‘Eddie the Eagle’ Belfour lands in Hockey Hall of Fame

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Updated: June 30, 2011 5:18PM

Still basking in the year-old glow of a Stanley Cup
championship, Chicago hockey fans can offer heartfelt
congratulations to Ed Belfour on
being elected Tuesday to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

That Cup makes it a little easier, doesn’t it? Not that we wouldn’t have toasted ‘‘Eddie the Eagle’’ otherwise. But before Patrick Kane’s game-winner in Philadelphia clinched the Blackhawks’ first Stanley Cup title in 49 years, Belfour going into the Hall of Fame would have been a much more bittersweet reminder about how the Hawks’ organization tortured its loyal fans by letting one star after another leave town — often on a bad note, usually for no good reason and typically for little or nothing in return.

Today, it’s not so painful to note that Belfour notched 283 of his 484 victories (third-most in NHL history) after leaving the Hawks. Or that, like former teammates Denis Savard, Steve Larmer, Chris Chelios and Dominik Hasek, he won a Stanley Cup after leaving the Hawks. Or that the Hawks received goalie Chris Terreri (12-11-4 in 28 games with them), forward Ulf Dahlen (six goals, 14 points in 30 games) and defenseman Michal Sykora (two goals, 14 points in 56 games) for him. Or that on the same day the Hawks traded Belfour to the San Jose Sharks in 1997, they signed Jeff Hackett to a three-year, $2.7 million contract. (Hackett went 36-40-11 before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens.)

Kind of funny now to look back at just how dysfunctional the Hawks were in those days and how Belfour was often right in the middle of it. When Belfour held out after winning the Calder (top rookie) and Vezina (top goalie) trophies in 1990-91, coach Mike Keenan turned to Jimmy Waite ahead of Hasek until Belfour signed a month into the season. Hasek was traded after the season — and won six Vezina Trophies and two Hart Trophies (most valuable player) after leaving the Hawks.

Belfour led the Hawks to the Stanley Cup finals in 1992 (they lost 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins), won another Vezina in 1993 and was the runner-up for the Vezina in 1995. In 1996-97, he was struggling in goal, grumpy about sharing time with Hackett, sparring with the media and looking to sign a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid goalies in the NHL.

The Hawks, of course, weren’t about to budge. So Belfour was off to San Jose. But there was no Hasek around this time, just a Hackett and a Waite. The Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs in 1997 and made one postseason appearance in the next 11 years. Belfour won 283 games — and 53 more in the playoffs — with the Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers and won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999.

And now he’s headed to the Hall of Fame, along with Joe Nieuwendyk, Mark Howe and Doug Gilmour. The induction ceremony is Nov. 14 in Toronto.

Nieuwendyk scored 564 goals and won Stanley Cups with the Calgary Flames, Stars and New Jersey Devils.

Howe, a defenseman and a son of Hall of Famer Gordie Howe, scored 1,246 points in 22 pro seasons, the first six in the World Hockey Association.

Gilmour scored 450 goals and 1,414 points in 20 seasons and won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and the Selke Trophy (top defensive forward) with the Maple Leafs in 1993. And, like Belfour, he shares a link — albeit a much less significant one — to the bad old days of the Hawks.

In 1998, after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1969, the Hawks had a chance to make a big splash by signing Brett Hull, who was past his prime but still productive at 34. Instead, they signed the 35-year-old Gilmour,
who was slowing down even more than Hull.

Gilmour scored 38 goals in two seasons with the Hawks and was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Hull scored 95 goals and 196 points in three seasons with the Stars, including the game-winning goal that clinched the Stanley Cup in 1999.

Another bad decision by the Hawks. It’s a lot easier to look back and laugh about it today.