Sergei Zubov and Hayley Wickenheiser Highlight 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame Class
By Michael Luciano
One of the greatest defenseman in NHL history will finally see himself inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the 2019 class.
Former Dallas Stars legend Sergei Zubov, along with women's hockey immortal Hayley Wickenheiser and Montreal Canadiens fan favorite Guy Carbonneau, were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Czech pioneer Vaclav Nedomansky, the first player to defect to North America to play hockey, along with Boston College head coach Jerry York and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, round out the 2019 class.
Hayley Wickenheiser, Sergei Zubov, Guy Carbonneau, Vaclav Nedomansky, Jerry York and Jim Rutherford have been elected as the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2019 ?? pic.twitter.com/1Hn2N7uq7l
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 25, 2019
Zubov played 16 NHL seasons, 12 of which came as a Star. With 771 career points, Zubov is the all-time leading scorer among Russian defenseman.
Wickenheiser became the first woman to play hockey at a professional level a a position other than goalie. She is also a Canadian hockey legend, as she piled up 119 points over 67 games with the national team. She retired in 2017 to pursue medical school, and is currently an executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Even with such a deserving and accomplished class, there were some notable snubs, including Jeremy Roenick, Steve Larmer, and Patrik Elias.
Meanwhile Jeremy Roenick and Steve Larmer are still not in? Smarten up @NHL @NHLPA
— matt cruz (@Groovycruz) June 25, 2019
While the debate over snubs was inevitable, no one can argue that these six individuals are all more than deserving of the honor of Hall of Fame enshrinement.