Gartner, Kurri Among Hall Of Fame Inductees

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Also elected were Russian great Vyacheslav Fetisov and Dale Hawerchuk, who is 13th on the career scoring list with 1,409 points.

Pittsburgh general manager Craig Patrick, the architect of the Penguins' two Stanley Cup teams, was chosen from among the hockey executives.

"I couldn't talk for about 10 minutes, I was so choked up," Gartner said after he got the call from the Hall of Fame.

Kurri is the highest-scoring European-born player ever to play in the NHL. He is 14th all-time in NHL scoring with 601 goals and 797 assists for 1,398 points. Kurri is also the first player from Finland to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"It is a great honor since so few players are able to make it to this level," Kurri said. "To be the first Finnish player elected is especially gratifying."

"I had the chance to play with a great team and great players like Wayne, Mark (Messier), and on and on. A lot of good memories," said Kurri, who won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton.

Fetisov is the second Russian-born player after goaltender Vladislav Tretiak to enter the Hall of Fame. Fetisov played 10 years in the NHL with New Jersey and Detroit, but was at the peak of his dominance as one the world's best defensemen when he played for the powerful Soviet hockey teams that also included Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.

Dale Hawerchuk is 13th on the career scoring list with 1,409 points. He retired in 1997 when a hip injury ended his 16-year career which included stops in Winnipeg, Buffalo, St. Louis and Philadelphia.