Mike Gartner and Lanny McDonald make calls to members of the Class of 2023 from the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Founders Room.
McDonald, a member of the Class of 1992, was named Hall chair in March 2015, voted by the board of directors to succeed the late Pat Quinn with a 10-year tenure that officially began that July 1.
With the end of his term on the horizon, McDonald could think of no one better for the role than Gartner. With Jeff Denomee, the Hall’s president and chief executive officer, he placed a midsummer call to Gartner to make the pitch.
“I said just how honored I was that they’d think of me to take the job and I’d seriously consider it,” said Gartner, whose 708 NHL goals during a 19-season career from 1979-98 rank him eighth all-time. “I had a whole bunch of questions, most of them about the time commitment necessary.”
(He also had 627 assists with his five NHL teams, adding 43 goals and 50 assists in 122 Stanley Cup Playoff games.)
There’s much to balance, Gartner and his wife, Colleen, parents of three and grandparents of five, his business interests also part of the equation.
