In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this edition, we feature Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Lanny McDonald.
Lanny McDonald had 1,006 points (500 goals, 506 assists) in 1,111 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, following 17-year career.
The 70-year-old has been the Hall of Fame chairman of the board since 2015 and was named to the Order of Canada in 2022. McDonald remains active in Calgary through his charity work, which includes fundraising for Ronald McDonald House and the Special Olympics.
"I'm the luckiest guy, seriously," McDonald said. "To love the game and love the history of the game and to be able to be at the Hall as chairman for the last eight years has gone so quickly. To be able to help out where I'm needed with the Calgary Flames and then do Scotiabank's hockey programs across the country, it's been so much fun. To have four great kids and their spouses and eight grandkids, life is really, really good."
Goalie Mike Vernon is among the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 and was McDonald's teammate when the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989. One of the most iconic moments in Calgary sports history was McDonald scoring in Game 6 of the 1989 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens, helping the Flames clinch their first NHL championship.
NHL.com spoke to McDonald to discuss his work with the Hall of Fame and more.
How difficult is it to get down to the final list of Hall of Fame inductees every year?
"There are 18 people on the selection committee, and you need 14 votes or 75 percent. People don't realize how tough that is when there is so many richly deserving people and it should be tough to get into the Hockey Hall of Fame. You don't take it for granted. You never think about it when you're playing. That's kind of the last thing on your mind, you're trying to win the Stanley Cup and then when it's over after three years, then you wonder if there is a chance that I can do that. For some players, like Kevin Lowe, he waited 20-plus years to get in and same thing with Mike Vernon and Tom Barrasso.
Is it exciting for you to call people to tell them they've been inducted?
"One of my all-time favorite calls was to Rogie Vachon, who I think waited for 37 years. If it wasn't for Rogie, as much as they talk about the Triple Crown Line in L.A. (Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne) if Rogie wasn't there, who knows, maybe San Jose and Anaheim wouldn't even be a part of the NHL, because he was the mainstay and kept them in each and every game and each and every year after winning Cups in Montreal."
How happy are you for Mike Vernon?
"The funny part when Mike Gartner (HHOF Selection Committee Chair) and I called 'Verny' and I start to do the talking, Verny thinks I'm calling to set up a golf game. I told him the golf game had to wait we had some more important stuff to talk about and I think he said about 10 'Oh my Gods,' when he realized why we were calling. When you wait that long, Tom Barrasso won two Stanley Cups and Verny won two Stanley Cups, and for them to go in together, it's pretty cool."
In 1989 you defeated the Vancouver Canucks in overtime in Game 7 of the first round. Vernon made a number of great saves including a glove stop on Stan Smyl in overtime prior to Joel Otto's winning goal. What is your memory of that save?
"I can close my eyes and see all three of those saves in Game 7. I was on the bench and had the perfect sight line when Stan Smyl had the breakaway and he tried to go top shelf and Verny made the save with his glove. You held your breath the whole time he had the lone break from basically the blue line in. And to save the game and save our playoff run right there was unbelievable. That's probably my all-time favorite. He also made two one-timer saves on Petri Skriko and Tony Tanti which were just as great, but there were one-timers versus that long breakaway, that seemed to take forever and for him to find a way to get it done."
You played on some great teams in Calgary, how special was it to win the Stanley Cup?
"As exciting as it was, it was also a relief that we finally got it done. It would have been so sad to look back and we never would have done it because we had such a great team all the way along. And to face the Edmonton Oilers that many times and sadly only win one Cup, they ended up winning four. That's how good they were and we were chasing them. To finally get it done in '89 was awesome. The coolest part for our alumni, we still have eight of those guys from '89 that still live in the city. We have one of the best alumni in the League, we hang out together all the time. We're thick as thieves, we love hanging out together. I can't imagine if we didn't find a way to get that done."
That 1980 rivalry with the Oilers was one of the best in the history of the NHL. What was it like to defeat them in 1986?
"It was unbelievable, because I think in '84 we lost in seven games, in '82 we lost in six games, and it was unbelievable physical, tough hard-nosed hockey. Then to finally beat them in '86 and find a way to get past them and sadly lose in the final to Montreal was tough. You think because you finally slay the dragon, you're going back to the Final automatically the next year and it too us three more years to get back there and thank God we found a way to win in '89 or who knows, they may have blown that team up. In 1986, that was kind of the turning point, and we knew we could go head-to-head with them. Everybody talks about the Steve Smith goal, but who knows that could have gone into overtime and it's anyone's game. We found a way to win it and thank God."
