1 week Ago By Andrew Peters
The Hockey Hall of Fame held its induction ceremony for the Class of 2024 on Monday, welcoming a new group of members who defined the game for years. This year's class includes Pavel Datsyuk, Shea Weber, Jeremy Roenick, Natalie Darwitz, Krissy Wendell-Pohl, Colin Campbell and David Poile. In his speech, Weber thanked the two teams he played for, the Nashville Predators and the Montreal Canadians.
He also joked about his fellow inductee, Poile, who traded him from the Preds to the Canadians in 2016. "I'd like to thank David Poile, Barry Trotz and the Predators for giving me a chance to live out my childhood dream in a city I now consider a second home," he said. "Trotzy and David, I'm forever grateful for the lessons in life, hockey and leadership you guys shared with me.
I would also like to thank Mark Bergevin, Jeff Molson and the Montreal Canadians for giving me a chance to play in the most passionate hockey city I think I've ever seen. I think I should be thanking David Poile for that too." Weber's two former teams showed him love ahead of his induction: Darwitz and Wendell-Pohl, two legendary Team USA members, spent a decade playing on the same ice.
Ahead of their induction, Darwitz described the unique relationship the two had. "Krissy's one of the best players I've ever seen play the game. Krissy and I also couldn't be more opposite off the ice," Darwitz said.
"She was so social, I was quiet. She shot before games, I napped. We played 10 years together, most of them as linemates, but most importantly, we were good friends off the ice.
There's no way I would be here without Krissy, so it's fitting we're entering the Hall of Fame together." Wendell-Pohl spoke about all her parents did for her throughout her career, including helping her navigate all that came with playing the sport as a woman: A pair of Detroit Red Wings joined the Hall of Fame on Monday in Datsyuk and Campbell. Datsyuk spent 14 years in Detroit while Campbell was both a player and a member of the Red Wings' coaching staff.
Some of the players Datsyuk played with and against had high praise for the legendary forward: Datsyuk showed a similar respect to the players he went up against: Roenick showed a love for the sport in his speech while also making fans laugh and sparking some emotions. He shared a story about a moment before the NHL draft that was pure gold: Poile, who had a fruitful career as an executive for the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, took some time to show his appreciation for his wife. "I could not have asked for or found a better teammate in life than my wife, Elizabeth, who has been with me every step of the way," he said .
"I was able to score the hat trick of life - who you marry and share your journey with, the job you have and the places you live. Elizabeth and I have been on a team from Atlanta to Calgary to Washington and ultimately to Nashville. She's been the rock of our family throughout our shared hockey journey.
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