A Hall of Fame Reflection

Skyhawks head coach Darren Turcotte looks back at some memories he has about four of the players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. File Photo.

There aren’t many people that can say they’ve played with two of the men that were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night and played against the other two.

But during Darren Turcotte’s NHL career that began in 1988 and finished in 2000 the North Bay native did just that.

Al MacInnis

Darren Turcotte played one season alongside now Hall of Fame defenceman Al MacInnis.

“Obviously he will be remembered for what he did on the ice and obviously his great shot,” Turcotte said about his St. Louis Blues teammate.

“He was also a great role model for younger players. He took the game very seriously and he worked hard to get as good as he was. “

While MacInnis will be forever remembered for his blast from the point Turcotte will likely remember him for the power behind his slash.

In a late season game back in 1997, MacInnis came off the ice frustrated at the end of a shift and smashed his stick against the boards. However, what MacInnis didn’t realize was that the slash didn’t just hit the boards - he actually ended up slashing teammate Darren Turcotte on the wrist.

“I was crumpled behind the boards and he thought at the time that he had ended my career,” said Turcotte about the bizarre incident that left him with a broken wrist.

“He felt worst than anybody and actually didn’t even finish the game.”

The injury wasn’t as bad as it looked at the time as Turcotte played in the playoffs that year with a cast on his hand.

Mark Messier

Turcotte spent two seasons playing alongside Mark Messier, one of the greatest leaders the game of hockey has ever seen.

“He was a fierce competitor and would do whatever he had to to prove a point,” said Turcotte.

“When he was on the ice he was all business. He was an intimidating player with skill and like Gordie Howe he could play dirty and use that as an intimidation factor. “

Turcotte was traded to Hartford the season Messier led the Rangers to a memorable Stanley Cup championship back in 1994.

Messier’s guarantee of victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New Jersey Devils that year will live forever in hockey lore.

At the time, Turcotte wasn’t surprised to see the six-time Stanley Cup winner take the pressure away from the team and put it on his shoulders.

“I believe he scored three goals in that game,” said Turcotte.

“It’s one thing to guarantee it but it’s another to back it up personally. He basically put the weight of New York city on his back and got the job done.”

Ron Francis

Turcotte had the opportunity to play with hall of fame inductee Ron Francis as well. However, that wasn’t with the Hartford Whalers. During the lockout the two Northern Ontario players played in the 4 on 4 tours.

“Ron is a character guy, a family-first kind of guy and just a tremendous leader on and off the ice,” Turcotte said about the Sault Ste. Marie native.

“He was a tough player to play against but not from an intimidating standpoint just because he was so good in so many different areas of the game – offence, defence, penalty killing or powerplay. “

Scott Stevens

The New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils rivalry is one of the greatest rivalries in the National Hockey League and for Turcotte that meant many nights watching out for Scott Stevens.

“I tried to stay away from him,” Turcotte said jokingly.

“He was another intimidating player who put up some decent numbers offensively but is going to be known for his open ice hits. In the New York Rangers-Devils rivalry you always knew when he was on the ice.”

Turcotte says he was lucky enough to avoid being a part of the Scott Stevens “hit parade” highlight reel that included power forwards like Eric Lindros to small finesse players like Paul Kariya.

Overlooked

Igor Larionov was a player that did not get enough votes to join the likes of Messier and Francis on Monday night.
However, Turcotte, who played with him in San Jose, believes the skilled Russian forward belongs in the hall of fame too.

Larionov, known by some as the “Russian Gretzky,” finished his NHL career with 644 regular season points in 921 regular season games.