But Luongo's doubts were put to rest Monday, when Mike Gartner, the chair of the Hall of Fame's selection committee, revealed a Class of 2022 that has a significant Vancouver Canucks feel.
Luongo and the Sedin twins were elected for induction in their first year of eligibility and highlight a group that also includes
Daniel Alfredsson
, Riikka Sallinen and the late Herb Carnegie that will be celebrated at Hockey Hall of Fame Weekend from Nov. 11-13 and inducted at the ceremony in Toronto on Nov. 14.
"It's going to make just the whole experience so much more enjoyable to be a part of it with the Sedins | Teams congratulate Class of 2022]*
Alfredsson was teammates with the Sedins on the Swedish national team. They won the gold medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics and finished second at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Henrik and Daniel also won a World Championship with Sweden in 2013.
"For them to be able to go through this their whole careers and not become enemies is amazing to me," Alfredsson said.
Alfredsson had 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists) in 1,246 games during an 18-season NHL career from 1995-2014 with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. Selected by the Senators in the sixth round (No. 133) of the 1994 NHL Draft, he is their all-time leader in goals, assists and points, and is second in games played (1.178) behind Chris Phillips (1,179). He played 17 of his 18 NHL seasons with Ottawa before finishing his career with Detroit in 2013-14.
Alfredsson won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1995-96, when he had 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games for the Senators.
"It's such an honor," Alfredsson said. "It's such a privilege to be able to play this sport for a living, something I would have played for fun for my whole life without question. To be able to make a living, to be able to play in front of thousands of fans and also to be recognized in this way, it's truly humbling."
Sallinen, who will be the first female Finland-born player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, had 514 points (240 goals, 274 assists) in 227 Finnish Elite League games. The former forward was the oldest hockey player to be awarded an Olympic medal (44) when Finland finished third at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Carnegie competed on four Allan Cup teams in the 1940s. He led the Quebec Aces to the Alexander Cup as Canadian semi-pro champions in 1952. After retiring in 1954, Carnegie worked to further diversify the game of hockey until his death in 2012.
"So many people wanted this for my father," said Bernice Carnegie, his daughter. "So many people wanted this, and this is going to make a lot of people happy, honestly, because they so believed in everything my father has done for all these years. But I still can't believe this.
"Amazing. I just want to cry. This is so amazing."
NHL.com staff writer William Douglas contributed to this story
