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Around the NHL: O’Ree, Brodeur, Bettman Get Call to Hockey Hall

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By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor Around the NHL: O'Ree, Brodeur, Bettman Get Call to Hockey Hall

Six new members will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this November.

Four player inductees received the call to the Hall on Tuesday. Goaltender Martin Brodeur, forward Martin St. Louis, Russian forward Alexander Yakushev and Canadian women's Olympian Jayna Hefford will all be inducted along with two builder inductees.

Current NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL legend Willie O'Ree are also being inducted in a ceremony on Nov. 12.

Brodeur was a lock for the Hall class, holding NHL records for game played by a goaltender, saves and 40-win seasons. Brodeur won the Calder Trophy in 1994. He was a four-time Vezina Trophy winner in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 and a five-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy.

Brodeur also is the NHL's all-time leader in wins with 691 and shutouts with 125.

St. Louis was often criticized on his road to the NHL as a player too small for the game. The 5'8" forward went undrafted, but ultimately scored 391 goals, added 642 assists and finished his career with 1,033 points. 

Bettman, who is oft-criticized by fans for the full-season lockout that cancelled the 2004-05 season and another lockout that shortened the 2012-13 season, has grown the game with several expansion teams entering the league since he became commissioner in 1992. Bettman oversaw the additions of the Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, as well as the addition of the Atlanta Thrashers, who eventually relocated as the Winnipeg Jets.

Bettman was also at the helm for the relocation of the original Winnipeg Jets into the Arizona Coyotes and the Quebec Nordiques into the Colorado Avalanche.

Under Bettman's leadership, the NHL has become more involved on a global scale, hosting games overseas. The salary cap was established under Bettman and he was a leader in bringing outdoor games to the NHL schedule.

O'Ree is a legendary figure in the game, breaking the NHL's color barrier in his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 1958. He played only 45 NHL games in his career, scoring four goals and posting 14 points, but his NHL debut paved the way for many players after him, including the Flyers Wayne Simmonds, and his community efforts have promoted diversity in the game of hockey.

The NHL recently presented the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award at the NHL Awards, with the inaugural recipient being Darcy Haugan, the late coach of the Humboldt Broncos.

Yakushev was an international superstar with the USSR, getting placed in the spotlight in North America as part of the 1972 Summit Series, scoring seven goals and 11 points in the eight-game series. He also won gold medals in 1972 and 1976.

Hefford played in five Winter Olympics with Canada, winning four gold medals in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.