The Hockey Hall of Fame welcomed forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin, forward Daniel Alfredsson and goaltender Roberto Luongo into its 2022 induction class, the Hall announced on Monday.
Also included in the class, in the builders’ category, were Finnish women’s hockey icon Hanna-Riikka Sallinen and Herb Carnegie, a Canadian player of Jamaican descent who starred outside of the NHL. He is honored posthumously, having died in March 2012.
The Sedins and Luongo were teammates on the Vancouver Canucks and were in their first year of eligibility.
Henrik Sedin, a center, had 1,070 points and won the 2009-10 Hart Trophy as league MVP — receiving the award in a season when his twin brother, Daniel, was limited to 63 games because of injury. Henrik was third in scoring among centers during his 17-year NHL career, behind only Joe Thornton and Sidney Crosby.
Like his brother, Daniel Sedin had a career points-per-game average of 0.80. The winger had 1,041 points in 1,306 games. He was the goal scorer in this remarkable tandem, although his 393 goals ranked him only fourth among left wings during his career. Daniel Sedin won the NHL scoring title in 2010-11 with 104 points and captured the Pearson Award as the NHLPA player of the year. He was second in the MVP voting to Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry that season.
“It’s nothing you think about when you play the game of hockey. But for us, we put our head down and put our work in every day,” Henrik Sedin said. “We get the most out of our talent. That’s what we’re most proud of today.”
The Sedins’ Hall of Fame selection is less about individual accomplishments than it is about the magic they made as linemates for Vancouver. Drafted second (Daniel) and third (Henrik) overall in 1999 by Vancouver, the duo often appeared to have an inherent awareness of where the other was on the ice at all times. “Cycle like the Sedins” became synonymous with the way they would control the puck in the offensive zone.
“We kind of joke that they know what they’re going to do without ever looking at each other,” Alfredsson said of the Sedins.
Luongo played 1,044 games, second all time. He amassed 489 wins, good for fourth all time, having played on significantly less successful teams than Martin Brodeur (691), Patrick Roy (551) and Marc-Andre Fleury (520) ahead of him. Luongo also had a .919 career save percentage and 77 shutouts, both ninth best all time. He backstopped Canada to Olympic gold in 2010 and was a member of two IIHF world championship teams. The only thing he doesn’t have is a Vezina Trophy for NHL’s top goalie, having been a finalist three times.
While the Sedins played their entire careers with the Canucks, Luongo was drafted by the New York Islanders, played 572 games with the Florida Panthers and 448 with Vancouver.
Alfredsson has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2017. The winger played 1,178 games with the Ottawa Senators and 68 games in his final year with the Detroit Red Wings. His 444 goals are 64th all time, and his 1,157 points are 55th. He won the Calder Trophy in 1995-96 and won Olympic gold along with the Sedins in 2006, plus a silver in 2014. But he never won another individual award or the Stanley Cup.
Carnegie was a legendary player outside the NHL. Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau of the Montreal Canadiens famously called him one of the best skaters he ever played with while both were with the semi-pro Quebec Aces. Herb Carnegie, his brother Ozzie and Manny McIntyre formed the first all-Black line in hockey, creating a sensation in Canada. He later created the Future ACES Hockey School, the first registered hockey school in Canada to teach hockey skills while emphasizing character development.
“I’m just totally overwhelmed about the whole thing. For years, people have been working so hard to see that my father was recognized,” Herb’s daughter, Bernice Carnegie, said. “We’re either crying or smiling over this.”
The biggest surprise in the class is Hanna-Riikka Sallinen. The Finnish center is considered one of the greatest European players in women’s hockey history. Sallinen played a total of 11 seasons in the Naisten SM-sarja, the elite league in Finland, and was a five-time champion.
She won Olympic bronze with Finland in 1998 and 2019. In the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, her final Olympics, she became the oldest player of any gender to win a medal in ice hockey at the Olympics (age 44), passing fellow Finn Teemu Selanne.
Among notable snubs for the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2022 were winger Alexander Mogilny, eligible since 2009; Jennifer Botterill, Team Canada forward, eligible since 2014; defenseman Sergei Gonchar, eligible since 2018; Caroline Ouellette, Team Canada forward, who was eligible for the first time; and Meghan Duggan, Team USA forward, also first-year-eligible.
Although its rules state that it can, the Hall of Fame has inducted two women’s players in the same class only once since 2010.