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Former Calgary Flame Phil Housley Elected To Hockey Hall of Fame

By Ken MacMillan

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The Hockey Hall of Fame announced its class for 2015, and among them was former Calgary Flames defenseman Phil Housley. The offensive defenseman heads into the hallowed Hall along with former Detroit Red Wing great Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov and sorta current Arizona Coyote Chris Pronger.

Housley had a long, tremendous 21 year career split between the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, St Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Housley was part of one of the biggest trades in Flames franchise history when he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues for Al MacInnis. He played parts of six seasons in two stints in Calgary and scored 238 points in 328 games in a Flames sweater.

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Housley has some of the most impressive offensive statistics by any defensemen who ever played hockey. His 97 point season in 1992-93 has only been bested by the likes of Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch and Denis Potvin. In fact, Housley’s 1232 career points are the fourth most by any defenseman, as he ranks behind just Ray Bourque, Coffey and MacInnis.

Housley appeared in seven All-Star games and also represented his country on the world stage on numbers occasions. He suited up for the United States twice at Canada Cup Tournaments and again at the 1996 World Cup and also won a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games for the USA.

Housley was one of the best offensive defenseman of all time, and though major individual awards eluded him throughout his career, he is well deserving of the honour into the Hall of Fame. When it comes to scoring, not many defenders have been able to match Housley’s level of play. He reached the 60 point plateau the first 11 seasons of his career and scored over 20 goals six times.

Also joining the former NHL players are Angela Ruggiero who won a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Games with USA Women’s team, and Peter Karmanos and Bill Hay are joining them in the builder’s category.

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