When hockey's newest Hall of Famers are declared at the 2011 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE ANNOUNCEMENT, Canada's Sports Leader will be front and centre – for the first-time ever – capturing all the action. Live coverage begins Tuesday, June 28 at 3 p.m. ET live on TSN2 and TSN RADIO 1050, with live streaming available on TSN.ca.
The announcement will also be carried live on the NHL Network for U.S. audiences.
Possible inductees include Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros, Doug Gilmour, Theoren Fleury, Pavel Bure, Ed Belfour, and the late Pat Burns.
Nieuwendyk, who was passed over last year, may own the most impressive credentials of this year's group. Nieuwendyk won three Stanley Cups, picking up two Conn Smythe Trophies along the way, and finished his career with 564 goals and 1,126 points in 1,257 games.
Lindros battled injuries throughout his career and finished with only 760 games played. But in that time he averaged more than a point per game (865) and won three major trophies: an Art Ross, a Hart, and a Lester B. Pearson.
Only one Hall of Fame-eligible player (Adam Oates) has scored more than Gilmour's 1,414 career points. The former Calgary Flame and Toronto Maple Leaf also won a Stanley Cup and Selke Trophy in his career.
Although Fleury never won a major award in his career, he also averaged over a point per game in his 15 seasons in the NHL. The former Flame, who won a Gold Medal with Canada in the 2002 Olympics, recorded 1,088 points in 1,084 games.
Known in his playing days as the Russian Rocket, Bure too averaged over a point per game throughout his career. Of the 10 players to have scored 50 goals or more in five years, Bure is the only one not inducted into the Hall of Fame. The three time Rocket Richard Trophy winner finished with 779 points in 702 games.
Belfour, the most decorated goalie eligible for induction this year, is third in career regular season wins and 10th in shutouts with 76. The two-time Vezina Award Winner also has a Stanley Cup and a Calder Trophy to show for his 18 years in the league.
Burns, who passed away late last year, won the Jack Adams Award with three different teams. He has 501 career wins and a Stanley Cup victory in his 14 years in the league.
Other names eligible for induction include former Montreal Canadien Guy Carbonneau, American defenceman Phil Housley, Gordie Howe's son Mark, five-time All-Star John LeClair, and six-time Stanley Cup champion Kevin Lowe, among others.
On the AM dial, TSN RADIO 1050 host Bryan Hayes will provide analysis following the announcement.
The 2011 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE ANNOUNCEMENT will be made by former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Jim Gregory and past Leafs and Vancouver Canucks head coach Pat Quinn, current co-chairs of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The 2011 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE ANNOUNCEMENT is part of TSN's comprehensive coverage of the biggest events in hockey, including the 2011 NHL ENTRY DRAFT and the FREE AGENT FRENZY airing Friday, July 1 at 12 noon ET on TSN2.
