Andy Not Sure What To Say In HOF Speech
05/11/2008 05:10
The big day is approaching at a gallop, but Glenn Anderson still isn't sure what he'll say when it arrives.
The 48-year-old former scoring star of the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty team from the 1980s will finally be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto, long after old teammates Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr were asked in.
If the Vancouver native is bitter about waiting so long, it hardly showed in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.
''I've had a little time to think about it, more than the average person, so I'm savouring the moment,'' said Anderson. ''Ever since I got the call June 17, it's something I'd like to soak in and remember forever.''
Anderson will be inducted along with Igor Larionov, former official Ray Scapinello and builder Ed Chynoweth.
He and Larionov will have large contingents of friends and family in attendance.
And there will be speeches. Anderson joked as he spoke that his six-year-old daughter Autumn was helping to write his, but really, he hasn't worked that part out yet. And he's not sure if he'll laugh or cry when he is officially in.
''As you get closer to the day, you reflect on the history of how it transpired,'' he said. ''How did I get where I am? Where did I come from? Where I am and where I'm going - these are the questions you ask yourself.
''The more I think about it, the more things pop up. The memories come back in a flood. That's why I don't know how it's going to be that night. I don't know how emotional I'll be or how I'll react because I've never been in this situation before.''
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
This is one honor that is very long overdue, folks. Andy certainly does march to his own drummer and, because he isn’t a conformist, was shunned by hockey’s “power brokers,” who hold the keys to the Hall Of Fame, for many years.