Hockey Hall selections delayed
Normally, NHL entry draft weekend marks the unofficial end of one hockey season and the July 1 opening of the free agency market signals the beginning of the next, but this year, the timing is a little different and there is one more main event remaining on the calendar — Hall Of Fame selections.
Because the NHL season stretched so long, the HHOF selection committee meetings, originally scheduled for last Wednesday in Toronto, had to be postponed a week. The reason: Four members of the committee had a conflicting commitment (to the NHL board of governors meetings in New York), so to ensure there was a quorum, the Hall postponed its get-together until this coming Wednesday.
The list of eligible players for the HHOF class of 2006 begins with Patrick Roy, whose 551 career regular-season wins is the most in NHL history and almost 100 victories ahead of the current second-place man, Ed Belfour. Roy also won four Stanley Cups and was selected the Conn Smythe trophy winner (as playoff MVP) a record three times.
Two of Roy's contemporaries, Mike Richter and Tom Barrasso, are also eligible for selection this year for the first time. Among forwards who have also met the criteria for selection (players must have been retired for three seasons to get consideration) are Doug Gilmour and Pavel Bure. Statistically, the most prominent defenceman that falls into that category is Phil Housley.
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