The Hockey Hall Of Fame today announced the newest members that will join as the Class of 2019 on 15 November, with the most decorated women’s player in history, the first Iron Curtain star to defect to the west, and a pair of multiple Stanley Cup champions, who between them hold a number of International Hockey Lineal Championships, all to join the ranks of the Hall in Toronto.

🇨🇦 Guy Carbonneau, who joined the Montréal Canadiens dynasty full-time in 1982, spent a dozen seasons with the Habs, captaining the team from 1989-94 and winning Stanley Cups in 1986 and 1993, also capturing three Selke Trophies (1988, 1989, 1992) as the league’s top defensive forward. Carbonneau joined the Dallas Stars in 1995, spending his final five seasons in Texas, capturing his third Stanley Cup in 1999. After After retiring following the Stars’ Cup finals loss in 2000, Carbonneau joined the Canadiens’ coaching staff, serving as head coach from 2006-09, and would spend his only international time with Team Canada behind the bench at both the World Championship and World U-18 levels.

🇨🇿 Václav Nedomanský, who was a star centre for both HC Slovan Bratislava and the Czechoslovakian squads that spent the 1970’s tilting against the Soviet Union in epic battles on the international stage, became best known in the west for being the first Eastern European player to defect to North America, escaping Czechoslovakia via Switzerland to join the Toronto Toros of the WHA in 1974, spending eight seasons between the WHA and NHL. Internationally, “Big Ned” helped lead the Národnítým to World Championship Gold in 1972, four Silver (1965, 1966, 1971, 1974) and three Bronze (1969, 1970, 1973), also winning Olympic Silver in 1968 and Bronze in 1972.

🇨🇦 Hayley Wickenheiser, arguably the greatest women’s player to ever compete, brings a staggering array of hardware to the Hall, capturing with Team Canada four Olympic Gold (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) and one Silver (1998) medals, seven World Championship Gold (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2012) and six Silver (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016) medals, eleven Nations Cup Gold and five Silver medals, along with Gold at both the 1995 and 1996 Pacific Rim Championship, capping her career medal haul at 24 Gold and 12 Silver medals, never once having to settle for Bronze. Wickenheiser has also won a CIS title (2012) and Clarkson Cup (2016), and becomes only the seventh woman to enter the Hall of Fame.

🇷🇺 Sergei Zubov, a standout offensive defenceman with the Soviet program, won Olympic Gold in his first senior tournament at the 1992 Olympics, joining the NHL the following season. With the New York Rangers, Zubov helped backstop the Blueshirts to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in only his second NHL season. After a short stopover in Pittsburgh, Zubov joined the Dallas Stars in 1996, where he would spend his final twelve seasons in North America as arguably the team’s best defender in history, helping backstop the Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999. In addition to his Olympic Gold, Zubov also won World Junior Gold (1989) and Silver (1990), and suited up for the 1992 World Championship and 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Also inducted into the builders category were Canadian Jim Rutherford and American Jerry York. Our congratulations go out to these hockey legends on joining the Hall Of Fame this November!

Photo Credit: Montréal Canadiens – SME – COC – Sports.ru – IIHF – HHOF – IOC