(Zurich) Canadian men’s team veteran Ryan Smyth and women’s hockey architect Melody Davidson are among eight inductees into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in 2024.
Smyth captained Canada in five of its eight World Championships and also competed in two Olympic Games.
The forward from Banff, Alberta, was a member of the men’s team that won the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Smyth also played 1,270 games in the NHL during a 20-year career.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE IIHF FACEBOOK PAGE
Melody Davidson
Davidson, originally from Oyen, Alberta, will enter the Temple as a builder. She led the Canadian women’s team to back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games in Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010. She was general manager of the teams that won gold at the Sochi Games, in 2014, and silver at the PyeongChang Games in 2018.
She became a mentor to FIHG international coaches in 2011 and has served on the women’s hockey committee since 2010.
Smyth and Davidson join players Jaromir Jagr, Igor Liba and Jaroslav Pouzar (Czechia), Natalie Darwitz (USA), Kenny Johnsson (Sweden) and Petteri Nummelin (Finland) among the 2024 inductees who have been announced by the FIHG, Monday.
The FIHG has inducted 224 members into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1997.