies—Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Vernon, Tom Barrasso—as well as Pierre Turgeon and two Builders, coach Ken Hitchcock and general manager Pierre Lacroix. The Induction Ceremonies will take place in Toronto on November 13.

Ouellette’s credentials are well known to the international hockey community. One of the most successful and dominant players in women’s hockey, she won gold four times at the Olympics and six more at the IIHF Women’s World Championship (along with six more silver medals). Big and strong, she was an imposing figure on the ice and a leader on a team that dominated the women’s game for more than a decade.

Ouellette’s greatest goal came in 2012 in the gold-medal game of the WW in Burlington, Vermont. First, she set up Meghan Agosta for the late tying goal to make it a 4-4 game against the U.S., and then she scored the golden goal in overtime. In all, Ouellette averaged better than a point a game over 12 Women’s World Championship events. Count that alongside her four Clarkson Cups, and she was without question one of the most successful female players ever by the time she retired in 2018. She becomes the tenth woman inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
 
Lundqvist played at every level of IIHF hockey, starting with the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in 2000 when he won a bronze medal alongside his twin brother, Joel. Henrik also played at two IIHF World Junior Championships and five IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold in 2017 in the latter. He also played at three Olympics, the crowning glory of his career coming in 2006 when he backstopped Tre Kronor to Olympic gold. The most beloved New York Ranger of his generation, “Hank” won 459 regular-season games, which ranks sixth all time on the NHL’s list. His highlight on Broadway came in 2014 when the team made it to the Cup finals, only to lose to Los Angeles in five games.

Vernon was the goalie of record when the Calgary Flames won their first, and still only, Stanley Cup, in 1989. He also was part of the Detroit team that claimed the hallowed trophy in 1997, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and bringing the Cup to Detroit for the first time since 1955. He won 385 games in 19 seasons with four teams: Calgary, Detroit, San Jose, and Florida. Additionally, he represented Canada twice internationally, winning medals both times. The first was at the 1983 World Juniors, where he had a 2-0 record and helped Canada win bronze on a team that included Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, and Pat Flatley. Then, in 1991, Vernon was on Canada’s silver-medal entry in Turku, Finland.

Barrasso won 369 games during his NHL career, and his greatest moments came a number of years after he was drafted fifth overall by Pittsburgh in 1983. He led the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, teams made famous for Mario Lemieux’s heroics and the incredible play of the next-gen superstar, Jaromir Jagr. But even as a rookie, Barrasso made an impact, winning the Calder and Vezina Trophies, and impressing fans with his agility for a big man. His puck-handling skills also made him famous, and he retired with 48 assists, most all time among goalies. For USA Hockey, Barrasso played at the 1983 World Juniors, the 1986 World Championship, and two Canada Cups, in 1984 and 1987. He also played one game in the 2002 Olympics, an 8-1 win over Belarus in the preliminary round.

Pierre Turgeon retired in 2007 and has waited a long time for today’s call to the Hall. Drafted first overall by Buffalo in 1987, he improved by leaps and bounds over his first three seasons, going from 42 points to 88 to 106 while still only 20 years old. His finest year came with the New York Islanders in 1992-93 when he had 58 goals and 132 points. In all, Turgeon had 515 goals and 1,327 points in 1,294 regular-season games over 19 seasons with six teams. His only IIHF experience came at the ill-fated 1987 World Juniors, which ended in a Canada-Soviet Union brawl. In the first six games, though, Turgeon had three goals.

Hitchcock had a lengthy career in the NHL as a head coach, and he also led Canada to a silver medal at the 2008 World Championship in Quebec, during the IIHF’s Centennial celebrations. He coached five NHL teams, winning a combined 849 games over 21 years, ranking him fourth on the all-time list. His career highlight was surely the 1998-99 season, when he coached the Dallas Stars to their first and only Stanley Cup victory, against Buffalo.
 
Lacroix was the brains behind the rise of the Quebec Nordiques in the mid-1990s, and after relocating to Denver in 1995, he built a team that won the Cup in its first year in Colorado, 1996, and again five years later. He started with Quebec in 1994 and acquired Patrick Roy form Montreal a year later after Roy’s famous flareup with Canadiens coach Mario Tremblay. That led to his first Cup. He later acquired Rob Blake and Ray Bourque to push captain Joe Sakic’s team to the top again in 2001. Lacroix retired as GM in 2006 and was team president until 2013. He passed away three years ago as a result of complications from COVID-19.