Bourque, Coffey, Murphy elected to Hall of Fame

Ray Bourque and fellow high-scoring defensemen Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday in their first year of eligibility.

Former Calgary and Toronto general manager Cliff Fletcher was chosen for induction in the builders’ category by the 18-member selection committee.

Bourque holds career records for defensemen in goals (410), assists (1,169) and points (1,579). The eighth overall pick in the 1979 draft, he won the Calder trophy as the league’s top rookie. Bourque won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman five times.

Late in his 21st season with the Bruins, he was traded to Colorado where he won his first Stanley Cup the next season, 2000-2001. Then he retired.

Coffey, the best rushing defenseman since Bobby Orr, is second to Bourque in goals (396), assists (1,135) and points (1,531) by a defenseman.

“When I got the call, I was a little emotional and taken back,” Coffey said.

The sixth overall pick in the 1980 draft by Edmonton, Coffey won the Norris Trophy three times. He was a key player on three championship teams in Edmonton and one in Pittsburgh.

He holds the NHL record for most goals in a season by a defenseman with 48, surpassing Orr’s record in 1985-86.

Murphy is second all-time in games played by a defenseman (1,615) and fifth all-time in points (1,216). He also won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins and two more with the Detroit Red Wings.

Fletcher helped build the Calgary team that won the Stanley Cup in 1989 and turned the Maple Leafs into contenders in the early 1990s.

Lightning fans celebrate

Office workers in button-down shirts and ties rubbed elbows with teenagers wearing championship jerseys as thousands of fans lined downtown streets in Tampa, Fla., at lunchtime, celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory.

Lightning players, coaches and staff paraded through city streets in a motorcade, joined by city and county officials.

Tampa police Capt. Bob Guidara said there were an estimated 20,000 along the parade route.

Masterton finalists announced

Forward Dave Andreychuk, who captained the Tampa Bay Lightning to their first Stanley Cup championship, was selected as one of three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Defensemen Bryan Berard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Sheldon Souray of Montreal Canadiens are the other finalists.

The Masterton is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. It’s named for Bill Masterton, who died after being injured on the ice while playing for the Minnesota North Stars.