Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame logo
Established	1943
Location	30 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada[1]
Founder	James T. Sutherland
Inductees	238 players 96 builders 14 on-ice officials 348 total

The Hockey Hall of Fame (Temple de la renommée du hockey in French) is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Yonge Street (pronounced "young" is a major arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and its northern Suburbs It was formerly Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Captain James Thomas Sutherland (born 10 October 1870 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada - died September 30, 1955 This is a list of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 and located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. A hall of fame (sometimes HOF) is a type of Museum established for any a field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players The Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley is an Ice hockey club championship Trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL playoffs champion Originally in Kingston, Ontario, the Hockey Hall of Fame was first established in 1943 under the leadership of James T. Sutherland. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St Captain James Thomas Sutherland (born 10 October 1870 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada - died September 30, 1955 The first class of honoured members was inducted in 1945, before the Hall of Fame had a permanent location. It moved to Toronto in 1958 after the NHL withdrew its support for the Kingston location. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. Exhibition Place is a mixed-use property on the Toronto shore of Lake Ontario, a few kilometers west of the central business district Because the Hall was outgrowing its location, it was relocated to a former Bank of Montreal building in downtown Toronto in 1993, where it is currently located.

An 18-person committee of players, coaches and others meets annually in June to select new honourees, who are inducted as players, builders or on-ice officials. This is a list of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 and located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game. Coach in Ice hockey refers to a Head coach or an assistant coach given the responsibility of organizing player offense and defense. This is a list of general managers in the National Hockey League. Honoured members are inducted into the Hall of Fame in an annual ceremony held at the Hall of Fame building in November, which is followed by a special "Hockey Hall of Fame Game" between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a visiting team. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St As of 2007, 238 players, 96 builders and 14 on-ice officials have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. In Ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game The Hall of Fame has been criticized for focusing mainly on players from the National Hockey League and largely ignoring players from other North American and international leagues.

History

The Hockey Hall of Fame is located at the corner of Front and Yonge Streets in downtown Toronto. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario

The Hockey Hall of Fame was established through the efforts of James T. Sutherland, a former President of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). Captain James Thomas Sutherland (born 10 October 1870 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada - died September 30, 1955 The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA was the national governing body of amateur Ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Sutherland sought to establish it in Kingston, Ontario as he believed that the city was the birthplace of hockey. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St ^[2] In 1943, the NHL and CAHA reached an agreement that a Hall of Fame would be established in Kingston. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA was the national governing body of amateur Ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the ^[2] Originally called the "International Hockey Hall of Fame", its mandate was to honour great hockey players and to raise funds for a permanent location. The first eleven "honoured members" were inducted on April 30, 1945, although the Hall of Fame still did not have a permanent home. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar ^[2] Kingston lost its most influential advocate as permanent site of the Hockey Hall of Fame when Sutherland died in 1955. ^[3]

The "World of Hockey Zone", which opened in 1998, is dedicated to international and Olympic hockey. Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since the 1920 Summer Olympics.

By 1958, the Hockey Hall of Fame had still not raised sufficient funds to construct a permanent building in Kingston. Clarence Campbell, then President of the NHL, grew tired of waiting for the construction to begin and withdrew the NHL's support to situate the Hall in Kingston. Clarence Sutherland Campbell ( July 9, 1905 - June 24, 1984) was president of the National Hockey League from 1946 to 1977 ^[4] In the same year, the NHL and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) reached an agreement to establish a new Hall of Fame building in Toronto, in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame located at Exhibition Place. Canadian National Exhibition ( CNE) aka The Ex, is an annual event held at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of fame located in Toronto and established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements Exhibition Place is a mixed-use property on the Toronto shore of Lake Ontario, a few kilometers west of the central business district The temporary Hockey Hall of Fame opened as an exhibit within the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in August 1958, and 350,000 people visited it during the 1958 CNE fair. ^[3] Due to the success of the exhibit, NHL and CNE decided that a permanent home in the Exhibition Place was needed. Exhibition Place is a mixed-use property on the Toronto shore of Lake Ontario, a few kilometers west of the central business district ^[5] The NHL agreed to fully fund the building of the new facility on the grounds of Exhibition Place, and construction began in 1960. ^[6] The first permanent Hockey Hall of Fame was opened on August 26, 1961, by Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[7] Over 750,000 people visited the Hall in its inaugural year. ^[8] Admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame was free until 1980, when the Hockey Hall of Fame facilities underwent expansion. ^[9]

By 1986, the Hall of Fame was running out of room in its existing facilities and the Board of Directors decided that a new home was needed. ^[10] The Exhibition Place building closed in 1992. Development of the new location, the former Bank of Montreal at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets in Toronto, began soon after. The building, now part of Brookfield Place, was designed by Frank Darling and S. George Curry. Brookfield Place (formerly BCE Place) is an office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comprising the 2 Frank Darling ( 17 February 1850 &ndash 19 May 1923) was a Canadian architect and key player in buildings built in Toronto S George Curry ( Port Hope 1854 — 1942 was a Canadian architect who practiced in Toronto as the junior partner of several of Toronto’s leading architects ^[11] The new Hockey Hall of Fame officially opened on June 18, 1993. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) ^[12] The new location has 4,700 m² (50,600 sq ft) of exhibition space, seven times larger than that of the old facility. ^[13] The Hockey Hall of Fame now hosts more than 300,000 visitors each year. ^[14][15]

Operations and organization

The first curator of the new Hall of Fame was Bobby Hewitson. Bobby Hewitson (born January 23, 1892 in Toronto, Ontario - January 9, 1969) was the first curator of the Hockey Hall Following Hewitson's retirement in 1967, Lefty Reid was appointed to the position. Maurice H "Lefty" Reid (born c 1927 is a former Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Reid was curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame for the next 25 years, retiring in 1992. ^[16] Following Reid's retirement, former NHL referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison, who was the president of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1986, was appointed curator. Ian "Scotty" Morrison (born April 22, 1930 in Montreal) is a former National Hockey League referee and vice-president and the former ^[16] Morrison supervised the relocation of the Hall of Fame and its exhibits. ^[17]

The Hockey Hall of Fame is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Hay and Jeff Denomme, the President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer. William "Billy" (Red Hay (Born - December 8, 1935 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey centre who Jeff Denomme - is the current President Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto Ontario, Canada. ^[18] The Hockey Hall of Fame is operated as a non-profit business called the "Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum" (HHFM), independent of the National Hockey League. The Hall of Fame was originally sponsored by the NHL and Hockey Canada^[19] and revenue is generated mainly through admissions. Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of Ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International ^[14][17]

Exhibits

The "Be a Player" exhibit

The Hockey Hall of Fame has 15 exhibit areas covering 57,000 square feet (5,300 m²). ^[20] Visitors can view trophies, memorabilia and equipment worn by players during special games. The MCI Great Hall, described as "a Cathedral to the icons of Hockey",^[21] contains portraits and biographical information about every Hall of Fame honoured member. The centerpiece of the Great Hall is the Stanley Cup; for part of the year a replica is put on display when the presentation cup travels outside of the Hall of Fame. The Stanley Cup (La Coupe Stanley is an Ice hockey club championship Trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL playoffs champion The original version of the Cup and the older rings, as well as all of the current National Hockey League trophies, are displayed in the bank vault, an alcove off the Great Hall. The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is annually held in the Great Hall. ^[21]

The NHL Zone is a large area featuring displays relating to the NHL. Current teams and players are highlighted in the NHL Today area, while the NHL Retro displays include memorabilia and information about every NHL team past and present. The NHL Legends area features rotating exhibits focusing on honoured members; and NHL Milestones displays exhibits of noteworthy records including Darryl Sittler's ten-point game and Wayne Gretzky's all-time points record. Darryl Glen Sittler (born September 18, 1950 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) is a retired professional Ice hockey player who played Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26 1961 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player ^[22] The Stanley Cup dynasties exhibit features displays that include memorabilia from the rosters of nine teams considered to be dynasties because they dominated the NHL for several years at a time. "^[22] This area also has a replica of the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room as it existed at the old Montreal Forum. The Montreal Canadiens (Les Canadiens de Montréal are a professional Ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Forum was an Indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ^[22] The Panasonic Hometown Hockey section is dedicated to grass roots hockey in North America; it includes exhibits about various leagues and sections on women's and disabled hockey leagues. ^[23] Special exhibits in the past included an exhibit in 2000 showcasing Gretzky memorabilia. ^[24]

Interactive displays are featured in the NHLPA Be A Player Zone. At the Source For Sports Shoot Out, visitors take shots using real pucks at a computer simulation of goaltender Eddie Belfour. This article is about the goaltender in Ice hockey. For the similar position in other sports see Goalkeeper. Edward John Belfour (born April 21, 1965 in Carman, Manitoba, Canada) is a former Canadian professional Ice hockey Its counterpart, Lay's Shut Out, has visitors playing goaltender, blocking shots from computer simulations of players Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Mark John Douglas Messier (born January 18 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a former Ice hockey centerman of the National Hockey League ^[25] The TSN/RDS Broadcast Zone provides a look at how hockey broadcasting works and allows users to record messages that may be displayed on both the Hockey Hall of Fame's website, and the TSN/RDS networks. The Sports Network (commonly known as TSN) is a Canadian English language Cable television Specialty channel and is Canada's leading Réseau des sports (commonly known as RDS) is a Canadian French language Cable television Specialty channel showing Sports ^[26]

While many of the Hall of Fame exhibits are dedicated to the NHL, there is a large section devoted to hockey leagues and players outside North America. On June 29, 1998, the World of Hockey Zone opened. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Mint, it is a 3,500 square feet (300 m²) area dedicated to international hockey, including World and Olympic competition and contains profiles on all IIHF member Countries. The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM French: Monnaie royale canadienne) produces all of Canada 's circulation Coins and manufactures circulation The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the worldwide governing body for Ice ^[4][27][28]

Hall of Fame

See also: List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. This is a list of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 and located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Great Hall features portraits of every inductee, and displays all of the active NHL trophies.

As of 2007, new members can be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as players, builders or on-ice officials. The builders' category includes coaches, general managers, commentators, team owners and others who have helped build the game. This is a list of general managers in the National Hockey League. ^[29] The category for on-ice officials was added in 1961^[7] and a "veteran player" category was established in 1988. The purpose of the category was to "provide a vehicle for players who may have been overlooked and whose chances for election would be limited when placed on the same ballot with contemporary players. "^[30] Eleven players were inducted into that category, but in 2000, the Board of Directors eliminated it; the players who had been inducted under this category were merged into the player category. ^[30]

Candidates for membership in the Hockey Hall of Fame are nominated by an 18-person selection committee. The committee consists of Hockey Hall of Fame members, hockey personnel and media personalities associated with the game; the membership is representative of "areas throughout the world where hockey is popular",^[29] and includes at least one member who is knowledgeable about international hockey and one member who is knowledgeable about amateur hockey. Committee members are appointed by the Board of Directors to a three-year term. The terms of the committee members are staggered so that each year there are six newly appointed or reappointed members. ^[29] As of 2007, the selection committee consists of: Chairman James M. Gregory, Scotty Bowman, Colin Campbell, John Davidson, Eric Duhatschek, Jan-Ake Edvinsson, Mike Emrick, Michael Farber, Emile Francis, Dick Irvin, Jr., Lanny McDonald, Yvon Pedneault, Pat Quinn, Serge Savard, Harry Sinden, Peter Stastny and Bill Torrey. Jim Gregory (born November 4 1935 in Dunnville, Ontario) is a former General manager and league executive in the National Hockey League. William Scott "Scotty" Bowman (born September 18, 1933 in Montreal Quebec, Canada) is a retired National Hockey League Colin Campbell may refer to in Scottish history: Cailean Mór (d John Davidson (born February 27, 1953 in Ottawa Ontario, Canada) is the president of hockey operations of the St Eric Duhatschek is a distinguished Canadian sports journalist. Mike "Doc" Emrick, PhD (born August 1, 1946 in La Fontaine Indiana) is an Emmy Award - winning American Sportscaster Emile "The Cat" Francis (born September 13, 1926 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a former player coach and James Dickinson (Dick Irvin Jr (born 1932 in Calgary Alberta) is a retired Canadian sports broadcaster and author Lanny King McDonald (born February 16, 1953 in Hanna, Alberta, Canada) is a retired professional Ice hockey player and a member of Yvon Pedneault is a French Canadian sports journalist and television and radio broadcaster from Chicoutimi, Quebec who is known for his coverage of John Brian Patrick "Pat" "Morch" Quinn (born January 29, 1943 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former Head coach in the Serge Aubrey Savard OC (born January 22, 1946 in Landrienne, Quebec) is a former professional Ice hockey defenceman, most Harry James Sinden (born September 14, 1932 in Kingston Ontario, Canada) was the long-time general manager coach and president for the Peter Šťastný (born September 18, 1956 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) is a Slovak professional William A Torrey (born June 23, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) was a General Manager and executive in the National Hockey ^[29]

Each committee member is allowed to nominate one person in each category per year. Nominations must be submitted to the Chairman of the Board of Directors by April 15 of the nomination year. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English The committee then meets in June to vote by secret ballot on each nominee; candidates must receive the support of 75% of the members of the committee present, or a minimum of 10 votes. In any given year, a maximum of four players, two builders, and one referee or linesman are inducted as members. Player and on-ice officials must have been retired for a minimum of three years to be eligible for nomination. Builders may be "active or inactive". This is a list of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1943 and located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada ^[31]

The Stanley Cup on display in the Great Hall

The waiting period was waived for ten players deemed exceptionally notable, most recently Wayne Gretzky who was inducted in 1999. Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26 1961 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player ^[32] Following Wayne Gretzky's retirement, the Board of Directors determined that the waiting period would no longer be waived for any player except under "certain humanitarian circumstances. Wayne Douglas Gretzky, OC (born January 26 1961 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey player "^[30] Three Hall of Fame members came out of retirement and resumed a career in the National League: Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux. Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC (born March 31 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan) is a former professional Ice hockey player from Canada Guy Damien Lafleur, OC, CQ, (born September 20 1951 in Thurso, Quebec) is a former professional ice hockey player and is widely regarded Mario Lemieux (born October 5, 1965 is a retired Canadian professional Ice hockey centre who played 17 seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins ^[30]

There is also a category for "Media honourees". The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to "distinguished members of the newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to journalism and to hockey". The Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award is an Award given "in recognition of distinguished members of the Newspaper profession whose words have brought honour to ^[33] The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is awarded by the NHL Broadcasters' Association to "members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting. The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an Award named after Foster Hewitt and presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the Radio and "^[34] The voting for both awards is conducted by their respective associations. While media honourees are not considered full inductees, they are still honoured with a display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. ^[26] The ceremonies associated with these awards are held separately from the induction of the members of the Hall of Fame. ^[35] Some of the award winners have also been inducted into the Hall of Fame as builders, including Foster Hewitt. Foster William Hewitt, OC ( November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian Radio pioneer ^[36]

The induction ceremony was held at the Hall of Fame from 1959 until 1974. In 1975, it was held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and would be held there until 1979. From 1980 to 1992, the ceremony was held at various different locations in Toronto, except for 1986, 1987 and 1991 when the ceremonies were held in Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa respectively. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Since 1993, it has been held at the current Hall of Fame building. ^[30] The ceremony was first broadcast by The Sports Network in 1994. The Sports Network (commonly known as TSN) is a Canadian English language Cable television Specialty channel and is Canada's leading ^[37] In 1999 the "Hockey Hall of Fame game" was established, a contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and a visiting team, with a special ceremony honouring that year's inductees held before the game. "Leafs" and "Maple Leafs" redirect here For the former American Hockey League team see St ^[38]

Criticism

The Hall of Fame has been criticised for inducting several lackluster candidates in the early 2000s due to "a shortage of true greatness. "^[39] Since then, some have claimed that the Hall of Fame has become too exclusive. ^[39] The Hall of Fame has also been criticised for failing to induct international players and critics have claimed that the Hall has been far too focused on the National Hockey League. A common statement is that it is not the "NHL Hall of Fame". ^{[39][40][41][42][43]} Partially in response to these claims, the Hall of Fame recently opened an International Hockey exhibit and has said it will start looking at more international players for induction. Valeri Kharlamov was inducted in 2005, and is one of the few modern-day inductees to never play in the NHL. Valery Borisovich Kharlamov (Валерий Борисович Харламов January 14 1948 - August 27 1981 was a star Ice hockey player from the Soviet Union ^[40] The Hall of Fame has also been criticised for overlooking female hockey players,^[44][45] WHA players,^[46] and over representing the Original Six era from 1942 to 1967. The World Hockey Association (French Association Mondiale de Hockey) was a professional Ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 For the first ships of the United States Navy, see Six original United States frigates. ^[46]

One of the most discussed potential nominees is Paul Henderson, who scored the winning goal in the final moments of the deciding eighth game of the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. This article is about the Canadian ice hockey player For others with the same name see Paul Henderson (disambiguation. The Summit Series was the first competition between full-strength Soviet and Canadian national Ice hockey teams an eight-game series held in This is one of the best-known moments in hockey and Canadian sports history. ^[47] While there is little question of the historical significance of that goal, Henderson's NHL statistics are not at a level comparable to those players usually selected for induction. His candidacy led to many debates among hockey fans and columnists. ^[48][49]

Controversy

Frank J. Selke served as Chairman of the selection committee from 1960 until 1971, when he resigned because of the induction of Harvey Jackson. Francis Joseph Aloysius Selke ( May 7, 1893 – July 3, 1985) was a Canadian hockey manager in the National Hockey Jackson, known for his off-ice lifestyle, had died in 1966 of liver failure. Selke would not condone the induction and even tried to block it because he considered Jackson a poor role model. ^[50]

On March 30, 1993, it was announced that Gil Stein, who at the time was the president of the National Hockey League, would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Gilbert Stein (born 1928 is a former National Hockey League executive serving as vice-president and legal counsel for nearly 15 years before becoming president in 1992 There were immediate allegations that he had engineered his election through manipulation of the hall's board of directors. Due to these allegations, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hired two independent lawyers, Arnold Burns and Yves Fortier, to lead an investigation. Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2 1952 in Queens, New York) is the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL a post he has held since L Yves Fortier CC, QC, BA BLitt BCL (born 1935 is a Canadian trial lawyer arbitrator businessman and diplomat ^[51] They concluded that Stein had "improperly manipulated the process" and "created the false appearance and illusion" that his nomination was the idea of Bruce McNall. Bruce Patrick McNall (born April 17, 1950 in Arcadia California) is a former American sports executive who once owned the Los Angeles ^[52] They concluded that Stein pressured McNall to nominate him and had refused to withdraw his nomination when asked to do so by Bettman. ^[52] There was a dispute over McNall's role and Stein was "categorical in stating that the idea was Mr. McNall's. "^[52] They recommended that Stein's selection be overturned, but it was revealed Stein had decided to turn down the induction before their announcement. ^[53]

In 1989, Alan Eagleson, a long time executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association, was inducted as a builder. Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933 in St Catharines Ontario) is a disbarred Canadian lawyer convicted felon He resigned nine years later from the Hall after pleading guilty to mail fraud and embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the NHL Players Association pension funds. Mail fraud refers to any scheme which attempts to unlawfully obtain money or valuables in which the Postal system is used at any point in the commission of a criminal offense ^[54] His resignation came six days before a vote was scheduled to determine if he should be expelled from the Hall. ^[55] Originally, the Hall of Fame was not going to become involved in the issue, but was forced to act when dozens of inductees, including Bobby Orr, Ted Lindsay and Brad Park, campaigned for Eagleson's expulsion, even threatening to renounce their membership if he was not removed. Robert Gordon "Bobby" Orr OC (born March 20 1948 in Parry Sound, Ontario) is a retired Canadian Ice hockey defenseman Robert Blake Theodore "Ted" Lindsay (born July 29 1925 is a former professional Ice hockey forward who played for the Detroit Red Wings and Douglas Bradford (Brad Park (born July 6, 1948 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired Ice hockey defenceman in the National Hockey League He became the first member of a sports hall of fame in North America to resign. ^[56]

Notes

References

• (2003) Honoured members: the Hockey Hall of Fame. Canada: Fenn Publishing. ISBN 1-55168-239-7.  

External links

• The Hockey Hall of Fame official site
• History of Toronto: Hockey Hall of Fame

Coordinates: 43°38′49″N 79°22′38″W / 43.646976, -79.377253