The Hockey Hall of Fame swelled both in membership and prestige this week with some of the more worthier inductees to have ever laced up skates, that is, Steve Yzerman and some other dudes. Judging from the coverage and the noticeably amped up production value, the shrine on Front Street and the ceremony surrounding it’s big night has upped it’s game to the credit of the game and everybody in it.
Even though the scrum might have followed Gretzky’s entrance like he was drunk Mylie Cyrus falling out of a dress, the coverage was sharp overall and to the point the way you would never expect to see on TSN (this might bode well for the Olympic coverage, cautious optimism is the order of the day). They should be commended for keeping the strobe light graphics and passive-aggressive banter to a minimum. The ceremony was more of the same. The highlight reel for #19 was demonstrative of his abilities (especially so against the Blackhawks) without being sappy or otherwise ridiculous. James Duthie did the introduction with the classy sort of prodding that played for chuckles while never letting anyone forget that he was Duthie and the inductee was an immeasurably better human being.
Steve Yzerman stole the show and for good reason, as qualified as Hull and Robitaille may be Yzerman is exactly the sort of player the NHL has been built on.
Yzerman’s career was a study in competence becoming excellence, while he wasn’t without a spectacular highlight reel, his steady consistence, a mastery of fundamentals and work ethic that stands second to none were what set him apart and made him what he was. He represented the very best character of the NHL; his dignity and hardwork were what elevated him above every other run-of-the-mill 1755 career point hockey player. He may have produced like a superstar but he never acted like one. The NHL is full of Yzerman’s sort of player. Small town kids overjoyed to be playing hockey for a living and finding it all a little hard to believe. For every Shawn Avery there are ten genuinely good men slugging it out every game knowing full well their moms are probably watching and behaving accordingly. One couldn’t suggest he played like a saint, he took up enough lumber in the penalty box to build a fort, but on camera he was every bit the composed role model he will be remembered as.
If they awarded Lady Byngs for induction speeches they wouldn’t ever have to give it away again. He hit all the notes with the humility and straightforwardness he had employed every time he stepped on the ice. He’s no Tony Robbins on the microphone and looked more than a little embarrassed over all the brouhaha. The kind of modesty you can’t fake did him all the more credit. He thanked the wife and kids, talked up his fellow inductees, coaches and everybody else there was to thank, it was a speech by the numbers from a fella whose actions always speak for him. It is no surprise he got recruited as masthead for Team Canada and if the Red Wings front office is ever dumb enough to let him go he’ll fit into a GM chair somewhere in the League very nicely.
One of the NHL’s biggest assets is the years and years of history behind it. You have Maurice Richard riots, Paul Henderson defeating communism, Gordie Howe hat tricks, Theo Fleury after-parties and a trophy older than Hugh Hefner hoisted by all the biggest names in the game. The Hall itself, its archives and its reach into the wider cultural landscape should be used over and over again to promote the game worldwide. Inducting Stevie Y to the big club may be a no-brainer, but selling him as exactly the sort of guy that belongs there makes the Hall, the league and the sport better.
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