'07 NHL Hall of Fame Class is truly special

Aside from Mario Lemieux in 1997 and Wayne Gretzky in 1999, I cannot remember a more incredible class of players being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This year's class is truly something special. From left, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, Mark Messier and Scott Stevens.

Each of these guys won at least one Stanley Cup: Francis won two, MacInnis one, Messier six and Stevens three. Four players, 12 Stanley Cups. But, each player brought a whole lot more to the table than that, too. Each man also brought exceptional leadership to their teams.

Ron Francis, originally drafted by the Hartford Whalers, was an exceptionally talented center who played in the NHL a mind-numbing 23 seasons. He was never a super sniper; the most goals he ever scored in a season was 32, but he accumulated points in bunches, leading the league in assists on two occasions. Francis was a player who made the guys he played with exceptionally better, on and off the ice.

Without a doubt, he made Mario Lemieux's Penguins better in the early 1990s, too. Many call Francis the final "missing link" that put the Pens over the top, winning two Stanley Cups in a row in '91 and '92. He also led the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002, where they fell short against the Detroit Red Wings.

I remember Al MacInnis for two things: playing for the hated Calgary Flames (I'm an Oilers fan), and the most wicked slap shot in the league that intelligent players learned to have a healthy respect for, or they would become unhealthy, quick. Just how quick? At the 2003 NHL All-Star Game, Al took a wooden stick (which is mostly becoming a relic of the ancient NHL past) and ripped off a 98.9 MPH shot. In typical Canadian fashion, he said "So much for technology, eh?"

Scott Stevens was proficient at two things - winning Stanley Cups and laying people out. A three-time Stanley Cup Champ and one-time Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP), Stevens was the heart and soul of a Devils team that seriously competed for or won the Stanley Cup for nearly a decade.

What I remember most about Stevens, though, were the hits. And there were many, most of them clean. My favorite hit of all was when he laid out Eric Lindros, then with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lindros has to be one of the biggest crybabies in NHL history - a tremendous waste of talent. Yes, he's had a productive career, but it could have been so much more. To me, it's all karma. He should never have landed in Philly in the first place, but he refused to report to the Quebec Nordiques and told them so. They drafted him anyway, and eventually traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers. Ironically, who the Flyers sent to Quebec (the team moved to Colorado to become the Avalanche in the mid 1990s) helped the team win the Stanley Cup. Lindros? Still no Cup. Boo Hoo. But, I digress.

Anyway, in lieu of my trying to describe the hit on Lindros, just take a look at it.

BLAM. That one put #88 out of commission for a little while (and the rest of the playoffs that year, if I remember correctly). I'm always cracking up over clueless Flyers fans who jeer Stevens. Meanwhile, this is a city that can't seem to let go of The Broadstreet Bullies era, when the Flyers were just as comfortable fighting and using their sticks as they were playing the game.

Lindros put his head down, and Stevens made him pay. That's hockey. If you want to watch a no contact, boring game, go watch baseball.

Of course, I saved the best for last - Mark Messier, the greatest leader, in my opinion, in the history of team sports.

A quick but by no means exhaustive list of his achievements reads like a script from Hollywood, not a career of an NHL center:

• Six-time Stanley Cup Champ
• Ending the 54-year "curse" for the Rangers in 1994
• The only player to captain two Cup-winning teams
• Second all-time in career points
• Winning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1984 (right)
• Played in 15 All-Star games
• Played an astounding 25 seasons in the NHL, and he could have played at least a few more, if he had wanted to. He was the last player in the NHL to retire from the 1970s (as well as the last WHA player)

It's very tough (tougher than Mess himself) to pick favorite moments of his career, but after giving it some thought, here's three (and if I think about it longer, I'll change my answers):

3. Winning the Stanley Cup for the sixth time in 1994, ending hockey's greatest curse for the New York Rangers. This was bittersweet for me - it was very tough to see Mess leave the Oilers, but I understood why he didn't want to stay. He needed a bigger and better challenge. He was so huge that playoff year. Unless you were a fan of a Rangers foe in those playoffs, it was pretty tough to not root for him.

To any other hockey fan, and probably even to Mess himself, this might be his crowning achievement. But, imagine being an Oilers fan and seeing both of your captains who have won Stanley Cups for your team both being traded away within four years. Yea, you'd be bitter, too, and you wouldn't be thrilled seeing Mess lift the Cup for the Rangers. Having said that, I was very happy for him being able to do it for the Rangers. It's not a stretch to say "No Messier, no Stanley Cup on Broadway."

2. His first game against Wayne Gretzky after The Great One was traded from the Oilers to the LA Kings. Many people, myself included, were eager to see just how the two best friends would compete against each other. Virtually no one thought he'd go easy on #99, but many were curious to see the former teammates oppose one another. That first shift, Messier drilled him, then backed up and drilled him again. Messier certainly didn't like it, but business was business.

1. Winning the Stanley Cup in 1990 (above), after the Gretzky trade. In many ways, this was the sweetest of all the Cup wins I can remember as a long-time Oilers fan. Everyone said they were finished. EVERYONE. They certainly took the league by surprise during those playoffs. They faced elimination against the Winnipeg Jets, at one point, they were down 3-1 in the series. But, Moose brought them charging back, and they dispatched the Bruins in five games in the Finals. I'll never forget Mess saying into the cameras, "This one's for you, Gretz."

If Wayne Gretzky, my favorite hockey player of all time, is the caliber player that comes around only once in a lifetime, then Messier is the type of player who only comes around once every three or four decades.

The further away the 1980s becomes, the more I appreciate those Edmonton teams. Think about it - the top two scorers in NHL history played on the same team, for eight seasons. The Oilers stupidly traded away Gretzky, and they still managed one more Cup. The greatest hockey team every assembled? In terms of Cup wins in a row, no. But, statistically speaking in just about every offensive category? You bet.

And Mess was the heart and soul of that team, without a shadow of a doubt.

In my humble opinion, Messier is the greatest team leader in the history of professional sports in North America. You give me names, I can knock 'em down.

Anyone in Major League Baseball? Okay, let's get serious.

The NBA? Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all deserve mention here, but all of them didn't win as many titles, and they all only did it with one team. Of course, Jordan tops that list, with six titles, but again, one team. I put Messier ahead of him for two reasons: 1. Longevity. Messier played a quarter century in a sport that is about a million times harder and more physically demanding than basketball, and 2. (I'm repeating myself here, I know) Doing it with two teams.

It's pretty tough to recreate or describe the losing atmosphere that was had infested the Ranger locker room before Messier's arrival. My favorite little anecdote about it was told by Messier himself. When he first arrived, no one would discuss the Stanley Cup. "That would be bad luck," they all said. Messier simply said, "Talk about it? I want it! Let's win it!" And he had five rings at that time, which game him just a little cred in the locker room.

The NFL? Forget it. The only players that I'd even consider in this discussion would be Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw; each won four Super Bowl rings. But, neither had even close to the longevity as Messier, and again, one team. Elway made it to give Super Bowls, but only won twice.

To me, Messier's closest competition of greatest leader: Jordan, Montana, Gretzky, in that order.

We'll probably never again see a leader of Messier's ability win six Stanley Cups (and with two different teams) ever again, especially in the age of free agency.

One other thing about Messier's induction to the Hall of Fame gets me jacked - I have to get back to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto now. I haven't been there since 1996 (left), and when I was there, if I recall correctly, there were no Oilers in the hall. Now, there will be plenty to see - Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Gretzky and Messier. I may just spend two whole days there. Before we move west, I have to get back.

What a Hall of Fame class. We may never see another one like it.