Henrik Lundqvist, Zdeno Chara, Frans Nielsen, and David Vyborny were among the seven inductees into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame Class of 2025, which was announced Friday.
The four will be joined by Kai Hietarinta of Finland in the Builder's category, along with female players Kim Martin-Hasson of Sweden and Vicky Sunohara of Canada.
Lundqvist, 42, played his entire 15-season NHL career with the New York Rangers from 2005-2020, backstopping them to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. The native of Are, Sweden, had 459 wins with the Rangers, the most ever by a European goalie. He won the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL for the 2011-12 season.
Internationally, Lundqvist represented Sweden at two IIHF World Junior Championships (2001, 2002), and five World Championships, winning gold in 2017, and silver in both 2003 and 2004.
Lundqvist also won gold with Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He also won bronze with Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Chara, 47, played 24 seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals from 1997-2022. He captained Boston to a Stanley Cup championship in 2011, becoming the second European captain to do so after Nicklas Lidstrom in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings.
Chara played 1,680 games, most among defensemen in NHL history. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman with the Bruins in 2008-09.
A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Chara played in three Winter Olympics (2006, 2010, 2014), seven World Championships, winning silver in 2000 and 2012. He also won silver at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with Team Europe in 2016.
Nielsen, 40, was the second Danish-born player to play in the NHL. A native of Herning, Denmark, Nielsen played 15 seasons (925 games) with the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings. He played in nine World Championships, and in the 2022 Olympics. He also won silver with Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Vyborny, 49, played seven NHL seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The native of Jihlava, Czech Republic, played in 11 World Championships, winning gold five times (1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005), silver once (2006) and bronze twice (1997, 1998).
Vyborny also played in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and won bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Sunohara, 54, played in three Winter Olympics for Canada, winning gold in 2002 and 2006, and silver in the 1998 Nagano Olympics. A Scarborough, Ontario, native, she also played in eight Women's World Championships, winning gold seven times (1990, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007) and silver in 2005.
Martin-Hasson, 38, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, made her international debut as a 15-year-old goalie at the Women's World Championship in 2001. She won silver at the Winter Olympics in 2006, and bronze in 2002.
Hietarinta, 92, was president of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association from 1984 to 1997. Under his watch, Finland won its first ever medal at the Olympics in 1998 (silver), won gold at the World Championship for the first time in 1995, and won gold at the World Junior Championship for the first time in 1987.
The IIHF Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the 2025 Men's World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden on May 25.
