Forsberg, Modano, McCreary highlight Hall inductees

 Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano, Dominik Hasek and referee Bill McCreary were among those inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Joining the four players and the ref in the 2014 class is the late Pat Burns, who was enshrined as a coach, and defenceman Rob Blake.
Two-time Stanley Cup champion Forsberg joined the National Hockey League after playing five seasons in the Swedish Elite league. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1991, but became part of the blockbuster trade that saw the Flyers get the rights to Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques in 1992.
In 708 career games over 14 seasons with the Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Flyers and Nashville Predators, Forsberg recorded 249 goals and 636 assists.
He joins Borje Salming and Mats Sundin as the only Swedes in the Hall of Fame.
"I'm very proud to be the third Swede to be inducted," said Forsberg. "It was always an honour to represent my country."
Forsberg also represented Sweden in international play, including four Olympic Winter Games, at which he won gold medals in 1994 and 2006.
Modano played primarily for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise, with whom he played 21 of his 22 NHL seasons. He holds the NHL record for most goals (561) and points (1,374) by an American-born player.
As a 16-year-old, Modano left his home in Livonia, Michigan to live and play junior hockey in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan for the Western Hockey League team.
Minnesota made Modano the first overall pick in the NHL draft in 1988. He rewarded the Stars by leading them to a Stanley Cup in 1999.
"It's hard to put into words what it means to be in the same room as some of the greatest players the world has ever seen," said Modano. "None of the great years would have been possible without the coaches and players I had the honour to play with."
McCreary was one of the most well-liked referees in the sport which is saying a lot considering the abuse officials take from players, coaches and fans.
gh but fair is how every referee would like to be regarded and that was McCreary who was elected in the referee/linesman category. He officiated 1,700 regular season games, 282 playoff games and one all-star game before ending his career in 2011.
Internationally, McCreary worked the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, including the gold medal games at both tournaments.
"My dream was to play in the National Hockey League, same as any other boy," said McCreary. "After my junior career wound down, I was encouraged to go into refereeing and have a chance to stay in the game."
A 1992 trade to the Buffalo Sabres gave Hasek the opportunity to become as a starting goaltender. Hasek took on that role when Grant Fuhr went down with an injury. In 1994, he won his first of six Vezina Trophies as the league's best goaltender.
"There were people who didn't like my style, but there were a lot of others who encouraged me to play the way that I did," said Hasek, who finished his career with 81 shutouts.
Burns started his 14-year NHL coaching career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1988 -- winning the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year in his first season.
He died of cancer in November 2010.
Source: AFP