The Hockey Hall of Fame inductions were last night in Toronto.
In a year bereft of NHL hockey, it was strange to see four of the games’ best honoured last night.
Pavel Bure, Adam Oates, Joe Sakic & Mats Sundin were the four players inducted.
Bure was a personal favorite. Whenever he played close to a full season for Vancouver, he scored at least 50 goals, and twice had 60 goal campaigns, many of the markers purely dazzling.
Rather than ” Hall & Oates “, Adam Oates was the set up man in the famed ” Hull & Oates ” combination with Brett Hull.
Sakic, according to anybody who played with him long term or short term. was a tremendous talent and person.
And like Bure, Sundin was a personal favorite, not just for his hockey skills which were sky high, but rather for the grace in which he served as Leafs captain.
Interestingly, on the day of the inductions, I did an interview with Rosie DiManno who has written a book called ” Coach ” dealing with the life and times of the late Pat Burns.
Burns had a tremendous coaching career but was not selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, in spite of a large social media campaign to get consideration for induction late in Burns life.
Now that Burns has passed away, DiManno doubts that Pat Burns will ever be considered again.
The full interview is posted at www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca
I’m Fred Wallace