The Hockey Hall of Fame opened its doors to the Class of 2024 on Monday evening.
Former Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber finds himself among hockey’s immortals. It was also the former Canadian, Serge Savard, who presented the honorary plaque to the defender. Weber will be joined during the evening by Pavel Datsyuk, also in his first year of eligibility, as well as Natalie Darwitz, Jeremy Roenick and Krissy Wendell as former athletes.
Among the builders, the Temple opened its doors to Colin Campbell and David Poile.
Weber left his mark in the NHL for his imposing presence on the ice, his leadership qualities and not forgetting his lightning shot. He played in the Bettman circuit from 2005 to 2021, including from 2016 in the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens.
After thanking David Poile and Barry Trotz for his arrival in the League with the Nashville Predators, Weber also offered his thanks to the Canadians. He also allowed himself a touch of humor in passing by discussing the transaction that sent him to Montreal for PK Subban.
“I also want to thank Marc Bergevin, Geoff Molson and the Canadiens organization for giving me the chance to play in the most passionate city for hockey I have ever seen. I think I should also thank David Poile for that,” he said, which caused a lot of laughter in the room.
The right-handed colossus is the first former CH player since Guy Carbonneau (2019) and the first former defender since Chris Chelios (2013) to have his career honored in this way.
His last game was the fifth duel of the Stanley Cup final, on July 7, 2021, at the end of which the Tampa Bay Lightning were crowned champions.
Over the course of his career, Weber played in 1,038 regular season games. He recorded 589 points, including 224 goals while spending an average of 24 minutes and 3 seconds on the ice in each of his games. This average climbed to 25 minutes 20 seconds for his 97 playoff games (18 goals and 24 assists).
Although he was never able to get his hands on the Stanley Cup, Weber can still console himself with his two Olympic gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Games. He has also triumphed on the international scene at the World Cup in 2016, the World Championship in 2007 and the World Junior Championship in 2005.
Now 39, Weber was a second-round pick, 49th overall, by the Nashville Predators in 2003.
Shortly after Weber, it was the turn of Darwitz and Wendell to enter the Hall of Fame.
Darwitz and Wendell were teammates at the University of Minnesota and then with the U.S. national team. They notably won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. This is the first vintage with two women since 2010.
Note that our colleague Pierre Houde received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his contribution as a descriptor in a Media Hall of Fame ceremony earlier today.
