Fuhr, LaFontaine join hockey immortals

For Pat LaFontaine and Grant Fuhr, immortality calls.

Along with Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch and Brian Kilrea, the highly successful coach of the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67s, they will form the Hockey Hall of Fame induction class of 2003. Media members being inducted in 2003 are Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated and Rod Phillips, the longtime radio voice of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Monday, Nov. 3 in Toronto.

Fuhr, the quiet goaltender who backstopped the brash Oilers of the 1980s to five Stanley Cup championships, was typically humble upon learning of his induction.

"I am extremely excited to join some of my Oiler teammates in the Hockey Hall of Fame," Fuhr said in a statement. "After watching the Oilers as a kid play in the WHA in my hometown, I was extremely fortunate to join a very special group of hockey players on a team that had great success."

Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri are the other Oilers greats already enshrined. Gretzky was inducted in 1999, while Kurri was part of the Induction class of 2001.

A native of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Fuhr starred for the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League and earned First Team All-Star status in both the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons. His outstanding WHL play led Edmonton to make him their first-round selection (8th overall) in the 1981 Entry Draft.

During a 19-year NHL career, Fuhr had his greatest success as a member of the Oilers, becoming an integral component of all five of their championship teams from 1984 to 1990. In his career, Fuhr recorded 403 wins (sixth all-time) and 114 ties in 868 regular-season games, including 25 shutouts. He is also second in career Stanley Cup Playoff victories with 92.

LaFontaine enters the Hall after a terrific career that saw him score over 30 goals in nine of the 15 years he played, including six consecutive 40-plus goal seasons.

Pat LaFontaine netted 468 goals and 545 assists in 865 games. "I am truly thrilled to receive this tremendous honor," LaFontaine said. "Growing up in St. Louis, I always played for the love of the game and never dreamed this could ever lead to my being a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame."

LaFontaine recorded two 100-plus point seasons, including a career-high 148 points in 1992-93. The St. Louis native, who played for the Islanders, Sabres and Rangers to complete a New York State hat trick, netted 468 goals and 545 assists in 865 games and played in five NHL All-Star Games.

LaFontaine is one of the greatest players in United States hockey history and one of five Americans to notch 1,000 points in the NHL. Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Phil Housley and Joey Mullen are the others to accomplish the feat.

Ilitch purchased the Red Wings from the Norris family in 1982. Under his ownership, Detroit has won nine division championships, four Western Conference championships and three Stanley Cup titles.

"Hockey is a great sport and it has been a delight for me to be associated with the quality of people involved in the game," Ilitch said. "I am proud to have supported amateur hockey and proud of the Red Wings' organization we have built in Detroit over the past 20 years."

Ilitch purchased the Red Wings from the Norris family in 1982. After a professional career that included AHL Calder Cup Championships in 1960, 1961 and 1962 and NHL stints in Detroit and Los Angeles, Kilrea joined the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League as general manager and head coach for the 1974-75 season. Kilrea has consistently held that post since then, with only three seasons of interruption -- two of which were as assistant coach of the New York Islanders.

"This is the proudest moment of my life," said the gregarious Kilrea said after finding out he was part of the 2003 Induction class.

Michael Farber will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for distinguished hockey writing. Farber was a two-time winner of the Canadian National Newspaper award for sports writing during his 15-year career at the Montreal Gazette. Farber's expertise and passionate, creative writing have made him the longest-tenured hockey writer in Sports Illustrated's 49-year history.

Rod Phillips will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster.

Phillips has been the radio voice of the Oilers for as long as Edmonton has had an NHL team, beginning his play-by-play career with the Oilers in 1972 while the team was a member of the World Hockey Association. Phillips currently calls Oliers games on CHED 630 AM radio in Edmonton, and in a recent province wide poll was named one of Alberta's top media personalities.

(Thanks to NHL.com)