LA Kings great Rogie Vachon named to 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame Class

Former Los Angeles Kings great Rogie Vachon finally and deservedly will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, as Lanny McDonald, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and John Davidson, Chairman of the Selection Committee, announced that four individuals, including Vachon, have been elected to Hockey Hall of Fame Honored Membership, three in the Player Category and one in the Builder Category.

The vote took place today at the annual meeting of the Selection Committee in Toronto.

“The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these four hockey legends as Honoured Members,” said John Davidson.  “Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved.”

Rogie Vachon joined the Montreal Canadiens in 1966 and won three Stanley Cups in his first six NHL seasons.  After being traded to the LA Kings in 1971, he continued his stellar career for 11 more seasons before retiring to become an NHL coach and executive.

“I was very lucky to play for the Montreal Canadiens at the start of my career,” said Vachon.  “My first shot on net was a breakaway by Gordie Howe.  I stopped it and it kept me in the league for 16 more years.”

Eric Lindros exemplified the power forward position  throughout his 14 year NHL career.  He won gold for Canada both at the Olympic Games and the Canada Cup and also averaged over a point a game in the NHL.

“I was very fortunate to have coaches, teammates, billets and parents who supported me throughout my career.” said Lindros.  “It also takes a lot of luck to get to the NHL.”

Sergei Makarov led the Soviet League in scoring for nine seasons, while also winning eight World Championship gold medals and two Olympic gold medals. He later joined the NHL as a member of the Calgary Flames in 1989 and went on to play in over 400 NHL games.

“For everyone who plays the game, this is the top place," said Markarov. “It will be so nice to join all of those great players.”

In the Builder Category, Pat Quinn was elected. After nine seasons in the NHL, Pat joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach in 1977.  Over the next almost 40 years, he held coaching, managing and President positions, both in the NHL and with Team Canada.  At the time of his death in November, 2014, he was Chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Being recognized by Pat’s hockey peers is truly a great honour,” said his wife, Sandra Quinn. “I’m proud of Pat and what he accomplished.”

The 2016 Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 14th  at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  

ROGIE VACHON

·         First joined the Montreal Canadiens during 1966-67 and played six seasons (1966-71)
·         Won three Stanley Cup Championships with Montreal Canadiens (1968, 1969, 1971)
·         Shared Vezina Trophy with Gump Worsley in 1968
·         Traded to Los Angeles Kings on November 4, 1971 & played seven seasons (1971-78)
·         Named Los Angeles Kings’ Inspirational Player of Year in 1973
·         Runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP in 1975
·         Named Los Angeles Kings’ Most Popular Player in 1977
·         Named Los Angeles Kings’ Most Valuable Player four times in eight seasons
·         Set eight different Los Angeles Kings team records, including wins (171), shutouts (32) & lowest goals against average in one season (2.24)
·         Played in three NHL All-Star Games (1973, 1975 1978)
·         Named an NHL 2nd Team All-Star two times (1975, 1977)
·         Signed as free agent and played two seasons with Detroit Red Wings (1978-80)
·         Became only the 8th goaltender in NHL History to record 300 wins on November 16, 1979
·         Traded to the Boston Bruins on July 15, 1980 and played two seasons (1980-82)
·         Retired following the 1981-82 season at age 36
·         Seventeenth all-time among goaltenders in NHL History with 355 wins
·         One of only a few goalies to never allow a goal on a penalty shot
·         Recorded career NHL regular season totals of 795gp, 355w-291l-127t, 51so, 2.99gaa
·         Recorded career NHL playoff totals of 48gp, 23w-23l, 2so, 2.77gaa
·         Member of Team Canada, winning the 1976 Canada Cup
·         Named Most Valuable Player and Tournament All-Star of 1976 Canada Cup
·         Recorded career Canada Cup totals of 7gp, 6w-0l-1t, 2so, 1.39gaa
·         Goaltending Coach of Los Angeles Kings for two seasons (1982-84)
·         General Manager of Los Angeles Kings for ten seasons (1984-93)
·         Returned as Los Angeles Kings Executive after retiring as GM
·         Served as Interim Head Coach of Los Angeles Kings three times (10 games)
·         Number ‘30’ officially retired by the Los Angeles Kings in 1985 – the first jersey number to be retired by the club
·         Inducted into the Los Angeles Kings Hall of Fame in 1985

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services