Colin Campbell jokes that he’s played the role of villain for more than two decades.
Since 1998, Campbell has often had to be the bad guy as the NHL's senior executive vice president of hockey operations, whether it be enforcing rules infractions, suspensions or other disciplinary decisions.
So, when he received the call from the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday that he’d been elected in the Builder category as part of the Class of 2024, he had one reaction.
“Kind of shocking,” Campbell said.
At the same time, he remembered one particular conversation he’d often had with his friend, the late Jim Gregory, who was the chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee from 1998-2014.
“I was part of the (Hall’s selection) committee for 15 years,” Campbell said. “And now I get the call.
“I used to always tell Jim Gregory, I’d ask him if I could make that call once because every time I called people in this job they weren’t very happy calls. I’d say: 'Jimmy, could I make one of the calls you make just one time? Just one time.
“I wanted to make the call one time to give people the best news they’d ever heard, next to having a child born.”
Hockey has been Campbell’s life for the past 51 years.
As a defenseman, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 27) of the 1973 NHL Draft. Over 11 seasons from 1974-1985, Campbell appeared in 636 regular-season games with the Penguins, Colorado Rockies, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings, getting 128 points (25 goals, 103 assists) and 1,295 penalty minutes.