This year’s International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame class is star-studded -- to say the least.
Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu and Uwe Krupp headline the list of six inductees, which also includes former U.S. women’s team star Angela Ruggiero and Austrian hockey exec Dieter Kalt.
Sakic, Selanne and Koivu were locks for induction -- Sakic is one of a handful of players in the Triple Gold Club (Olympics, World Championship, Stanley Cup) while Selanne and Koivu are arguably the two greatest Finnish players of all time.
Krupp, described by the IIHF as “the finest hockey player Germany has ever produced,” was the first German-born player in NHL history to both win the Stanley Cup, and score a Cup-winning goal. He also coached the national team from 2006 to 2011, helping it qualify for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Ruggiero is regarded as one of the best female players of all time. She won medals at four different Olympic games and helped the U.S. win four World Championships. In 2015, she was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.