© Courtesy of National Hockey Leagueby John Goodwin, SWX Sports Staff
Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Pavel Bure, and Adam Oates were elected to the NHL Hall of Fame Tuesday afternoon after being approved by the Hall of Fame's 18 member selection committee.
Sakic, who spent his entire 20 year career with the Quebec Nordiques and the Colorado Avalanche, was joined by long-time Toronto Maple Leaf Mats Sundin as a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
Both players waited the required three years before becoming eligible for Hall of Fame election.
Sakic compiled 625 goals over his illustrious career which included two Stanley Cup victories and an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Games.
Swedish international Sundin scored 564 goals and tallied 785 assists in his 18-year career.
Joining the two first-balloters are Moscow-born speedster Pavel Bure, known as the "Russian Rocket," and recently-appointed head coach of the Washington Capitals, Adam Oates.
Bure spent three years playing for Russian-based CSKA Moscow before taking his career to the NHL – where he battled through chronic knee injuries to score 437 goals and earn six NHL All Star selections.
Adam Oates posted impressive numbers in his playing career as well, scoring 1,420 points in 1,337 games. Oates will look to earn his first Stanley Cup from behind the bench after falling short this past season as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.
