Hockey Hall Of Fame

Scotty Bowman, longtime coach and executive, and Neil Armstrong, a veteran linesman, have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Kings great Luc Robitaille donated a 2012 Stanley Cup championship ring to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday, which added it to the Stanley Cup Championship display at the Hall in Toronto. "We are very grateful to the Los Angeles Kings organization, especially Luc Robitaille,” said Bill Hay, the chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  “As chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame, it's an honor to accept this Stanley Cup ring.  It will make a wonderful addition to our special Stanley Cup Ring exhibit.” The ring is featured in a display celebrating the current and past Stanley Cup champions, including the first-ever Stanley Cup ring (1893)

Marcel Dionne, Lanny McDonald and Billy Smith were among 10 players nominated for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other candidates in the players' category are Bob Gainey, Guy Lapointe and Jean-Guy Talbot.

We know how much money the NHL claims to be losing as a result of the lockout it imposed Sept. 15 -- $730 million as of last week, according to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly -- and we know that fans have become, in turn, angry and apathetic. And that league, team and arena workers are losing work hours and pay. But what isn't mentioned is that there's another victim of this labor dispute: the Hockey Hall of Fame's induction ceremony, which will take place Monday in Toronto but isn't getting the usual attention because of the lockout.

Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy, teammates on the New York Islander teams that won four Stanley Cups, were among six inducted into hockey's Hall of Fame in Ottawa, Canada. Also inducted were Bob Pulford, Scotty Bowman, Clint Smith and Neil Armstrong.

Helene Elliott, national hockey writer for The Times, was named Thursday to receive the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2005 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for distinguished hockey writing. "Helene Elliott is a pioneer among female sports journalists," said Kevin Allen, president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Assn. "But she has truly been a role model for sportswriters of both genders. Her ethics are unquestionable. Her reporting is beyond reproach. Her prose is lively.

Winger Joe Mullen, the top U.S.-born scorer in NHL history, doesn't consider himself a role model. But it's impossible to think anything else of the New Yorker who grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and on Monday was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I didn't go out and say, 'I paved the way for other Americans,' " said Mullen, who scored 502 goals and 1,063 points in 16 NHL seasons. "But if people say I did, that's fine with me.

Three defensemen with nine combined Stanley Cup championships and diverse playing styles were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Defensemen Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy were joined in Toronto by Cliff Fletcher, who was the architect of the Calgary Flames' 1989 Stanley Cup championship team.

Mats Sundin's reaction told the story. "Are you serious?" he said. Sundin, who played 13 of his 18 NHL seasons with Toronto, couldn't quite believe the call from the hall. That would be the Hockey Hall of Fame. Sundin, Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure and Adam Oates were elected to Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The induction ceremony is Nov. 12 in Toronto. Among those eligible this year for the first time but not elected was Brendan Shanahan, who is the league's chief disciplinarian.

Mats Sundin's immediate reaction told the story. "Are you serious?" he said. "You made my whole year. " Sundin, who played 13 of his 18 NHL seasons with Toronto, couldn't quite believe the call from the Hall of Fame. Sundin, Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure and Adam Oates were elected to the Hall on Tuesday. Sundin is the second Swedish player in the Hall, joining Borje Salming, another Maple Leafs icon. The induction ceremony is Nov. 12 in Toronto. Among those eligible this year for the first time but not elected was Brendan Shanahan, who is the league's chief disciplinarian.

+ Congratulations to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame's newest class, which was scheduled for induction Monday at a ceremony in Chicago. Well-deserved honors for former players Chris Chelios, Gary Suter and Keith Tkachuk, longtime Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider, and broadcaster Mike Emrick. + The Minnesota Wild is not boring. The once sleep-inducing team has outscored opponents, 25-12, in winning seven straight games and leads the NHL with 43 points. The Wild has speed, a great forecheck and fine goaltending.

Their journey began like so many others. Cammi Granato couldn't wait to come home from school and play hockey in the basement of her family's home in Downers Grove, Ill., outside Chicago. One of two girls among six kids, she'd wrestle and tussle with her brothers and play goal if that's what it took to get in the game. She dreamed of wearing a Blackhawks uniform someday and was crushed when she realized that door was closed to her. For Angela James , playing hockey was something all the kids did in her Toronto neighborhood.

Dino Ciccarelli was the only former NHL player elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2010, but he will be joined in the players' category by two pioneers of the women's game. Ciccarelli, who began his career with the Minnesota North Stars and played for five teams over 19 NHL seasons, scored 608 goals and 592 assists in 1,232 games. Also elected was Cammi Granato , who led Team USA to the gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first Games that included a women's hockey tournament.

Whoever wrote the script summarizing Luc Robitaille's career for the highlight film that accompanied his hockey Hall of Fame induction Monday got it wrong. "All Luc Robitaille did was score goals," the narrator intoned, but that wasn't true. Robitaille scored a lot of goals -- 668 of them. And 1,394 points, the most ever by a left wing in NHL history. But that's no more a description of Robitaille than calling Wayne Gretzky a hockey player. Robitaille was the heart of the Kings through good times and bad, for 14 of his 19 NHL seasons.

Luc Robitaille was never the fastest skater or most purely gifted player on the ice at any level he played. For a while, he wasn't even the most prolific scorer. "It's funny he got 600 and some-odd goals in the NHL. It surprises me because he used to be a passer," said his father, Claude. "I would say, 'You could score once in a while.' He'd say, 'Yeah, but it was the better play. We have more chance of winning. The other guy is a better scorer than I am.' " Somewhere along the way he learned how to score like few before or since.