MacInnis headed to Hall of Fame

~ The former Blues great joins Stevens, Messier and Francis in the induction class.

TORONTO -- It took only one look for voters to pick this year's class of Hockey Hall of Famers.

Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens all were elected in their first year of eligibility.

"I have a lot of respect for all the guys who were inducted this year," Messier said after the announcement Thursday. "I think their stats and what they've done speak for themselves."

It is the Hall's first group of four players since 2001 when Mike Gartner, Jari Kurri, Slava Fetisov and Dale Hawerchuk also pushed the selection to the maximum.

"There was a number of players eligible this year beyond the number that we could put in," said former Toronto coach Pat Quinn, a member of the 18-person selection committee. "The deliberations were strong."

Igor Larionov, the former Russian great who excelled on both sides of the ocean, didn't make it.

It was hard to argue with the four selected.

"The players elected represent the epitome of hockey excellence," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. "Their careers were distinguished by their skill, by their drive, by their refusal to accept anything less than the best.

"I congratulate the honorees and I commend the selection committee on having created a spectacular Class of 2007."

NHL executive Jim Gregory will enter as a builder, a well-deserved honor for a man who has given his life to hockey. Gregory was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1969-79 before running the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau. He's currently a senior vice president with the league.

"When I got the call, I was just flabbergasted," Gregory said. "I had to pull over and my wife and I really enjoyed the moment. It was fantastic."

The induction ceremony will be held Nov. 12.

Messier is second in NHL career points and Francis is fourth. Former St. Louis Blues defenseman MacInnis is third in points by a defenseman. Stevens won three Stanley Cup titles with the New Jersey Devils while punishing the opposition as the game's best hitter.

"I'm honored to be going in with a class like this," Francis said. "Certainly over the years I've spent a lot of time playing against Mark, Scott and Al and appreciate just how great hockey players they were."

Messier was a sure thing to get in after a career that saw him win six Stanley Cup championships -- five with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the New York Rangers. If it were baseball, he'd have to wear one of those sweaters in the Hall.

"Hopefully, they can sew a jersey together and split it down the middle and I can go in as both," he joked.

MacInnis played 23 NHL seasons, winning the playoff MVP while helping Calgary to the Stanley Cup in 1989. He was also a valuable blue-line contributor in Canada's 2002 Olympic triumph. He's the first Nova Scotian to get into the Hall in the players category.

"I certainly am proud of where I come from," MacInnis said. "With the players coming out of there today, the likes of Sidney Crosby, it's not going to last long."

Francis is a two-time Stanley Cup winner.