I just received the official release from USA Hockey naming the 2012 Class that will be elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. This class includes New Jersey Devils President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello, as well as Mike Modano and Eddie Olczyk. Congratulations to all three of these candidates. They're all very deserving.
Here's the official release.
"COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Lou Lamoriello, Mike Modano and Eddie Olczyk will be enshrined as the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2012 it was announced today by USA Hockey. The three-member class will be formally installed into the Hall this fall, with a date and location to be announced in the near future.
"What a remarkable class," said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. "The positive impact this group has had on our sport is one that will be felt for decades to come."
Under the direction of Lou Lamoriello, the New Jersey Devils are one of the most successful teams in the National Hockey League, as evidenced by five appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, including titles in 1995, 2000 and 2003. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, the president, general manager and CEO of the Devils has been with the club since 1987 and has served as general manager for a single franchise longer than any other GM in the league. Lamoriello led the Devils to their first winning season and to the Wales Conference Finals during his first campaign and, under his guidance, the team has advanced to the NHL playoffs in 21 of the last 23 seasons. Prior to taking his current position, Lamoriello led the Providence College men's ice hockey team as head coach from 1968 until he resigned in 1983 to focus on his duties as athletic director of the college. In his final season as head coach (1982-83), Lamoriello led the Friars to a best-in-the-nation 33-10-0 record and a berth in the Frozen Four for the first time since 1964. As athletic director, Lamoriello played a central role in the formation of the Hockey East Association and the establishment of an interlocking schedule with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He was the first commissioner of the Hockey East Association, a position he held from 1984-87 while also serving as PC's athletic director. Lamoriello also helped establish the first-ever college hockey television package. In 1988, Hockey East named its conference championship trophy in his honor. The Providence, R.I., native has also made his mark on the international stage, serving as general manager of gold-medal winning Team USA at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and for the U.S. entry in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
With a professional career that spanned over 21 NHL seasons, Mike Modano is the league's all-time goal-scoring and points leader among American-born players with 561 goals and 1,374 points. Modano also holds records for the most NHL playoff points (145) by an American-born player and games played (1,499) by an American-born forward. Additionally, Modano holds Dallas Stars franchise records for most games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802) and points (1,359). Drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Modano went on to win the 1999 Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars. He was also a part of the U.S. Men's National Team that captured the gold medal at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and helped Team USA to a silver-medal finish at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Livonia, Mich., native played 20 seasons with the Dallas Stars franchise (1989-2010) before joining the Detroit Red Wings for the 2010-2011 season, his last in the NHL. Modano played in eight NHL All-Star Games during his career and represented Team USA 11 times in international competition across three decades, including the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Winter Games.
Eddie Olczyk was the third overall pick of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and enjoyed a 16-year professional career. A member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers, Olczkyk's career was split between six teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks (1984-1987, 1998-2000), Toronto Maple Leafs (1987-1991), Winnipeg Jets (1991-1992, 1995-96), New York Rangers (1992-1995), Los Angeles Kings (1996) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1996-1998). All total, he notched 342 goals and 452 assists for 794 points in 1,031 games. Additionally, Olczyk represented the U.S. nine times on the international stage during his career, including as a member of Team USA at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, as a 17-year-old, where he skated on the famed "Diaper Line." He also helped Team USA to a second-place finish in the 1991 Canada Cup. A native of Palos Heights, Ill., Olczyk is the current lead game analyst for NHL on NBC and NHL on NBC Sports Network. Olczyk was also heard during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, including the gold-medal men's ice hockey contest, which was the most-watched hockey game in America in 30 years. Olczyk, who spent parts of two seasons behind the bench as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2003-05, presently serves as the game analyst for Chicago Blackhawks television broadcasts.
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees are chosen on the basis of extraordinary contribution to the sport of hockey in the United States."
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With Alex Semin still unsigned and undoubtedly the most talented and productive free agent remaining, New Jersey Devils fans have zeroed him in as a guy they would love to have playing for their favorite team. In today's post, I'll take a closer look at Semin's statistics and compare them to those of Zach Parise's over the same time period.
- I love the way Parise plays and he's my favorite player in hockey right now, so in no way am I saying Semin is the better player overall, but if you look at the numbers over the last four seasons, even over their entire careers, Semin has been more productive offensively. Let's take a look.
Last four years:
Parise - .45 goals per game, .97 points per game, plus-49
Semin - .44 goals per game, .98 points per game, plus-92
Career numbers:
Goals created is courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com.
As you can see, Semin is better when it comes to each one of those statistics. It's worth noting they were both born in 1984.
I'm in no way saying Semin is better than Parise. I'd take Parise over Semin every time because of the intangibles, but for a guy who's work ethic is often questioned, he produces pretty nice numbers.
As I've said several times, if I'm Lou Lamoriello, I at least inquire about the services of Semin. I've contacted his agent, Mark Gandler, a couple of times asking that question, and he declined to comment on teams interested in his client. All Gandler would say is that Semin will play in the NHL this season.
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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