NEW YORK -- National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman released the following statement on the NHL’s Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2024 in the Builder Category. The 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration is scheduled for Monday, November 11, in Toronto, Ont.
“Colin Campbell truly has lived a hockey life. Few in the history of our great game have devoted so much of themselves in as many ways to serving it and making it better.
“An accomplished junior player, Campbell forged an 11-year NHL playing career as a rugged defenseman out of relentless dedication to his craft and selfless willingness to battle for his teammates. As an assistant coach, he made essential contributions to building the foundation for what would become a dynasty in Detroit and then partnered with Mike Keenan to lead the New York Rangers to their championship in 1994.
“As head coach of the Rangers, Campbell engineered playoff upsets in each of his first three seasons, guiding New York to the 1997 Eastern Conference Final.
“I often say that everything we do at the League begins with the game. And, since 1998, the game has been Colin’s responsibility. He was at the center of the Summits with Players, coaches and executives that “opened up” the game in 2005. And, he has been central to the crafting of every rule change and technological innovation since – including, perhaps most notably, modernizing and centralizing video review for both in-game rulings and supplementary discipline – all of which have focused on promoting offense, speed and skill, while maintaining the game’s physicality. Those changes have transformed hockey at every level around the world.
“As Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, he has watched more than 30,000 NHL games and personally made thousands of critical video review calls.
“The only things that rank in Colin’s life before hockey are devotion to family and loyalty to friends. His wife Heather; their children, Lauren, Courtney and Gregory; and their five grandchildren all share in our congratulations today.
“I consider myself fortunate to have had Colin by my side over the last 26 years and am proud to call him one of my closest friends. In my time in the game, no one has better defined the term “builder,” and no one more richly deserves the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
