After a 19-year wait, Kevin Lowe is heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The former Edmonton Oilers defenceman is part of the class of 2020. He’d been eligible for the Hall since 2001.
“I’ve never seen myself as a Hall of Famer,” said Lowe. “My dream was always to win Stanley Cups, and the Hall of Fame was something I never dreamed about.”
Lowe is the Oilers’ franchise leader in games played. He won five Stanley Cups with the team and one with the New York Rangers. He finished his career with 431 points in 1,254 games, but his stats don’t tell the story of his value to his teams.
“Kevin is just a warrior, a brother that would do anything for you. An awesome, loyal, trustworthy teammate that is second to none,” said former Oilers teammate Glenn Anderson. “He was so great under pressure.
“When the ship was taking on water, he knew how to empty out the water and get the ship going in the right direction.”
Oilers general manager Ken Holland was selected to the Hall in the Builder Category.
He won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, three as the team’s general manager.
“We drafted good first off,” said Holland. “They built a culture there. The culture was about the team. It was about winning.”
Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Doug Wilson, and Kim St. Pierre make up the rest of the class of 2020. Induction weekend is scheduled for Nov. 13-15 in Toronto.