Eric Lindros leads 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees

The debate is over. Eric Lindros will finally get his plaque in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Passed over six times before, the long-time Philadelphia Flyers captain was announced as one of four nominees for this year's Hall of Fame induction class, joined by the late Pat Quinn, goaltender Rogie Vachon and Russian winger Sergei Makarov.

"It was six years and it was a bit of time, but I guess you can turn around and say I'm in the Hall forever going forward," Lindros said on a conference call after the announcement.

Lindros was driving north on Highway 11 in Ontario with his family when he got the call from Lanny McDonald, the Hall of Fame chairman.

He hasn't stopped smiling since and for good reason.

This was a day that looked more and more unlikely to happen. Lindros was a hotly debated candidate every year for Hall induction, but each year it was revealed that, again, he had not made the cut.

Injuries, and the time they robbed him of, were used by some to justify of his absence from the Hall, though not from the committee, which keeps all deliberations private.

All-time great point producer

It's hard to argue against the productivity and dominance of his career when healthy. Lindros posted 1.14 points per game, a mark that ranks 15th among all inactive players (minimum 500 games). All but one of the 14 names above him that list was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"I think there was some times you get thinking back and wondering what if," said Lindros, who scored 372 goals along with 865 points in 760 games. "But I think when it's all said and done it's an honour. It just kind of feels full circle if you can understand that.

"I play hockey a couple times a week just to try to fit in my jeans. To have this honour right here at the end of things when my game is certainly on the downslope is a great feeling and a great honor.

"I'm super happy."​

Inducted into the builders' category, Quinn played for nine NHL seasons before spending almost four decades in various coaching and front office roles, both in the NHL and with Hockey Canada.

He served behind the bench of three Canadian clubs, including long and successful stints with the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. He led the Canucks to the Cup final in 1994, coming just shy of that mark during his time in Toronto.

His 1979-80 Flyers squad was also defeated in the final.

"He was good with handling personalities and getting the most out of his players," said Lindros of Quinn, playing for him at the Olympics and for one season in Toronto. "I thought he was a real personable coach, but still stern and sharp and an old-school way about him on top of that."

Quinn twice won the Jack Adams trophy as the league's top coach and was the chair of the Hockey Hall of Fame at the time of his death in Nov. 2014. He also coached Canada to gold at the world junior championships and 2004 World Cup of hockey.

Kalli Quinn used to ask her father about his chances for induction into the Hall. His response: "You're crazy."

"It's such a huge honour for the family, and we're so proud of him and we've always been proud of him and this is just the icing on the cake," his daughter said. "It's kind of surreal and still can't really believe it's happening, but we appreciate it so much."

Like Lindros, Vachon long wondered whether he would get into the hall. He'd given up hope in fact, last suiting up in 1982.

"I sort of resigned myself that I don't think it's going to happen after all those years," he said.

Vachon won three Cups with the Montreal Canadiens and was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy in 1975. He set eight records during his stint with the Los Angeles Kings, including wins (171), shutouts (32), and lowest goals against average (2.24) in one season.

He later joined the Kings in both coaching and management roles, serving as GM for 10 seasons.

Makarov had his best years in Russia, leading the Soviet league in scoring for nine seasons. He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1983 and became the Calder Trophy winner as the league's top rookie at age 31, a result that led to a future age restriction on the award.