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Former Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames goaltender Mike Vernon was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday along with fellow goaltenders Tom Barrasso and Henrik Lundqvist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Vernon won his first Stanley Cup in 1989 with the Calgary Flames before leading the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995. Two years later, he delivered Detroit its first Cup in 42 years, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for Finals MVP in the process.
The ceremony came amid a Red Wings resurgence in the NHL's Eastern Conference, where the Wings rank third among all teams in points on the season. The Wings' early season surprises and disappointments were revealed recently. The Wings' Moritz Seider and Alex DeBrincat were vocal on the importance of the NHL Global Series.
Vernon's induction speech included a shoutout to Red Wings legend and current Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman, along with other teammates as well as his mother and father.
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Vernon said he and his siblings played numerous sports, but hockey was always number one.
“Like most kids growing up, I started playing hockey having fun. (It was) a chance to hang out with my friends, with all of my buddies, and dreaming one day of playing in the NHL,” the Red Wings and Flames legend Vernon said in his speech.
“Everybody that is here tonight understands one thing about hockey: It is the ultimate sport and that I had great teammates along the way. (There are) too many to name, but I’d like to thank them all. From Al (MacInnis) to (Steve) Yzerman, you have pushed me to be my best, you taught me what it meant to be a teammate and what it took to become a pro.”
