Former Penguins forward Bill Guerin elected to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
By Larry Snyder
Last Thursday, USA Hockey announced that the 2013 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class includes former National Hockey League players Bill Guerin and Doug Weight along with former women’s hockey star Cindy Curley, Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos and college coaching legend Ron Mason.
Guerin won a Stanley Cup with the 2009 Penguins, 14 years after he won his first Cup, with the New Jersey Devils. He is now the Penguins’ player development coach.
Guerin played 18 seasons in the NHL. Along with New Jersey and Pittsburgh, he also played for the Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Bruins, the Dallas Stars, the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks and the New York Islanders. The right-winger scored 429 goals and had 856 points in 1,263 NHL games.
Guerin put on the red, white, and blue for Team USA in three Winter Olympic Games (1998, 2002, 2006) along with two World Cups in 1996 and 2004. The native of Worcester, Mass., won an Olympic silver medal in 2002 at the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and gold in the 1996 World Cup in Montreal, Canada. He also played for Team USA at two IIHF World Junior Championships.
Guerin told NHL.com, “I thank the people of USA Hockey for giving me that opportunity. Representing my country was always an enormous honor. The fact that I got to share it with my family and fantastic teammates, they’re memories that I’ll cherish and never forget. I’m very grateful for this honor.”
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Eveleth, Minn. The date and time for the induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
From The Clipboard: Doug Weight played 19 seasons in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders. He finished with 278 goals and 755 assists in 1,238 career games. The native of Warren, Mich., won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 and also helped the United States to the World Cup of Hockey title in 1996. The center played in the Olympics three times, winning a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.
Cindy Curley was among the pioneers of the U.S. women’s national team, playing in the inaugural IIHF Women’s World Championship in 1990. Her 11 goals, 12 assists and 23 points in five games remain single-tournament records. The native of Stow, Mass., also played for Team USA at the 1992 and 1994 World Championships, and starred with Providence College, where she posted 110 goals and 225 points from 1981-85. Curley is a member of the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame since 2002, and she joined the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
Peter Karmanos has owned the Hurricanes since 1994, purchasing the club when it was the Hartford Whalers in Connecticut. He moved the team to North Carolina three years later and the franchise has flourished. In addition to capturing the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Hurricanes also claimed the Eastern Conference title in 2002. In 2012, the native of Detroit received USA Hockey’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
Ron Mason led Michigan State to an NCAA title in 1986 during his tenure with the Spartans from 1979-2002. He also guided Lake Superior State from 1966-73 and Bowling Green State from 1973-79, and had 924 wins in a 36-year career. His win total ranks second in college hockey and his .696 winning percentage is among the top-10. The native of East Lansing, Mich., is also a member of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the Michigan State, Lake Superior State and St. Lawrence Sports Halls of Fame.