Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist, former Islander Pierre Turgeon elected to Hockey Hall of Fame
New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist gloves the puck while playing against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 13, 2014. Credit: AP/Jae C. Hong
Rangers goaltending legend Henrik Lundqvist and former Islanders center Pierre Turgeon were among seven hockey greats who were announced Wednesday as having been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
Lundqvist, 41, was elected in his first year of eligibility, and was one of three goaltenders elected, along with former Pittsburgh Penguins great Tom Barrasso and former Calgary Flame Mike Vernon. Caroline Ouellette, one of the most decorated woman players in history, was also elected, along with former GM Pierre Lacroix and former coach Ken Hitchcock, who were elected in the builders category.
The group will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the fall.
Lundqvist, a native of Sweden, played all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Rangers, beginning in 2005 and ending when he was bought out of his contract in 2020. He signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals after his buyout, but never played for them after undergoing open heart surgery. He officially retired in 2021.
Originally a seventh-round pick (No. 205 overall) by the Rangers in the 2000 draft, Lundqvist won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in 2011-12, and he was a finalist for the award two other times. In 2006, he led Sweden to the gold medal in the Olympics. He ended his career as the Rangers’ all-time leader in wins (459), shutouts (64), playoff wins (61), and all-time playoff appearances (130).
His 459 victories are sixth on the NHL’s all-time list. His No. 30 jersey was retired by the Rangers on January 28, 2022.
Turgeon, 53, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 draft by the Buffalo Sabres, and played 19 seasons in the NHL, scoring 515 goals, with 812 assists, for 1,327 points. Before Wednesday, he had been the highest-scoring player not in the Hall of Fame.
Islanders center Pierre Turgeon on April 18, 1994. Credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill
He was traded by Buffalo to the Islanders in the Pat Lafontaine deal in 1991 and played parts of four seasons with the Isles, including the best of his career in 1992-93, when he scored 58 goals, 74 assists and 132 points and won the Lady Byng Trophy.
He was knocked out of the playoffs that season by a late, blindside hit by Washington’s Dale Hunter, as he celebrated his goal that sewed up the Isles’ six-game victory over the Capitals. The Islanders went on to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins in the next round without him, but fell to Montreal in the conference finals. Hunter was suspended for the first 21 games of the next season for the incident.
Turgeon was traded to Montreal, with defenseman Vladimir Malakhov, in April of 1995, in exchange for Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider and Craig Darby. He went on to play for St. Louis, Dallas and Colorado after that.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
