Who is Lanny McDonald? Hockey legend retires as Hall of Fame chairman after a decade of behind-the-scenes brilliance
Lanny McDonald may be best remembered for his fiery red mustache and clutch goals, but his legacy stretches far beyond his days on the ice. After 10 years serving as Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame's Board, McDonald has officially retired from his leadership post—leaving behind a lasting impact that reshaped how hockey history is honored.
From iconic winger to iconic leader: Lanny McDonald's transition off the ice
Best known for lifting the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, Lanny McDonald didn't hang up his influence when he retired as a player. In 2015, he took over as Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and quietly but powerfully led the organization through milestones like the
NHL
's centennial, the 125th anniversary of the Stanley Cup, and even the unpredictable challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 50 new Hall of Famers were inducted under his watch.
— HockeyHallFame (@HockeyHallFame)
His leadership style? Thoughtful, human, and humble. From overseeing monumental events to making sure Selection Committee members had comfortable chairs, McDonald proved that even the smallest decisions could reflect deep respect for the game. As the Hall itself said in tribute:
'Ten years. Countless moments. One unforgettable leader. Today, we celebrate Lanny McDonald… Lanny's legacy goes far beyond the ice—his passion, humour, and devotion to the game have shaped the Hall and inspired hockey fans around the world.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
올 여름, 아이들의 터닝포인트를 2만원으로 선물하세요
굿네이버스
더 알아보기
Undo
A survivor, a gentleman, and a man of unmatched heart
McDonald's off-ice legacy also includes countless acts of character and resilience. In 2024, he suffered a cardiac arrest at the Calgary airport shortly after the NHL All-Star Game. Surviving thanks to quick medical action, he went on to undergo quadruple bypass surgery—and returned to work like nothing happened.
That kind of grit defined him. He was the NHL's first-ever King Clancy Trophy winner for leadership and humanitarian work and was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the WHL. As one fan simply put it: 'A truly decent person. Congrats Lanny.'
Also Read:
'People felt betrayed': Wayne Gretzky's ties with Donald Trump resurface and spark heated debate in Canada
In a sport that often glorifies toughness, Lanny McDonald showed that true greatness lies in integrity. And yes, the mustache still stands as strong as his legacy.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Alex Delvecchio, Detroit Red Wings legend and 3-time Stanley Cup champion, dies at 93
The hockey community is in mourning following the passing of Detroit Red Wings legend Alex Delvecchio. A cornerstone of the franchise for over two decades, Delvecchio died peacefully on July 1, 2025, at the age of 93. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His legacy as a loyal, gifted center and respected teammate leaves a lasting impact on the and beyond. Remembering Alex Delvecchio: The heart of Detroit Red Wings for 25 Seasons Alex Delvecchio's name is etched into NHL history as one of the most consistent and dedicated players to ever skate in the league. Playing his entire 25-season career with the Detroit Red Wings, Delvecchio appeared in 1,550 regular-season games, scoring 456 goals and adding 825 assists. Including playoffs, his total rises to 1,670 games, making him one of the few players to reach that milestone with a single team. A three-time Stanley Cup champion (1952, 1954, 1955), Delvecchio was a key figure on the famed 'Production Line' alongside Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. His smart playmaking, elegant skating, and quiet leadership helped define an era of dominance for Detroit. Off the ice, he was admired for his humility and character—traits often cited by teammates, fans, and league officials alike. In a heartfelt statement, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman described him as 'an elegant skater, deft playmaker, and beloved teammate.' Meanwhile, Delvecchio's family remembered him not just as a hockey legend but as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The Detroit Red Wings organization confirmed his death in an official statement, saying he passed away surrounded by family. As tributes continue to flood social media, fans are remembering Delvecchio not only for his NHL accomplishments but also for the grace with which he represented the sport. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Also Read: Alex Delvecchio's legacy stands as a benchmark of excellence and loyalty in professional hockey. His career was a rare combination of skill, class, and longevity—a true one-team legend who left the game better than he found it. As the hockey world says goodbye, his memory continues to inspire generations of players and fans.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Business Standard
Wimbledon 2025: Gauff, Zverev among record 23 seeds out in 1st round
Two other major finalists, No. 5 Zheng Qinwen and No. 15 Karolina Muchova, were eliminated, as were No. 26 Marta Kostyuk and No. 25 Magdalena Frech AP London There was three-time Grand Slam finalist and No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, outplayed over five sets in a first-round loss at Wimbledon to 72nd-ranked Arthur Rinderknech, who entered with a 1-4 career record at the All England Club and zero trips past the third round in 18 appearances at majors. There was No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti, a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year and at the French Open last month, sent home Tuesday by Nikoloz Basilashvili, a qualifier ranked 126th who only once has made it as far as the fourth round in his 31 previous Grand Slam tournaments. And, most striking of all, as night arrived, there was No. 2 Coco Gauff going from the champion at Roland-Garros to a quick exit at Wimbledon, beaten 7-6 (3), 6-1 by Dayana Yastremska. And on and on went the upsets on Day 2 at the grass-court major, meaning 23 seeds 13 men, 10 women failed to get to the second round, equaling the highest total at any Grand Slam tournament since they began assigning 32 seeds in each singles bracket in 2001. No. 3 Jessica Pegula also was among those leaving. The American was the runner-up at last year's U.S. Open and was coming off a grass-court title in Germany over the weekend, defeating Iga Swiatek in the final, yet didn't pose much of a challenge to 116th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto in a 6-2, 6-3 loss that lasted less than an hour. Two other major finalists, No. 5 Zheng Qinwen and No. 15 Karolina Muchova, were eliminated Tuesday, as were No. 26 Marta Kostyuk and No. 25 Magdalena Frech, whose opponent, 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, lost in qualifying last week and only got into the field when another player, Anastasia Potapova, withdrew with an injured hip. Nothing was quite as out-of-nowhere, though, as Rinderknech's success. At least Yastremska has been a major semifinalist, at last year's Australian Open. What a moment. Such emotions, Rinderknech, a 29-year-old from France, said after completing his 7-6 (3), 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory across 4 hours, 40 minutes against Zverev in a match suspended Monday night at a set apiece. I don't even know where to start. He ended things with a backhand winner, then dropped to his stomach, face down, on Centre Court. Zverev joined Musetti who hadn't played since a leg injury forced him to stop at Roland-Garros and was a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 loser against Basilashvili as top-10 losers on Tuesday, a day after No. 8 Holger Rune and No. 9 Daniil Medvedev departed. Other seeded men exiting on Day 2 included No. 18 Ugo Humbert, No. 27 Denis Shapovalov, No. 28 Alexander Bublik and No. 30 Alex Michelsen. Rinderknech pulled off his win thanks to some terrific serving, delivering 25 aces and saving all nine break points he faced. He converted three break chances against Zverev and won the point on 44 of his 55 trips to the net. It's my first top-five win, in the biggest stadium in the world, Rinderknech said. My legs are still shaking. I'm just so happy the match is finished. What else happened at Wimbledon on Tuesday? Two-time champion Petra Kvitova played her final match at the All England Club, bowing out 6-3, 6-1 against No. 10 Emma Navarro. This place holds the best memories I could wish for, said the 35-year-old Kvitova, who will retire after the U.S. Open. I never dreamed of winning a Wimbledon and I won it twice." Defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova and men's No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz both needed comebacks to win, No. 1 Jannik Sinner was never troubled in a straight-set victory, and 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic dealt with a stomach issue during his 6-1, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2 win against Alexandre Muller at night. Who is scheduled to play at the All England Club on Wednesday? No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka starts the Centre Court program against Marie Bouzkova at 1:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET), followed by two-time defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz against 733rd-ranked University of San Diego player Oliver Tarvet of Britain, and then 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova vs. 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Content Is King,' and Paul Is a Divisive Fight Promoter
Love him or loathe him, Jake Paul , who first entered the public eye by posting videos of pranks on social media , has become the biggest draw in American boxing. Saturday night's pay-per-view bout on DAZN, in which Paul beat another long-past-his-prime world champion, Julio César Chávez Jr., in Anaheim, California, via unanimous decision, was his eighth headline fight since 2021. Paul has reportedly earned more than $60 million from the ring in his career. What it says about the state of the sport is not so clear. 'I think Jake Paul is brilliant as a marketer and an influencer,' said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank Boxing. 'And I think he's done an incredible job. But I don't really believe it has anything to do with boxing.' The numbers don't lie, though. An estimated 108 million viewers caught at least a glimpse of Paul dancing around 58-year-old Mike Tyson live on Netflix last year in a bout that arrived with maximum hype but quickly devolved into an unsatisfying spectacle. Many observers decried the event's very existence. But it did little to dim Paul's drawing power. 'I've embraced the hate and done things consistently to push people's buttons, to build that hate even more,' Paul said in a recent interview. It's an old-school formula he has leaned into with new-school annoyance, and he is well aware that people will tune in hoping to see him be knocked out. 'In this sport, monetizing that hate can be very lucrative,' he said. 'You look at all the big people — they were all villains, from Floyd to Mike Tyson to Muhammad Ali . People forget Muhammad Ali was one of the most hated figures in the world. I see myself as a similar story.' That Paul would be brazen enough to mention himself in the same breath as Ali, Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr., three of the best fighters in boxing history, is the type of antic that drives many people to root against him. Ali, after all, came to prominence during the civil rights era, when his unapologetic confidence upended the expectation that Black athletes would be quiet and humble. He unleashed some of the most poetic trash talk the sports world has heard, but his anti-war stance cost him championship belts and years of his prime. Paul faces nothing like that kind of pressure. His public career began with prank skits on Vine. He later skirted COVID-19 restrictions in California by throwing large parties and was sued by his neighbors for being a public nuisance. His resume includes beating a retired NBA player and former mixed martial arts fighters years past their prime. It does not take a trained eye to know that Paul's talk of eventual world titles is all talk; the imperfection in his 12-1 professional record was a loss to Tommy Fury, a journeyman who became a reality dating show contestant. And yet Paul, 28, believes he would be heralded as the next great American prospect if he weren't a YouTuber with Disney Channel roots. The sport's purists would scoff at that. Boxing's 'Check engine' light may glow brighter with each of his ring walks, but he is undeniably a magnet for attention. 'I don't know why he set his sights on boxing,' said Mark Kriegel, who wrote Tyson's biography. 'But it was a pretty smart calculation.' Paul has become the rare promoter who straps on gloves and turns himself into the product. 'I think he might be one of three people in my lifetime who understand the media better than the media understands itself,' Kriegel said. 'The other two being Al Sharpton and Donald Trump . He just has an intuitive sense of what people want.' The greatest promoters have always built hype, provoked engagement and told stories. But in a crowded media space in which sports are competing with TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, HBO and Hulu for attention, the modern-day promoter needs a breakthrough. Enter boxing, a sport in desperate need of an American disrupter. 'Content is king,' Paul said. 'And I think that's where I come into the picture — telling the stories, using my platform, promoting these events and promoting other fighters.' Top Rank's duBoef sees it. He calls Paul wonderful for the industry, but he draws a hard line between Paul's spectacle and the sport itself. When duBoef considers the health of boxing, he views it through a global prism. He starts in Japan, where there is a renaissance behind the pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue. In England, he points to Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on July 19. In North America, he cites Canelo Álvarez and David Benavidez, who draw massive crowds. The biggest fight in the sport in 2025 is likely to be Álvarez facing Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. For duBoef, Paul's fights live in a different bucket: an entertainment adjacent to boxing, in the same way that the PGA Tour should not be concerned about Aaron Rodgers battling Tom Brady in the match. Paul would have been just as successful playing 3-on-3 basketball, chess, tennis or pickleball, duBoef believes. In a moment of humble levity, Paul echoed duBoef, to a point. 'I think there are better boxers,' Paul said, acknowledging the Benavidezes and Inoues of the world. 'But outside the ring, I'm one of the most important in boxing. Just because of the new eyeballs running to the sport.' The eyeballs Paul is drawing into boxing are not just for him. He is helping others make names, too, cultivating an ecosystem of potential future stars within his Most Valuable Promotions brand, in the same vein as Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. The rematch between Amanda Serrano of MVP and Katie Taylor thrived so mightily on the Paul-Tyson undercard in November that the women will complete their trilogy at Madison Square Garden in New York on July 11 on their own Netflix card. 'It's too easy to dismiss him as just a provocateur,' Kriegel said. 'Promoters promote. There are too many promoters in this sport who just hang out a shingle and let someone with money pay for their promotion. You wouldn't have seen Serrano-Taylor 2 reach that audience if it weren't for that card.' Whether that is inspiring, infuriating, repulsive or innovative, Paul's persisting existence in boxing is certainly not neutral. For those who believe boxing should be about skill, belts, rankings and legacies, Paul is a warning sign. For those who prize entertainment, reach and pop-culture relevance, Paul is the adrenaline shot that the sport needs. Either way, feeling anything is infinitely more valuable than apathy. 'That Gen Z category all got aware of the sport,' duBoef said. Yes, Paul had another boxing match Saturday night. People didn't tune in for world-class footwork or heady feints. But don't think ignoring it would have made it go away. A man many boxing purists despise just might be essential to the sport's health. 'It seems to me like there's this elaborate dance,' Kriegel said. 'And most of the time, he gets what he wants.'
