Hawerchuk, Kurri, Gartner, Fetisov enter Hall

After being surprisingly passed over a year ago, former Winnipeg Jets star Dale Hawerchuk got his much-deserved induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.

"When I think about the induction, it's like going back down memory lane," Hawerchuk said. "All the friendships that I've developed and the people I've run into ... all the experiences have been fantastic.

"When I look back on it, I wouldn't change a thing."

Hawerchuk was inducted alongside Viacheslav Fetisov, Mike Gartner and Jari Kurri, as well as Craig Patrick in the builders category.

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"I remember my first week at training camp and being the No. 1 pick there was a lot of pressure," Hawerchuk said. "After about three days, I was a little worried because the pace was so quick."

Hawerchuk, 38, was widely expected to gain entry last year, but was passed over for Denis Savard and Joe Mullen.

The Oshawa, Ont., native retired in 1997 after a 16-year career which included stints with the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

But it is as a Winnipeg Jet that Hawerchuk is best remembered.

He was an instant sensation, winning rookie of the year in 1982 after scoring 45 goals for the Jets.

Because he was at his best during Wayne Gretzky's dominant years, Hawerchuk's on-ice achievements were often overshadowed by the Great One.

"I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to play with and against Wayne," said Hawerchuk, who ranks 13th all-time with 1,409 NHL points.

"Wayne was quite popular for me growing up because I thought I was a little similar to him -- kind of a skinny kid who tried to use their head out there. Maybe he paved the way for me a little bit."

And while he doesn't have a Stanley Cup ring to go with his Hall of Fame one, Hawerchuk can take solace in the fact that he was on the ice for one of the greatest moments in Canadian hockey history.

It was Hawerchuk who won the faceoff in Canada's own end of Game 3 of the '87 Canada Cup that led to the Gretzky-to-Mario Lemieux game-winner against the Soviet Union.

"You couldn't write a better script than how the goal happened," Hawerchuk said. "Obviously, that goal will go down as one of the most famous in Canadian history."

Like Hawerchuk, Fetisov also had a great deal of success on international ice.

The strapping Russin defenceman began his career in 1975 with CKSA Moscow and, as a member of the dominant Soviet national squad, won 11 world championships and three Olympic medals.

"I considered (Fetisov) the general of that hockey club," Hawerchuk said.

"When I played for Finland, we went into games against the Russians worried we might lose 10-0 or 8-0," Kurri added. "They were scary."

Fetisov joined the NHL in 1989 as a member of the New Jersey Devils and went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings.

The only other Russian in the hall is legendary goaltender Vladislav Tretiak.

"It was different 13 years ago," Fetisov said. "The only way to gain entry into the NHL was to defect.

"But, with the help of the New Jersey Devils, my life and the lives of many Russian players were changed forever."

Before retiring in 1998, Gartner played for 18 NHL seasons, with stops in Washington, Minnesota (North Stars), New York (Rangers), Toronto and Phoenix.

"As I look up at the wall, at the men whose images are etched in glass, they're looking down on me with measuring eyes now," Gartner said during his speech. "I only hope that I can stand tall with you."

During his career Gartner set an NHL record with 15 consecutive 30+ goal seasons and just four players have scored more goals -- Wayne Gretzky (894), Gordie Howe (801), Marcel Dionne (731) and Phil Esposito (717).

Only Howe scored more goals among right wingers.

"Boy, I'll take that, to be second to Gordie Howe," said Gartner, who had 1,335 career points.

"I strove for consistency in all aspects of my life and am proud to be recognized over my career as being a player that produced for both my teammates and our fans."

Kurri, a key part Edmonton Oilers dynasty during the 1980s, is the highest-secoring European born player in NHL history.

Before retiring in 1998, he tallied 1,398 points, scoring at least 50 goals in four straight seasons and recording five straight 100-point campaigns.

"I loved the way he had such a knack of finding open ice," Gartner said of Kurri.

Kurri won five Cups with the Oilers and also made stops with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Colorado Avalanche.

He is the first Finnish player elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"It is a great honour, since so few players are able to make it to this level," said Kurri in June. "To be the first Finnish player elected is especially gratifying."

Patrick, who won two Stanley Cups as GM of the Penguins, helped to build the U.S. National and Olympic hockey programs, and was assistant coach and assistant GM of the U.S.'s gold medal team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

"It was great to be born into a family so interested in hockey," said an emotional Patrick, who joins father Lynn, grandfather Lester, and uncle Muzz in the hall.

"I grew up in the game and once it's in your blood, it's in your blood. This is beyond my wildest dreams." Patrick is the longest-serving GM in Penguins history and ranks second to New Jersey's Lou Lamorielklo as longest-serving GM in the NHL today.

He was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.

Patrick has a key managerial role with the U.S. team for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

"One wise father told his son once, `Find something you really enjoy doing and you'll never have to work a day in your life,"' Patrick said. "And that's my life.

"I've loved this game since the day I was born."