Six hockey greats inducted into Hall of Fame in Toronto ceremony
Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk, Cindy Curley and Brian Burke were enshrined in a ceremony televised on TSN.
TORONTO · The Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined six new members in a ceremony in Toronto on Monday. The 2026 induction class includes former Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron, former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, former Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne, former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk, former U.S. women's national team captain Cindy Curley and longtime executive Brian Burke. The ceremony was televised live on TSN in Canada and on NHL Network in the United States. Bergeron was elected in his first year of eligibility after a 19-season career spent entirely with the Bruins. He won the Stanley Cup in 2011, scoring the clinching goal, and was a six-time winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. He also won Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014. Tkachuk, a power forward who played 18 NHL seasons, was inducted 16 years after his retirement. He was the first American-born player to lead the league in goals, with 52 in the 1996-97 season, and finished his career with 538 goals.
Carey Price played all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Canadiens, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season wins with 361. He won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in the 2014-15 season and backstopped Canada to Olympic gold in 2014. Pekka Rinne, the winningest Finnish-born goalie in NHL history, spent his entire 15-season career with the Predators, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2018 and leading Nashville to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. Cindy Curley starred for the U.S. women's national team, serving as captain and winning silver medals at the world championships in 1990, 1992 and 1994. Her 23 points at the first official women's world championship in 1990 remains a single-tournament record. Brian Burke was inducted in the builder category after a long career as an NHL general manager, league executive and Olympic team manager. He won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and served as the first executive director of the Professional Women's Hockey League.
In Montreal, fans reflected on Price's legacy ahead of his induction. "I mean, it's super exciting. He's been such a big figure for Montreal," one Montrealer told CityNews. Another fan called him "arguably one of the best goalies the Canadiens have ever had." Fans also highlighted his community involvement. "He was so, like, involved in the community as well. And he spoke up about a lot of issues that affected Canadians," one person said.
Keith Tkachuk's sons, Brady and Matthew, now star for the Florida Panthers and the U.S. national team. Tkachuk himself played for the U.S. in the 1992, 1998 and 2002 Olympics, winning a silver medal in 2002, and was part of the team that won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Brian Burke's executive career included drafting future Hall of Famers Henrik and Daniel Sedin for the Vancouver Canucks and serving as general manager of the silver medal-winning U.S. Olympic men's team in 2010. The Canadiens will honour Price with a special on-ice ceremony at the Bell Centre on Tuesday ahead of their game against the Minnesota Wild.
With files from Yahoo Sports, USA Today and CityNews