TORONTO - The Hockey Hall of Fame's class of 2018 are the owners of some new hardware.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, goalie Martin Brodeur, diminutive winger Martin St. Louis, league trailblazer Willie O'Ree, Canadian women's star Jayna Hefford and Russian great Alexander Yakushev received their Hall of Fame rings today in Toronto.
The group will be inducted into the hall during a ceremony on Monday night.
The NHL has grown from 24 to 31 teams under Bettman's watch since he took over as commissioner in 1993, with annual revenue ballooning to US$5 billion. He's also overseen three lockouts, including the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season, with another work stoppage potentially looming in either 2020 or 2022.
Brodeur is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils, a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, a five-time Jennings Trophy recipient, and is the NHL's all-time leader in victories (691) and shutouts (125).
St. Louis went from not being drafted to a 17-year NHL career that included 1,134 regular-season games, 1,033 points and a Hart Trophy as league MVP. The five-foot-eight forward won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04 and was on Canada's men's Olympic team that brought home gold in 2014.
May we present, the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2018
— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame)