Vaclav Nedomansky
Position: Centre
Age: 75
Born: Hodonin, Czechoslovakia
The skinny: ‘Big Ned’ played 12 seasons in Bratislava … Won a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics with the former Czechoslovakia, before becoming the first athlete from a Communist country to defect in 1974. “I followed my dream,” he said of his decision … Arriving with the WHA Toronto Toros as a 30-year-old, he also played with the Birmingham Bulls before joining the Red Wings in 1977. Ended his career with Rangers and Blues.
Did you know? Had 56 goals for the Toros in 1975-76.
Sergei Zubov
Age: 48
Born: Moscow, Russia
Position: Defence
The skinny: NHL’s second-leading scorer among Russian defencemen … Two-time Cup winner with the Rangers and Dallas Stars (as a teammate of fellow Hall inductee Guy Carbonneau) … Joined the Rangers in 1992 after four seasons with the Moscow Red Army … Won Olympic gold with the Unified Team in 1992 .. … Played 12 seasons for the Stars, second-team NHL all-star in 2006 with Zdeno Chara … Now coaches Sochi of the KHL.
Did you know? Son Paul graduated from Northeastern University, daughter Anya from the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Hayley Wickenheiser
Age: 40
Born: Shaunavon, Sask.
Position : Centre
The skinny: 119 points in Olympic and world championship play, total of 379 points in 276 games … Won four Olympic gold medals for Canada … Played in the Finnish third division men’s league in the early 2000s … Current assistant director of player development for the Maple Leafs … As the mother of a teenage hockey player, says she was ready for many of the challenges young stars can present … Cousin of the late NHLer Doug Wickenheiser.
Did you know? Competed in softball for Canada at the 2000 Olympics.
Jerry York (coach, builder)
Age: 73
Born: Watertown, Mass.
The skinny: Winningest active coach in NCAA hockey, with 600 at Boston College alone … Five-time Division 1 champion, four at BC … Also worked at Clarkson and Bowling Green, the start of sending many players to the NHL … His 2001 title was BC’s first national title since 1949 … On Jan. 22, 2016, earned his 1,000th career win, becoming the first coach in NCAA Division I history to reach the milestone … Signed with the school through the 2019-20 season.
Did you know? He is the eighth of 10 children, his father was a huge Red Sox fan in the 1940s.
Jim Rutherford (GM, builder)
Age: 70
Born: Beeton, Ont.
The skinny: First-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 1969 … Played in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Los Angeles between 1970-82 … Began management career with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires in 1984 … In the NHL, was in charge of the Carolina Hurricanes in their move from Hartford and on to the 2006 Stanley Cup title … Won two more Cups with Pittsburgh and, with the first in 2015-16, was also voted NHL GM of the year … Goes into the Hall with his Carolina owner, Peter Karmanos.
Did you know? Had one of the first decorated goalie masks, with Red Wings above the eyelets, when he played in Detroit. They were added without his permission, but when he won the game, he kept them.
Guy Carbonneau
Age: 59
Born: Sept-Iles, Que.
Position: Centre
The skinny: Chosen 44th overall in the draft by the Montreal Canadiens … Winner of three Frank J. Selke trophies and the last Canadiens’ captain of a Cup winner … Three Cups in all, two with Montreal, one with Dallas … Had 93 playoff points in 231 games … A head coach of the Canadiens in 2007-08, he lost to Bruce Boudreau in Jack Adams voting … Active as a Hockey Night in Canada analyst and on other networks.
Did you know? As a junior with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, registered 182 points in 1979-80.
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