How one call altered Dave Andreychuk’s path to the Hall of Fame

By Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
June 26, 2017

One phone call steered Dave Andreychuk toward the path that led to hockey immortality.

The call he received on Monday completed that journey.

Dave Andreychuk will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, enshrined alongside the greats of the game.

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

Andreychuk learned of that honor while he was on the way to pick up his wife, Sue, at the airport Monday afternoon.

”I saw a 416 (area code) call on my phone around 2 p.m. and my heart started racing immediately and I pulled over to the side of the road,’’ Andreychuk said. “Luckily it was Lanny MacDonald that made the call and I was thrilled that it was Lanny . . . and to get a call from him was awesome.’’

Andreychuk was one of seven to receive the call from MacDonald, who serves as chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, to announce their selection by the Hall of Fame committee. The others include former Lightning winger Mark Recchi along with former Anaheim teammates Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. Danielle Goyette was the fifth player selected after the won seven gold medals for Canada at the Women’s World Championships as well as one silver and two gold medals at the Olympics. Boston Bruins’ owner Jeremy Jacobs and longtime Canadian collegiate coach Clark Drake were selected in the builder’s category.

But it was a call that came 16 years ago that cemented Andreychuk’s spot in the Hall of Fame.

After his 19th year in the league trying to chase a Stanley Cup, Andreychuk completed his second stint with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him with the 16th overall pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Andreychuk figured it might be time to call it a career.

After two 50-goal seasons, 572 career goals, 1,209 points and 1,361 games, Andreychuk was set to walk away from the game, content with the fact he would never win a Stanley Cup. He had already discussed the possibility with his wife and family.

Then one day during the summer on 2001, a call came in to the Andreychuk household that changed everything.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had a good young nucleus that included Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Marty St. Louis and Nikolai Khabibulin. What they were lacking was an experienced leader to bring them together as a team.

That’s why Tampa Bay general manager Rick Dudley, who was the Sabres during Andreychuk’s first tenure with Buffalo, put in a call to Andreychuk to gauge his interest in potentially coming to join the Lightning.

”I think at that point I was pretty much packing it in,’’ Andreychuk said. “I got that call from Rick Dudley and John Tortorella and Craig Ramsay and at that point it was pretty much trying to bring some face to a franchise that was reeling.’’

It didn’t take long for Andreychuk to agree to come to Tampa and he was signed as a free agent on July 13, 2001. As soon as he arrived, he took the task head on looking to help change the culture in the locker room.

”The moment that I got to Tampa, realizing the challenge that was here, I got super excited about where we were going,’’ he said.

Three years later, and one possible trade option declined to stay with Tampa Bay, Andreychuk lifted the Stanley Cup over his head in celebration as the captain of a championship team. He enjoyed three more 20-goal seasons, reaching the 600-goal mark, and became the all-time leader in power play goals, a record he still holds 11 years after his retirement.

”You never know you are going to win the Stanley Cup, but at least to compete and continue to do that, I’m very excited that those guys gave me the opportunity to come to Tampa and continue my career,’’ Andreychuk said. “I think getting here and having the love of the game, the drive … you have to have a passion for the game. So coming to Tampa and doing that and then winning the Stanley Cup was awesome run. I’ve been through some runs that never got to the end, so for us to do it here in Tampa was exciting.

“It certainly caps a career for myself.’’

It might have been the final cap to solidify his Hall of Fame resume in the top 15 all-time in goals, top 10 in games played and top 30 in points.

It all started with one call and ended with the call.

{/mprestriction}