Devils GM Lou Lamoriello was chosen for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday along with 1994 Ranger Cup-winner Ed Olczyk and Stars center Mike Modano. They will be inducted this fall to the U.S. HHOF, situated in Eveleth, Minn.
Lamoriello called Team USA’s World Cup triumph of 1996 “the most significant moment for American professional hockey since the 1980 Olympics.”
Lamoriello, a 2009 inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, was general manager of the USA team that won that first World Cup, which he called a “highlight” of both his career and of U.S. hockey.
“It’s special,” Lamoriello said of his selection. “Being an American, and involved in college hockey for so long, it’s special.”
Before his three Stanley Cups and two other finals appearances as general manager of the Devils, Lamoriello coached Providence College and became its athletic director, and was a major force in the creation of Hockey East. He also was general manager of the 1998 U.S. Olympic team.
Olczyk was the third pick of the 1984 draft, taken by Chicago behind Mario Lemieux and Kirk Muller. He played for the Rangers from 1992-95, and also played for the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Jets, Kings and Penguins, scoring 342 goals and notching 452 assists for a total of 794 points in 1,031 career games.