Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, Mats Sundin voted into Hockey Hall of Fame

Burnaby Joe Sakic, arguably the greatest player ever produced in this province, will take his rightful place in the Hockey Hall of Fame later this year. Sakic along with former Vancouver Canucks Pavel Bure and Mats Sundin as well as Adam Oates have been announced as the class of 2012 to be enshrined in November.

Sakic won virtually everything there was to win during his remarkable career which spanned almost two decades. He won a pair of Stanley Cups and finished his career with 625 goals and 1,016 assists in 1,378 NHL games. Burnaby Joe was the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year Award (1988), Conn Smythe winner (1996), Lady Byng winner (2001) and was honoured with the Lester B. Pearson Award and Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. (2001).

Sakic played in a dozen NHL all-star games, won the world junior championships, world championships, World Cup and Olympic gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. Pavel Bure was twice a 60-goal scorer in the NHL and remains the most-exciting player to ever wear a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Sundin had his best years in the NHL in Quebec and Toronto before finishing his career in Vancouver in 2009.

Prior to being named to the Hall of Fame, Oates was named new head coach of the Washington Capitals on Tuesday (June 26) morning.