Keith Tkachuk Elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

Keith Tkachuk was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. The selection came less than 24 hours after the Ottawa Senators traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers.

Fame timing The family patriarch, nicknamed "Walt" Tkachuk, became part of a player Hall of Fame class that includes center Patrice Bergeron, goaltenders Carey Price and Pekka Rinne, and U.S. women's hockey pioneer Cindy Curley. Executive Brian Burke is also set to be inducted in November.

Tkachuk was one of the premier power forwards of his era, playing in the 1990s and 2000s as part of the first great generation of American hockey players.

Career statistics and achievements He recorded 1,121 points in 1,290 games, counting the playoffs, with Winnipeg, Phoenix, St. Louis and Atlanta, and was part of the U.S. team that won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. "I was blessed to play in the greatest sports league in the world," Tkachuk said.

Tkachuk led the league in goals only once (1996-97), but was otherwise a model of consistency. He ranks 35th all time in NHL goals, though he did not win a Stanley Cup. "It's been a great weekend for the Tkachuks," Keith said.

Lauded as one of the best defensive forwards in NHL history, Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward six times (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022, 2023) -- more than any player in league history -- during his 19-season NHL career.

He was a finalist for the award in 12 straight seasons from 2011-12 to 2022-23, his final campaign. And his 57.9% faceoff winning percentage ranks as one of the highest ever. Price, a longtime netminder, was on the ballot last year, but the loaded 2025 class already included his contemporaries.

At his peak, Price was considered the best goalie in the sport. 928 save percentage and 20 shutouts. He became only the eighth goalie to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2014-15, also winning the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender and the Ted Lindsay Award as NHLPA player of the year.