Former Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer will be enshrined in pro hockey's Hall of Fame Nov. 11, it was announced Tuesday. Currently an assistant coach with the franchise, Niedermayer will be the first Duck inductee to have played more than one season in Anaheim, as Adam Oates and Jari Kurri each played a single season here.
After the jump, five reactions to Niedermayer going to the Hall of Fame …
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“I don't think you can ever overestimate how important he was. He was a team player and a teammate that everybody respected.”
-Lou Lamoriello, general manager of the New Jersey Devils, where Niedermayer played from 1992-2004
“Scotty is a Hall of Fame player and person, one who exemplified class, character and determination to accompany his tremendous skill. He can be epitomized with one moment on June 6, 2007, when he was the captain and Conn Smythe Winner of the 2007 champion Ducks–but was most proud to hand the Stanley Cup to his brother” [Rob].
-Henry and Susan Samueli, owners of the Anaheim Ducks
“Scott Niedermayer is a true champion, both on and off the ice. He won at every level and did so with class and dignity. He was one of the great leaders of his generation, always putting the team first. There is no greater role model for young players today.”
-Bob Murray, Ducks general manager
“I'm so happy for Scotty! He was one of the best players to ever play the game and deserves to join the legends of hockey in the Hall of Fame. It was unbelievable to watch him as a player, his skating was incredible. It was an honor to be his teammate.”
-Teemu Selanne, Ducks alternate captain
“It's a pretty special feeling, too, after being able to win a championship and sitting in the room and just looking around and realizing the sacrifices and the things all of your teammates have done to help the team win. Those types of things are something that I'll remember.”
-Scott Niedermayer
Read more on how he feels entering the Hall of Fame with fellow defenseman Chris Chelios and having hoisted the Cup with brother Rob Niedermayer on the Ducks website.
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.