The Hockey Hall of Fame induction on Monday night in Toronto added six new members to the game’s shrine, with Carey Price and Patrice Bergeron leading a class that also included Pekka Rinne, Keith Tkachuk and Cindy Curley as players and Brian Burke as a builder. The ceremony closed an induction weekend that began with a ring ceremony on Saturday in the Great Hall and a jacket ceremony on Sunday before the Maple Leafs hosted the New Jersey Devils in the Hockey Hall of Fame Game. The class was announced on 22 June by the selection committee, chaired by Ron Francis.
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction put Price at the front of the class, and the former Montreal Canadiens goaltender was in his second year of eligibility after being passed over in 2025. Price, 39, spent all 15 of his NHL seasons in Montreal and is the club’s all time leader in wins with 361. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as its top goaltender in 2015. He finished with a 361-261-79 record, a .917 save percentage, a 2.51 goals against average and 49 shutouts across 712 regular season games.
Hockey Hall of Fame induction honours Bergeron first
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction gave Bergeron a place in his first year of eligibility, and he was the only member of the class to go in at the first chance. Bergeron, 41, played 19 seasons with the Boston Bruins and won the Stanley Cup in 2011. He won a record six Selke Trophies as the NHL’s top defensive forward, and he finished with 1,040 points on 427 goals and 613 assists in 1,294 regular season games. The Bruins took him 45th overall in the 2003 draft, and he spent his whole career with one club.
Rinne and Tkachuk joined them in the player category. Rinne was the longtime Nashville Predators goaltender, and Tkachuk starred for the St. Louis Blues. Curley, a pioneer of the women’s game with Team USA, completed the player group. Burke, the longtime NHL executive, went in as the lone builder. The six were honoured together on stage in Toronto, and the plaques for the class of 2026 were already on display in the Great Hall before the ceremony began.
Hockey Hall of Fame induction and Price’s road
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction was a long time coming for Price, who first visited the Hall as a teenager and joked over the weekend that he would not mind trying one of the interactive games. The No. 5 pick at the 2005 draft, he was once at the top of his craft, and his career was hampered at times by injury. He told reporters he was extremely grateful, and he spoke about the emotions of the day and his years with the Canadiens. His place in the Hall puts him alongside the greats he watched as a young player.
Bergeron spoke with the same tone over the weekend, and the class of 26 shared its thoughts at the ring ceremony on Saturday. One by one the inductees stepped on stage to receive their rings, with Burke first as the builder and then the five players in turn. Bergeron said he was in awe of the company he now keeps, and the group posed together with the plaques that will hang in the Hall. The ceremony on Monday night was broadcast on TSN and the NHL Network.
Hockey Hall of Fame induction closes the weekend
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction adds six names to a list that goes back to 1945, when the first members were honoured. The Hall’s selection committee votes each year, and the class of 2026 was announced in June. Price was passed over in 2025 and went in on his second year of eligibility, while Bergeron went in at the first chance.
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction ended with speeches from the six new members on Monday night, and the Hall’s weekend in Toronto came to a close. Price and Bergeron now sit with the game’s greats, and the plaques in the Great Hall will carry their names for as long as the building stands. The next class will be announced in the summer, and the Hall will do it all again in November.