TORONTO (AP) — Shea Weber is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The former defenseman headlined the Class of 2024 inducted Monday night, joining Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell in the player category.
David Poile and Colin Campbell signed up as builders.
Weber, whose career ended prematurely due to a long list of injuries, has not been able to play since leading the underdog Montreal Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.
“My love for the game is still strong,” he said during his speech. “Even though my body didn’t last as long as I had hoped.”
The 39-year-old scored 589 points in 1,038 games with the Canadiens and Nashville Predators. He scored 42 points in 97 playoff games.
“There’s so much to be thankful for when playing this game,” Weber said. “And it’s not just the big moments, getting a playoff win or taking home Olympic gold. It's the small – seemingly routine – moments that count the most.
“It's these friendships that were formed during countless plane and bus rides, team dinners and mishaps in the trainer's room. Then an experienced player takes you under his wing and shows you what it really means to be a professional. I would like to thank all the players for showing the importance of hard work and dedication.”
Datsyuk, 46, scored 918 points in 953 games for the Detroit Red Wings. He scored 113 points in 157 playoff games, including Stanley Cup victories in 2002 and 2008.
The Russian center with majestic skills also won the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL's gentleman player four times and won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward three times.
Datsyuk, who was anchored along with Weber in his first year of eligibility, played five seasons in the KHL after leaving Detroit in 2016. He represented his country at five consecutive Olympics, winning gold in 2018 and bronze in 2002.
“Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame is a great honor,” Datsyuk said. “(An) honor I couldn’t even dream of.”
Roenick, 54, scored 1,216 points in 1,363 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. The colorful Boston-born winger scored 122 points (53 goals, 69 assists) in 154 playoff games.
Roenick, who won silver at the 2002 Olympics, had to wait twelve years for his indoor call-up.
“I love this game,” he said. “It’s been such a big part of my life for most of my life.”
Wendell, 43, represented the United States twice in the Olympics, winning silver in 2002 and bronze in 2006. The forward from Brooklyn Park, Minn., won six world championship medals and was the first American captain to win tournament gold.
“The best part of hockey wasn’t winning championships or medals,” Wendell said. “But the people I got to meet along the way.”
Darwitz, 41, competed for the United States at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Games, winning two silver medals and one bronze medal. The forward from St. Paul, Minnesota, also competed in the World Championships eight times, earning three gold medals.
“I wasn’t a normal little girl and somehow my mother was after me,” Darwitz said. “On my fifth birthday, my blonde French braids strolled into the hockey field.”
Campbell's hockey life has included time as a player, coach and, for the last 25 years, senior executive vice president of the NHL. He was instrumental in developing the league's centralized video review hub, which is now the standard across much of the North American sports world.
The 71-year-old also won the Stanley Cup in 1994 as an associate coach of the New York Rangers.
“I’ve spoken to business leaders and board of governors over the years,” Campbell said. “This is a first, and when I look at this group, it’s definitely inspiring and scary.”
Poile, 74, started as an NHL manager with the Atlanta and Calgary Flames in the 1970s before becoming general manager of the Washington Capitals in 1982.
The Toronto native joined the Predators in Nashville in 1997 to become GM, a position he held until his retirement in 2023. One of his biggest moves was trading Weber to Montreal for PK Subban in June 2016.
“I put my heart and soul into the game,” Poile said. “But hockey has given me and my family so much more.”
