Henrik Lundqvist, other goalies top Hall of Fame class - ESPN

The Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is the year of the goaltender.

Netminders Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon were all selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, as announced on Wednesday. They join former NHL center Pierre Turgeon, Canadian women's hockey star Caroline Ouellette, as well as coach Ken Hitchcock and the late Pierre Lacroix, who built two Stanley Cup champions with the Colorado Avalanche.

Lundqvist was a first-year eligible Hall candidate. He's sixth in NHL career wins (459), ninth in games played (887) and 11th in career save percentage (.918). Lundqvist won the Vezina Tropy as the NHL's top goaltender in 2011-12 and was a finalist for the award a total of five times. He was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2011-12.

What really put Lundqvist over the top was his international success. He led Team Sweden to Olympic men's hockey goal in the 2006 Turin Games and silver in the 2014 Sochi Games. He won gold at the IIHF world championships in 2017 and bronze at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Lundqvist played his entire career with the New York Rangers. He signed a free agent contract with the Washington Capitals in 2020 but did play for them, as his career was cut short due to a heart condition.

Barrasso has been eligible since 2006. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992. In 1983-84, he was the rookie of the year and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres. His 369 wins are 20th all-time.

Vernon has been eligible since 2005. He led two different teams to the Stanley Cup: the Calgary Flames in 1989 and the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, when Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 385 NHL wins