Selanne headlines Hockey Hall of Fame 2017 class

[June 27, 2017]  TORONTO (Reuters) - Teemu Selanne, who led the Anaheim Ducks to a Stanley Cup and is the Olympics' all-time leading scorer, headlined the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2017 announced on Monday.

Also getting the call were Paul Kariya, Dave Andreychuk, Mark Recchi and Danielle Goyette, who becomes the fifth woman inducted into the hockey shrine.

Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Canadian college coach Clare Drake were named to the Builders category.

Selanne takes his place in the Hall on his first year of eligibility.

The Finn announced his arrival in the National Hockey League with an explosive rookie campaign with the Winnipeg Jets scoring 76 goals which is still a record for first-year players.

In a career that spanned 23 years, Selanne collected 684 goals to sit 11th on the NHL's all-time list and 15th in career points with 1,451.

A cornerstone of the Finnish national team, Selanne won four Olympic medals (one silver, three bronze) and is the Winter Games all-time leading scorer with 43 points.

"To be honest I was a little bit waiting for the phone call today," said Selanne in an interview with the sports television network TSN. "I was home, I was checking the phone just to make sure I don't miss any phone calls.

"It's hard to believe.

"When I was a little boy growing up here in Finland, if someone had told me I was going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day it would be really, really hard to believe that."

Kariya, who spent part of his career as a team mate of Selanne's in Anaheim, scored 402 goals and had 989 points in 989 games in a career that was cut short by concussions.

Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne (8) skates a lap following the 3-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche in the overtime period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A member of Team Canada at two Olympics, Kariya won gold and silver medals.

Andreychuk played 23 seasons, scoring 640 goals and 1,338 points in 1,639 games and capped his career by winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Recchi is just one of 10 players to win Stanley Cups with three different teams (Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins).

He had 577 career goals and 1,533 points, while his 1,652 regular season games are fifth most in NHL history.

Goyette’s career includes seven gold medals at the women’s world championships and two Olympic gold.

The 2017 induction ceremony will be held on Nov. 13 in Toronto.

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Larry Fine)

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