Emotional Hockey Hall of Fame speeches shoot for the heart

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Duncan Keith told the Hockey Hall of Fame story in a story that any Canadian could understand.

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He talked about how his mother, Jean, drove him to training in the morning at Fort Frances in northwestern Ontario.

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“I can still see her standing behind the glass,” an emotional three-time Stanley Cup winner said Monday night as he joined the Hall's eight new inductees. “She'd stay for five to 10 minutes and then go off to her 12-hour shift working in a nursing home. Or I'd be woken up by my dad saying, 'It's a work day.' Dad always said, 'Play with fire,' Mom said, 'eyes in the back of your head.'”

But Keith saved the emotional part of his speech to greet fellow Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook. Each of them played 1000 games, making history.

“I don't think we'll get to that (number) with Brent outside my house honking,” Keith said of getting them to the airport on time for their trips.

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Keith cited those road experiences as some of his favorite moments in 17 seasons, which often lasted into June or included being on the Olympic team.

“I was lucky enough to ride shotgun with him. We stayed until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, eating chicken fingers, French fries and Diet Coke, talking about hockey.”

For Keith, his parents, two siblings, Seabrook and the impressive list of Chicago teammates he thanked, they added up to three silver trophies.

“You can't live a Cup or a gold medal alone. You lift it with everyone who lifted you.”

ALEX CHIEF

Having decided not to attend the opening ceremony of the Hall for reasons that are not entirely clear, Alex Mogilny sent a humorous video message from Eastern Russia.

Back in June, Mogilny was awakened from a deep sleep by a call to Hall and decided his 16-year wait was finally over when he saw the 416 area code from Toronto on his caller ID.

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“I don't like early morning calls. But I was too excited to go back to bed. I thought, 'Should I have some coffee or Russian vodka?' Guess what I did.”

Recalling that day, new HHOF chairman Mike Gartner chuckled that he would get an ID card that said “Hockey Hall of Fame” so that the new inductees would answer right away rather than thinking it was a robocall.

STARS IN STRIPES

When will the next referee or linesman be inducted?

The gym opened its gates wider to zebras in the 1990s and early 2000s with Scotty Morrison, Andy Van Hellemond, John D'Amico, Ray Scapinello, but not since referee Bill McCreery in 2014. Brian Lewis and Kerry Fraser have been mentioned in past years.

“I don't know if I have the right to (mention potential candidates),” McCreery said on the red carpet Monday. “But what the criteria is becomes very important, whether it's numbers or personalities, I'm not sure.

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“But I'm sure the (selection committee) looks at it every year, although given the number of builders, it kind of limits the possibility of an official coming. However, I'm sure they'll look at more in the future.”

IF YOU BUILD IT, SHE WILL COME

Daniele Sauvageau became the first female builder to be elected, opening a new path towards gender equality.

“This is another historic moment for women’s hockey,” said honorary member Jayna Hefford. “Daniele (coach of the 2002 Canadian Olympic champions) has impacted every level of the game and wants to make it better.”

Hefford, executive vice president of the Women's Professional Hockey League, also believes more women are gaining higher status in the league and thus deserve Hall's attention. Most of the 14 women currently inducted have experience at the Olympics and World Hockey Championships.

“(The PWHL) is where the best players are and people can see them all the time. We will have many more players in the coming years.”

LIFE ZDENO

Zdeno Chara. Who played the most games of any NHL defenseman was a mountaineer (Kilamanjaro), a biker (he tried to emulate the Tour de France route) and a long-distance runner (two Boston Marathons).

“You won’t see a happier person at 4 a.m.,” Chara said. “I wake up really happy to run or bike or swim, or go to the skating rink and help (coach). Every night I go to bed sad because I don't want to sleep. It's busy, but I love it.”

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