TORONTO — Shea Weber's passion still burns bright.
Instead of lacing up his skates and trying to help his team make a playoff push, the former defenceman and captain of the Montreal Canadiens has been polishing a speech.
Weber is set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class on Monday alongside Pavel Datsyuk, Jeremy Roenick, Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell in the player category. David Poile and Colin Campbell will go in as builders.
"I miss it every day," Weber, whose career ended prematurely because of injury, said Friday after this year's honourees received their rings. "Fortunate I get to get on the ice a lot with the kids, but I definitely miss it."
The 39-year-old has been unable to play since helping drag Montreal to the 2021 Stanley Cup final.
Weber, who had a booming shot and an unassuming demeanour, knew Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning that July would likely be his last.
"Kind of saw it coming," Weber said. "It made it that much more emotional and tough to digest."
He finished with 224 goals and 589 points in 1,038 games with the Canadiens and Nashville Predators. The hard-nosed blueliner from Sicamous, B.C., added 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 97 playoff contests.
Weber, who helped Canada win gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, was on the golf course in June when he got his call to the hall.
"I was in shock," he said. "Once you get in here and you see your plaque with all the other legends before you and you get your ring … it's special."
Datsyuk, 46, put up 314 goals and 918 points in 953 games across 14 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He added 113 points (42 goals, 71 assists) in 157 playoff contests that included Stanley Cup victories in 2002 and 2008.
The Russian centre with silky-smooth hands was a four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner as the NHL's most gentlemanly player and took home the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward on three occasions.
Datsyuk, who played five seasons in the KHL after leaving Detroit in 2016, represented his country at five straight Olympics, capturing gold in 2018 and bronze in 2002.
"It means for me, a lot," he said of getting inducted. "Lots of people helped me."
Roenick, 54, registered 513 goals and 1,216 points in 1,363 games over 20 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
The winger from Boston with a colourful personality and fearless mentality chipped in 122 points (53 goals, 69 assists) in 154 playoff contests.
Roenick, who finished with the second-highest goal total among American-born players in NHL history, played at two Olympics, winning silver in 2002.
He hadn't lost hope of one day getting enshrined, but it wasn't top of mind in his 12th year of eligibility.
"After watching some of the guys that went in over the last couple years I'm like, 'What did I do wrong?'" Roenick said. "Didn't hold grudges, but just didn't pay attention to it. That's why it was so gratifying to me, because it was a surprise. Not many surprises left in the world.
"It was a pleasant surprise."
Wendell, 43, represented the United States at two Olympics, winning silver in 2002 and bronze in 2006. The forward from Brooklyn Park, Minn., also captured six medals at the world championships, and was the first American woman to lead her country to gold at the tournament as captain in 2005.
Darwitz, 41, represented the U.S. at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Games, winning two silver medals and a bronze. The forward out of St. Paul, Minn., also represented her country at eight world championships, topping the podium in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
"Bothered my mom and dad enough, and they allowed me to play the great game of hockey," Darwitz said. "It was the first thing on my mind when I woke up, last thing on my mind when I went to bed."
Campbell, 71, has been involved in hockey for more than a half-century as a player, coach and, for the last 25 years, as a senior executive vice-president across various NHL departments.
The Tillsonburg, Ont., native won the Stanley Cup in 1994 as an associate coach with the New York Rangers.
"It's so competitive out there for coaches and players," Campbell said of his role with the league. "They see it one way, the other team sees it another way.
"And we try and see it in the middle — or the right way."
Poile, 74, started as an NHL executive with the Atlanta Flames in 1972. The Toronto product moved with the franchise to Calgary before being named the general manager of the Washington Capitals in 1982. He then joined the expansion Predators in 1997 to become GM, a position he held until 2023.
One of Poile's biggest moves was trading his captain — Weber — to Montreal in June 2016.
"It was hard, but that's what comes with the territory," he said. "I'm very happy to be going into the Hall of Fame with Shea.
"There's some really good symmetry there."
Weber, meanwhile, still thinks about playing.
"A little bit less as the years go on," he said. "It definitely lessens as you go, but I miss it. Miss it a lot."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press