Chris Chelios Headed To The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inducted five new members on Monday, introducing its 2011 class of Keith Tkachuk, Chris Chelios, Gary Suter, Ed Snider and Mike Emrick.
Ron DeGregorio, President of USA Hockey called it an "extraordinary class" that had a positive impact on every level of hockey in the United States, while three of this year's class (Chelios, Suter and Tkachuk) were part of the 1996 team that won the World Cup of hockey
A few highlights on the new inductees:
Mike Emrick becomes the first media member to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, and has spent almost 40 years broadcasting games. He recently left the New Jersey Devils broadcast booth to take on a full-time role with NBC.
Ed Snider is the current owner and founder of the Philadelphia Flyers as they were one of six teams to join the NHL in 1967, marking the first major expansion in the league's history. He's already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders category.
Keith Tkachuk played over 1,200 games in his NHL career and scored 538 goals, good enough for 30th on the All-Time list, and is one of just four Americans (along with Joe Mullen, Jeremy Roenick and Mike Modano) to score at least 500 goals in the NHL. He's also represented the United States on the international stage and has won a Silver Medal (2002) and was also a member of the 1996 team that won the World Cup of Hockey.
Chris Chelios played in four different Olympic games and spent 26 seasons in the NHL, including the 2009-10 season where he appeared in seven games with the Atlanta Thrashers at the age of 48. In 1,651 games he scored 185 goals and was as tough as any defenseman in the league. He was a member of three Stanley Cup winning clubs, including the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, as well as two different championships with the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008.
Gary Suter was a member of the 1988 Calgary Flames team that won the Stanley Cup, and throughout his 17-year career spent time with the Flames, Blackhawks and Sharks. He scored 203 goals and was the NHL's rookie of the year following the 1985-86 season.
