Blittner’s Blue Line: Welcome To The NY State Hockey Hall of Fame

By Matt Blittner, The New York Extra/TheNYExtra.com

To be a Hall of Famer you must have done something pretty special in your career. Whether you were a player, a writer, a broadcaster, a scout, an executive, etc. it’s always nice to have your career honored in such a way. 

The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto is the biggie. Only the very best of the best get inducted. And while the Hockey Hall of Fame is predominantly – but not solely – populated by people whose careers were NHL related, there are other Hall of Fames whose focus is much broader than just the NHL. 

There’s the US Hockey Hall of Fame whose focus is those individuals who helped grow the game of hockey in the United States. 

And then there’s the newest Hall of Fame. The NY State Hockey Hall of Fame, which is operated by Rene LeRoux. LeRoux also runs the NY State Baseball and NY State Basketball Hall of Fames. 

This new Hall of Fame doesn’t yet have a physical building, but that’s not stopping LeRoux and his staff from welcoming its inaugural class into The Hall.

The full list of announced inductees is as follows:

Herb Brooks

Danny Gare

Clark Gillies

Butch Goring

Pat LaFontaine

Ken Morrow

Mark Messier

Bob Nystrom

Howie Rose

Dave Strader

Jack O’Callahan

Phil Verchota

Mark Wells

Jim Craig

Mike Eruzione

Barry Melrose

Mike Richter

Mark Pavelich

“We are thrilled to have such an incredible class; (a who’s who) among the all-time greats in the world of hockey,” said LeRoux.

As you can see from the list, there are representatives from the dynasty Islanders, the curse-breaking Rangers, the Miracle On Ice Men’s 1980 team, the Sabres and more. The induction ceremony is being held on Sunday May 22, 2022, at the Hilton Hotel in Troy, NY. 

Fans of hockey are welcome to attend by buying tickets. To purchase tickets fans can call (518)-877-5170. The reception will start at 4pm(EST) and dinner is included. 

While some of the inductees listed have unfortunately passed on, they will be represented by their surviving loved ones. It’s truly a who’s who of hockey greats and there are still a few names yet to be announced. It should make for a fun experience for hockey fans and is a well deserving honor for the inductees. 

Hopefully the Islanders and Rangers representatives won’t be too hostile towards each other. (Just kidding).

FUN OUTDOORS?

On an unrelated note, did anybody notice the social media reactions to the NHL’s Stadium Series game between the Predators and Lightning over the weekend? 

The NHL has now held over 30 outdoor games since the inaugural Winter Classic and while the in-person spectacle is still a sight to behold, the television presentation has worn thin. At least, according to a fair number of people on Twitter it has.

Members of the hockey media who were not involved with covering the game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville took to Twitter to express their concerns over the way the league and its television partners present the outdoor games. 

There’s no doubt the in-person experience is far superior to that of the television viewer. So, how can the NHL and its partners fix this?

For starters, it might be a good idea for the camera angles to be closer to the ice and the players. During the broadcast there were multiple instances of the camera panning out and the viewers losing sight of the puck. That’s an easy fix. 

What isn’t easy is coming up with a way to make the television broadcasts feel special for these games. The NHL champions its outdoor games as a major part of the league calendar. Therefore it should treat all aspects of these games with the utmost importance. After all, television partners and league sponsors won’t be happy if the all important ratings number isn’t what they expect.

DOWN GOES CHELIOS

Former NHL defenseman and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios just lost a record. Late last week his career games played record for defensemen fell by the wayside as the Islanders’ Zdeno Chara overtook Chelios by playing in his 1,652nd career game.

Congratulations to Big Z on his terrific career and his obvious endurance. It’s not easy to go out there night after night and play the game at a high level. Chara isn’t the player he once was, but he’s still a fine third-pair defenseman and his new record is a testament not only to his work ethic but also to his dedication to the game. 

CONDEMNING RUSSIA

In a statement released on Monday, the NHL joined other sports leagues around the world in condemning Russia for invading Ukraine. 

“NEW YORK (Feb. 28, 2022) – The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.

“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL Clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position.”