ORLANDO, Fla. – Move over boys, the ladies are coming into the Hall.
Tuesday afternoon, the selection committee for the Hockey Hall of Fame announced it inductees for the Class of 2010 and for the first time, two women will be joining the illustrious names enshrined.
Cammi Granato and Angela James, two of the women’s game’s pioneers, will be inducted on Monday, November 8 in Toronto. Former NHL great Dino Ciccarelli will be joining the ladies as the sole male player going in. Long-time Detroit Red Wings executive Jim Devellano and the late Daryl “Doc” Seaman, one of the founders of the Calgary Flames, will also be enshrined in the “Builders” category.
“The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome these five hockey legends as honored members,” Selection Committee Co-Chairman Jim Gregory said. “Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hockey Hall of Fame is richly deserved.”
The fact that two women were elected was made possible by a change in the Hall’s by-laws. Back in March, the membership voted to institute By-law 21 which established the limits for number of candidates who could be elected. It was decided that up to four male players and two female players could be elected. Previously, women were eligible but had to compete with their male counterparts, making the election of a female difficult.
Granato, sister of former NHL player and coach Tony Granato, set the bar for female players in the United States. From 1991-1993, she was named ECAC Player of the Year three times while at Providence College. Granato then headed north to play for the Concordia Stingers in the CIS where she was a part of three Quebec titles.
On the international stage, few have achieved the success that Granato has. Her 96 points in 54 games ranks her at the top of women’s international hockey scoring. She has one World Championship gold medal (2005) and eight silvers to go along with Olympic gold in 1998 and silver in 2002. Off the ice, Granato was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in the U.S. in 2007. A year later, she became the first female inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as well as joining James and Geraldine Heaney as the first three women to gain entrance to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame.
“I dreamed of being in the NHL my entire life and this certainly makes up for those dreams,” Granato said. “Being amongst the first women to play at college and later at the Olympics, it was certainly worthwhile being a hockey pioneer.”
Angela James, a native of Toronto, is widely acknowledged to be “the” pioneer of women’s hockey. Her career, which came during the 1970’s and early 1980’s, was made in the Central Ontario Women’s League where James led the league in scoring eight times and won MVP honors on six occasions.
Dubbed “the female Wayne Gretzky”, James has 12 national championship medals and eight MVP awards to her credit. She also captained Team Canada in international competition, scoring 34 points in 20 games on the world stage while being a part of four World Championship gold medal teams (1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997). James also has two gold medals from Team Canada triumphs in the Three Nations Cup tournaments in 1996 and 1999.
“On behalf of everyone in women’s hockey, I am truly honored”, James said. “As a kid, I went to the Hall and was in awe of those who had been inducted. I am delighted to be able to join them.”
Dino Ciccarelli’s hockey career is a classic success story. The Sarnia, Ontario native made a name for himself while playing for the London Knights, setting a team record when he scored 72 goals during the 1977-78 season.
Coming out of juniors undrafted, Ciccarelli signed with the then Minnesota North Stars in 1980. He spent nine seasons with the Stars, during which time he led the team in scoring five times. By the time he retired, Ciccarelli had tours of duty in Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Florida in a career that spanned almost 20 years. His 608 goals, 592 assists and 1,200 points in 1,232 career games put him among the NHL’s all-time best.
“This is a tremendous honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Ciccarelli said. “I really appreciate the support of my coaches, the fans and most important to me my family throughout my 19-year career.”
Executive Jim Devellano has had what many would call a Midas touch over his career in the front office. He was a member of the staff that built the New York Islanders into a dynasty in the 1980’s when the Isles won four straight Stanley Cups. More recently, he has overseen the construction of the Detroit Red Wings into a four-time Cup champion. In 2006, Devellano was recognized for his work in the Motor City when he was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
“I’d like to thank the Selection Committee for naming me,” Devellano said. “This game is all about the people and since Lynn Patrick gave me my first break, I’ve been fortunate to be associated with great people.”
Daryl “Doc” Seaman was a true hockey fan. He was part of the original group that brought the Calgary Flames to life and was an important part of making the Saddledome a reality as well as the push that brought the 1988 Olympic Winter Games to Calgary. Seaman was also a part of the group that enacted Project 75, now called the Seaman-Hotchkiss Foundation. Project 75 brought more focus to Canadian hockey at a time when European hockey was starting to take over and led to five straight junior hockey gold medals for Canada.
In acknowledging Seaman’s commitment to hockey in Canada, the Selection Committee recognized his support of Hockey Canada’s grass roots development programs and his dedication to the HHOF’s principles of “entertainment, education and excellence”.
In addition to Granato, James, Ciccarelli, Devellano and Seaman, the Hall Of Fame also announced the recipients of the 2010 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for hockey journalism and the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions in hockey broadcasting. Marc DeFoy, who has been covering the Montreal Canadiens for 28 years, will receive the Ferguson award while original Washington Capitals’ broadcaster Ron Weber, who called 1,936 games over 23 years for the Capitals, will receive the Hewitt award.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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