19-Year Boston Bruin Heads List of 6 New Inductees Into Hockey Hall of Fame

Forward Patrice Bergeron is among New England’s greats. Also entering the Hall is Keith Tkachuk, who scored 538 goals and logged 2,000 penalty minutes.

Patrice Bergeron (L) of the Bruins waves to the fans after the Florida Panthers defeated Boston 4-3 in overtime of Game 7 in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden in Boston on April 30, 2023. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Hockey Hall of Fame is one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports, with just 449 inductees entering this year, 314 of them players. But that club will grow by six with the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, five of whom are former players. The class is headlined by Patrice Bergeron and Keith Tkachuk, with the latter learning he’d been chosen just a day after learning his sons would be NHL teammates.

The other four inductees are Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Cindy Curley, and Brian Burke. Here’s why each is worthy.

Patrice Bergeron

With all 19 of his NHL seasons spent with the Boston Bruins, Bergeron is one of the greatest athletes in New England history. No player in hockey history can claim more Selke awards, which are given to the top defensive forward, as Bergeron claimed six, two more than anyone else.

The Canadian also excelled for his home country, with international play factoring into a candidate’s Hall of Fame nomination. Bergeron won two Olympic golds with Canada and is one of 30 members of the Triple Gold Club, which involves winning Olympic gold, a World Championship gold medal, and being a Stanley Cup champion.

Keith Tkachuk

On Sunday, Tkachuk found out that his son, Brady, was traded to the Florida Panthers, meaning he’ll team with Keith’s other son, Matthew. The jubilation continued on Monday, with Keith Tkachuk getting the call from the hall.

Tkachuk’s 538 goals were the second-most by any eligible hockey player who wasn’t already in the Hall of Fame, trailing only Patrick Marleau’s 566. He specialized in converting when his team had the man advantage as his 212 power play goals are 15th-most in NHL history. Never afraid to mix it up with the opposition, Tkachuk is one of three players with at least 500 career goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.

Carey Price

Price’s decade-and-a-half in the NHL was spent with the Montreal Canadiens, where he emerged as the game’s top goalie during his era. His 361 wins are the most in franchise history, which is saying lots as the Canadiens are the winningest NHL team in terms of both championships and wins. Price’s highlight season came in 2014-15 when he led the NHL in wins, save percentage, and goals-against average (GAA) en route to winning the Hart, Lindsay, Jennings, and Vezina awards, becoming the only player to win all four in the same season.

Pekka Rinne

A one-team man, Rinne spent all 15 years of his NHL career with the Nashville Predators after coming over from the Finnish Elite League. He recorded 369 wins and 60 shutouts and is tied for seventh in GAA and tied for fifth in save percentage among goalies with 500 games played.

A Vezina Trophy winner in 2017-18, Rinne made just as big an impact off the ice. In his final season, 2020-21, he was awarded the King Clancy Trophy, given to the player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”

Cindy Curley

A pioneer in women’s hockey, Curley spent decades as a coach, player, and executive. She won a pair of NCAA championships with Providence College in the mid-1980s, then won three silver medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championships with Team USA. After retiring in 1994, Curley took up coaching and worked on improving grassroots hockey opportunities. She also served on USA Hockey’s board of directors and was part of the U.S. Hockey Olympic Advisory Committee. This isn’t Curley’s first Hall of Fame induction, as she went into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

Brian Burke

Burke is going into the Builder category in the Hall of Fame, thanks to his contributions, which began in 1987 and are still going on today. He’s served in various roles, including VP and director of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks and general manager of the Hartford Whalers. He then moved to the NHL office as senior VP and director of hockey operations, before returning to a team capacity as GM and president of the Canucks.

In 2005, Burke was appointed executive VP of the Anaheim Ducks and helped build the team that won the 2007 Stanley Cup. He also held executive roles with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and Pittsburgh Penguins, and his service wasn’t limited to front offices. Burke was a co-owner of the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League and spent time in the broadcast booth as a Sportsnet analyst. Today, Burke is executive director of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association.

The 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame Class is set to be inducted on Nov. 9 in Toronto. This will be the 73rd Hall of Fame Class, with the inaugural grouping being enshrined in 1945.