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Thu 9 Jun, 2005 12:06 am
Neely elected to Hockey's Hall of Fame
June 8, 2005
TORONTO (AP) -- Former Boston Bruins star Cam Neely, the late Valeri Kharlamov and Murray Costello were named to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Neely and Kharlamov, a former Russian superstar who died in 1981, will enter in the players category. Costello, former president of the Canadian Hockey Association, goes in as a builder, or someone who contributed to the advancement of the game.
Among those eligible not selected for induction were Glenn Anderson, Steve Larmer, Dino Ciccarelli, Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson.
Neely, a hard-hitting, sharp-shooting power forward, was drafted in 1983 by Vancouver. He played 13 seasons -- three in Vancouver and his last 10 in Boston -- and scored 50 or more goals three times.
His career was cut short by health problems that began with a thigh injury in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.
``I can't quite fathom yet what this means,'' Neely said. ``Being in the Hall with all the other great players is quite an honor.''
``Everything I have today is from the game of hockey,'' he said.
He played in just 22 games over the next two seasons, but made an amazing comeback during the 1993-94 season, reaching 50 goals in his 44th game -- third-fastest in NHL history.
He retired in 1996 because of chronic hip problems and the Bruins retired his No. 8 jersey in 2004.
``Power forwards before Cam were guys who were powerful who didn't necessarily score,'' Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said. ``He was a power forward who could score. He defined it (the position).''
``It was a shame that we didn't get to see more of him, but we got the best.''
Kharlamov was killed in an auto accident and never got the chance to play in North America. Speedy, smart and crafty, he became known in North America during the 1972 series between the Soviets and Canada. In Game 6, he had his ankle broken by Canadian Bobby Clarke, also a Hall of Famer.
``Thank you to everybody who selected my father,'' Kharlamov's son, Alexander, said from Moscow. ``I can't believe it.''
A former NHL player, Costello made his greatest contributions to the sport after he retired. He finished law school and joined the Canadian Hockey Association, serving as president for 19 years. Costello also was a member of the Hall of Fame's selection committee and board of directors and was an active member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
``I never envisioned it would end up like this,'' he said from his Ottawa home. ``To see myself among the people in that Hall is difficult to comprehend.''
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 7.
AP Sports Writer Howard Ulman in Boston contributed to this report.
Updated on Wednesday, Jun 8, 2005 7:17 pm ED
Cam Neely -- an all-around class act, both on the ice and off.
The Neely House and the Neely Cancer Foundation do incredibly good work.
That's true George. When Cam was traded from Vancouver for Barry Peterson I was really mad. How dare they trade away a scorer (who still holds the Bruins rookie record for scoring) for a brawler. A pal of mine worked in the Bruins office and asked if I'd like to go to a Bruins practice before the season began. Of course I replied in the affirmative. I wanted to evaluate myself. So white team against black they played. During the first period I asked my pal Danny if he'd seen a play. He asked what play. I told him Can went into the corner against three defenders and first glanced back to see who he could pass it to. Then I told him Cam wasn't just a brawler he was also going to score. A voice in back of me asked if I was sure about that. When I turned around it was Tom Johnson the assistant general manager. I told him yes I was sure. He took out the ever present cigar and laughed.
The season showed my prediction was true so much so that an organization called the Gallery Gods (balcony seasons ticket holders) voted him best player on the team. In the last game of the season the trophy was presented on the ice and on television by Bob Smith. You guessed it that was me.
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