Hunterโs Green residents Sue Andreychuk, Dave Andreychuk, Dr. Tom Frankfurth, Doug Dunbar, John Loyless, Doug Dunbar, Joe Pequinot and Andy Ritter celebrate The Captainโs Hockey Hall of Fame induction at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. (Photo courtesy of Andy Ritter)
Long-time Hunterโs Green resident and former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk is officially in the National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Fame.
Andreychuk was formally inducted into the Hall on Nov. 13 at the Allen Lambert Galleria in Toronto, an hour from where he learned to play hockey in Hamilton, Ontario.
โNobody thinks, โI want to be a Hall of Famer,โโโ Andreychuk said during his induction speech. โYou think about just trying to play in the NHL, just trying to make your team better.โ
Which is exactly what Andreychuk, who was drafted in 1982 by Buffalo, was able to do. While he played more than 1,600 games during his 23 seasons, and scored an NHL-record 273 career power play goals and 640 goals (14th all-time) overall, it was his experience and leadership that was credited with bringing the Lightning its only Stanley Cup in 2004.
A bronze statue of Andreychuk holding the Cup above his head stands outside Amalie Arena, where the Lightning still play.
TAMPA, FL – JUNE 7: Dave Andreychuk #25 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Calgary Flames in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning won the Stanley cup by defeating the Flames 2-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Hunterโs Green is holding a celebratory party for Andreychuk tonight.
During his Hall of Fame speech, โAndyโ thanked his friends and family for years of support.
A handful of Hunterโs Green residents joined him in Toronto for the Hall of Fame weekend, while others cheered him on at Amalie Arena on Nov. 18, when the Lightning honored him.
Andreychuk gave special thanks to his three daughters โ โYou made my life a lot betterโ โ and his parents Roz and Julian, whoย attended the induction.
He also gave special thanks to his wife, Sue. โShe always had a smile on her face,โโ he said. โWhen I would come home after a game, whether we won or lost, not much changed.โ
Dave Andreychuk #25 of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Calgary Flames in game seven of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on June 7, 2004 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning won the Stanley cup by defeating the Flames 2-1. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
For more than a decade, a familiar face around New Tampa and one of the communityโs leaders, long-time area resident Dave Andreychuk, has been greeted by many a local, eager to say hello, to thank him for the Stanley Cup he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win in 2004, and, of course, to tell him he should be in the National Hockey League (NHL) Hall of Fame.
But now…finally…those same fans have a chance to say this: โItโs about darn time!โ
Andreychuk received what many feel was a long-overdue call on June 26, telling him his wait was over. The former Lightning captain is an NHL Hall of Famer.
โItโs a great feeling,โโ Andreychuk says. โIโm happy the call finally came.โ
Andreychuk, who moved into Arbor Greene in 1999 after signing with the Lightning, before his family moved to their current home in Hunterโs Green, said he was on his way to the airport when his cell phone rang around 2 p.m.
He looked down and saw a Toronto number. โCan it be?,โ Andreychuck thought.
Unsure if it was the media calling to ask him his thoughts on not being selected again, or someone from the NHL, he answered to discover it was Lanny MacDonald, fellow Hall of Famer and currently the chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, with good news.
โIt was really a surprise,โโ Andreychuk said. โI had no idea. I immediately pulled over to collect my thoughts. It really was very exciting.โ
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Andreychuk says he knew his day would eventually come. He has been eligible since 2009, and he thought each of the last two years might have been his day. This year, he says he hadnโt been giving it nearly as much thought.
He only hoped that he would make it intoย the Hall while his parents, Roz and Julian, were still around to celebrate it with him.
โThatโs really what I wanted,โโ he said. โSo, that it happened now, and they can celebrate it with me, is the best thing.โ
Andreychuk will be officially inducted on Monday, November 13, in Toronto.
His inclusion into the Hall of Fame comes after a 23-year career that began when he was drafted in the first round by Buffalo in 1982 and made meaningful contributions in Toronto, New Jersey, Boston and Colorado before coming to Tampa Bay.
Andreychuk is the NHLโs all-time leader for career power-play goals with 273 (Brett Hull is second all-time, with 265), and is the 14th-leading all-time scorer with 640 goals. His 1,639 games are seventh all-time, and his 1,338 points tie him with Denis Savard for 29th on the all-time scoring list.
But Andreychukโs greatest moment was captaining the Lightning Stanley Cup team in 2004. Outside of Amalie Arena, there is a bronze statue of him holding the Cup over his head.
He said he remembers taking the Cup home to Hunterโs Green the night the Lightning clinched their first championship, to party with his teammates, and then bringing it to the clubhouse a few days later to share it with the Hunterโs Green and New Tampa community.
โThe support Iโve always gotten up here has been great,โโ Andreychuk said.
Andreychuk is currently the Lightningโs VP of Corporate & Community Affairs, and continues to be active in the community as a hockey ambassador. In fact, the Captain (as many in New Tampa still call him) was on hand as a dignitary for the opening of Florida Hospital Center Ice.
