TORONTO — Former all-star goaltender Ed Belfour was elected Tuesday to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk as the newest class of inductees.
The four former NHL stars were chosen by the hall’s 18-member selection committee. The induction ceremony will be Nov. 14.
Belfour, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, posted 484 wins — third on the NHL career list — and 76 shutouts during a 17-year career.
“It is hard to put into words what this means to me,” said Belfour, who won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999.
Gilmour played 20 years in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in 1989. He finished with more than 1,400 career points.
Howe, son of Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, retired in 1995. He switched from forward to defense early in his career and was a runner-up for the Norris Trophy three times.
“I was elated to have this dream come true,” he said. “To actually have my name in the Hall of Fame with my dad will mean so much to my family.”
Nieuwendyk, the general manager of the Stars, won the Stanley Cup with three teams — Calgary, Dallas and New Jersey.
Chara to meet with police
MONTREAL — Quebec’s director of criminal prosecutions ordered an investigation into the hit by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara that sidelined Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty with a concussion and a cracked vertebra during a regular-season game against the Canadiens on March 8.
Pacioretty, who is expected to be ready for next season, reacted to the news about the investigation on Twitter.
“Last comment on this: I hope Chara is NOT prosecuted. I have moved on from my incident and I hope everyone else can do the same,” he wrote.
Footnotes.
Forward Brooks Laich will return to the Capitals, agreeing to a $27 million, six-year contract.
• The Canucks sent the rights to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to the Islanders for a fourth-round draft pick next year.
• The Penguins re-signed forward Pascal Dupuis to a two- year deal worth $3 million.
• The Lightning re-signed defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to a two-year contract.
• The Predators will not re-sign forward Steve Sullivan.
• The Hurricanes re-signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen and forward Patrick Dwyer to multiyear contracts.
The Associated Press
