NHL Hall Of Fame Class Of 2007 Vows To Stay In Touch Following Ceremony

TORONTO—Immediately following the ceremony celebrating their induction into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame, class of 2007 inductees Mark Messier, Scott Stevens, Ron Francis, and Al MacInnis spent a bittersweet hour in the Hall parking lot discussing fond memories of their time together, exchanging Instant Messenger screen names and e-mail addresses, and repeating earnest promises to stay in touch with one another. “Aw, you guys…What a crazy, crazy career we’ve had together. There’s no way the people I’ll meet in retirement will be as fun as you guys,” Scott Stevens said in the silence that followed after he and Messier recalled their old inside joke about goalie Mike Richter living in an igloo. “I only wish we had a couple more games together. Just promise me you guys will never change.” When Ron Francis let Mark Messier know that he would probably be in New York sometime in February, so the two of them should definitely get together, Messier replied, “Definitely.”