Global Game: Eight countries represented at the 2017 Haggar Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic
The game of hockey is played throughout Canada and in over 70 countries around the world. That international flare will be on display at Air Canada Centre on Sunday, November 12, 2017, at the Haggar Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic.
In celebration of the NHL Centennial and Canada’s 150th anniversary, this year’s Legends Classic theme is the globalization of the world’s premier league and Canada’s guiding role. Hockey icons Mark Messier and Jari Kurri will captain teams of Canada Legends and World Legends respectively in this annual Induction Weekend highlight.
Mark Messier was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 1979 and went on to one of the most storied careers in NHL history. Career highlights include:
- Third-highest scorer in NHL history with 1,887 points
- Six-time Stanley Cup winner and only player to captain two franchises to a Cup title
- Two-time Hart Memorial Trophy recipient as NHL’s most valuable player
Jari Kurri joined the Oilers in 1980-81 and soon found himself on a line with Wayne Gretzky, forming arguably the most dangerous duo of all time. Career highlights include:
- Retired as the NHL’s highest-scoring European-born-and-trained player of all time with 1,398 points
- Tied an NHL playoff record with 19 goals in 1985
- One of only eight players to record 70 goals in a single NHL season
Hockey icons Mark Messier and Jari Kurri captain two star-studded teams in the 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic. Photos by Paul Bereswill/Hockey Hall of Fame.
“The Finnish Flash,” Teemu Selanne, burst onto the NHL scene, scoring 76 goals in his rookie season and went on to a stellar career which included 684 goals. Selanne will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 and joins Kurri on the World team alongside the top-scoring Slovakian player of all-time, Peter Stastny, the top-scoring (retired) Czech, Patrick Elias and the third-highest scoring American-born player, Jeremy Roenick.
Canadian legends set to hit the ice on Team Messier include the highest-scoring defenceman in NHL history, Ray Bourque, and 2017 Hall of Fame Inductees Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi and Dave Andreychuk, who scored 57 goals for the Oshawa Generals in 1983.
Other past OHLers suiting up include:
- Dino Ciccarelli, who starred for the London Knights and went on to record 608 goals in the NHL;
- Defencemen Larry Murphy and Scott Stevens, who patrolled the bluelines for the Peterborough Petes and Kitchener Rangers respectively and won the Stanley Cup a combined seven times;
- Dale Hawerchuk, who recorded 183 points in his final season with Cornwall in the QMJHL and is currently head coach and director of hockey operations for the Barrie Colts;
- Bernie Nicholls, who scored 70 goals for the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89;
- Mark Howe, who led the Toronto Marlboros to the Memorial Cup title in 1973.
Dino Ciccarelli scored 72 goals for the London Knights in 1978 and Scott Stevens led the Kitchener Rangers to the Memorial Cup title in 1982. Photos by Paul Bereswill and David Klutho/Hockey Hall of Fame.
They will be joined by Stanley Cup winners Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, as well as former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Wendel Clark and many more.
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The Haggar Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic highlights the Induction Weekend Celebration. Events commemorating the Class of 2017 take place from Friday, November 10th through Sunday, November 12th, culminating with the Induction Gala Celebration on Monday, November 13th
Visit HHOF.com for Legends Classic ticket information and full Induction Weekend Celebration itinerary.
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