Yzerman leads stellar Hall of Fame class

TORONTO, June 23 (UPI) -- Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman were announced Tuesday as the 2009 inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The foursome will be honored during ceremonies Nov. 9 in Toronto. Also inducted will be New Jersey Devils President Lou Lamoriello in the hall's "builder" category.

Yzerman played his entire 22-year NHL career for Detroit, helping the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships. He retired in sixth place on the all-time NHL points list with 1,755. He was a nine-time all-star and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1998.

Hull, joining his father Bobby Hull in the Hall of Fame, played for five teams over 22 seasons. His 741 goals is third all-time in the NHL and he was selected the Hart Trophy winner in 1991.

Leetch played in 1,205 NHL games over 18 seasons, mostly for the New York Rangers. He won the Norris Trophy twice and helped the Rangers break a 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994. He is the only American-born player to win the Conn Smythe Award (1994).

Robitaille, a 19-year NHL veteran, played for four teams. He was a teammate of Yzerman and Hull on Detroit's 2002 championship team. He piled up 1,394 points (668 goals) and is the leading goal scorer (557) in Los Angeles Kings history.