Barrasso, Lundqvist, Vernon have unique bond on way to Hall of Fame

TORONTO -- For the first time, three NHL goalies are entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in the same class.

Tom Barrasso, Henrik Lundqvist and Mike Vernon are each part of the seven-member class who will be formally inducted during the ceremony at the Hall of Fame on Monday (7 p.m. ET; TSN, NHLN). They will be joined by Pierre Turgeon and Caroline Ouellette in the player category, and Ken Hitchcock and Pierre Lacroix (posthumously) in the Builders category.

Each was given his Hockey Hall of Fame ring in a ceremony Friday, and the honor of going in with peers who shared their unique playing experience during stellar careers on the NHL and international stages is not lost on the goalies.

"That means a lot to us and to the goalie fraternity, which I think is pretty happy right now," said Vernon, who led his hometown Calgary Flames to the Stanley Cup in 1989.

There is an argument to be made that goalies, for the impact they have on the game, are underrepresented in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Before this class, there were 41 in the Hall, the fewest of any position.

The last time three goalies were inducted was 1962 when Riley Hern, John "Bouse" Hutton and Harry "Rat" Westwick entered the Hall. However, none of them played in the NHL.

Grant Fuhr, who won the Stanley Cup five times with the Edmonton Oilers and was inducted into the Hall in 2003, is grateful to have some positional company join him.

"It's a big year for the goalie," Fuhr said during a visit to the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic in Edmonton less than two weeks before the induction. "I'm not even sure the exact number in there, but it's not a whole lot of us. It's nice to see that the goalies are getting the recognition now.

"I like to see the guys getting recognition. To see them finally get in, I think that's awesome."

Hitchcock prayed for good goalies throughout his coaching career. He got it when Ed Belfour helped the Dallas Stars win the Stanley Cup in 1999, earning Hitchcock his first championship as an NHL coach. Belfour was inducted into the Hall in 2011.

"I think sometimes it's a position we take for granted, to be honest with you," Hitchcock said Friday. "And it's … you don't take it for granted until you got one and then it's like gold. I mean, Eddie Belfour, for us, was like gold. You learn over time that the special ones are the special ones.

"You knew, Henrik was going to go in [to the Hall] right away. I'm surprised that it took Tom and Vernon so long to get in because they were dominating when they were on top of their game."

The three goalies are just getting to know each other personally, but know about the top of each other's games.

Lundqvist, who was voted in during his first year of eligibility, didn't see much NHL hockey growing up in Sweden, but the 41-year saw enough to know about Vernon, 60, and Barrasso, 58, even if they weren't at the forefront of his hero worship.

"As a kid, you know, I looked up to Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek," said Lundqvist, who ranks sixth all-time in wins (459). "They're both in the Hall of Fame. I remember both Mike and Tom, they were on my [bedroom] wall as well. And they all belong to that elite group. It's very cool to share this weekend with them."

Barrasso played from the 1983-84 season, when he became the first goalie to join the NHL straight from high school, until 2002-03. He had 369 wins, won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year and Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in 1983-84 with the Buffalo Sabres, and helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. Vernon played his first game for the Flames in 1982-83 and retired after the 2001-02 season with 385 NHL wins.

The two played against each other almost every season for nearly two decades, and Vernon said he still remembers Barrasso coming into the League as an 18-year-old, an occurrence that was unheard of for goalies at the time.

"That was unbelievable; him coming in out of high school and getting right into the National Hockey League," Vernon said. "I think Patrick Roy and I were rookies and we were 22, and that was young. [Barrasso] was amazing."

Barrasso has similar fond memories of the two goalies he shared the stage with Friday.

"I'm so happy for Mike because [our] careers mirror each other a little bit as far as the timing of them and our similar level of success," Barrasso said. "Then, for a guy like Henrik, who had such an incredible run for such a long period of time, and who was still at the top of his game when he had his health problems. It's really an honor to go in with people who have a similar life experience. That's the bond that goalies have."