Mike Gartner to replace Lanny McDonald as Hockey Hall of Fame chairman

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Published Sep 09, 2024  •  2 minute read

Caroline Ouellette, centre, receives her Hockey Hall of Fame ring from Mike Gartner, left, and Lanny McDonald. The Canadian Press

A big change at the top is coming to the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

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On Monday, the Hall announced chairman of the board Lanny McDonald will be replaced by Mike Garter at the end of McDonald’s 10-year term limit in June of 2025. Effective this Oct.1, Gartner will assume the role of chair-elect, in order to support the transition and serve on the search committee for the recruitment of a new president and CEO.

He has been chair of the Hall’s selection committee for the past three years after he joined that group in 2009.  

Gartner, who turns 65 next month, was Inducted into the Hall in 2001 after 19 seasons in the NHL accumulating 708 goals, 627 assists and 1,335 points. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 greatest NHL players in its 100-year history.  He also served as president of the NHL players association from 1996-98.

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”I am thrilled to pass the torch to Mike, whose stature as an honoured member will bring continuity and strong leadership during this transitional period for the hall,” McDonald said in a release. “His experience and perspective in the business of hockey and longtime service on the selection committee will be a tremendous asset to the Board.” 

In paying tribute to McDonald, Gartner said “I look forward to continuing his excellent work carrying out the hall’s mission of both honouring individuals who have brought special distinction to the game while preserving and telling the story of hockey’s rich history.”

The hall is an immensely popular tourist attraction in Toronto and the annual November induction ceremony is a big deal. But Gartner will continue to encounter the same challenges that McDonald did as fans and media call for more transparency from the 18-member selection committee, whose secret-ballot process has led to both controversial picks and omissions through the years.

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Both Gartner and McDonald played on the Maple Leafs during their career, McDonald later winning a Stanley Cup in Calgary. The 71-year-old McDonald survived a heart attack in February at Calgary’s airport after deplaning from a trip to Toronto for the NHL all-star game.

He was saved by two nurses and a policeman who happened to be in the area when he went into cardiac arrest. They began CPR, during which they had to break McDonald’s sternum.

McDonald would have died had the attack happened a few minutes earlier on the plane. He needed quadruple bypass surgery four days later and had a pacemaker put in. 

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