Ed Belfour and three others are elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame again snubbed the late Pat Burns and coaching innovator Fred Shero in selecting four players for induction in November.

Goaltender Ed Belfour, third in career victories with 484 and twice a winner of the Vezina trophy as the NHL’s top goalie, was elected in his first year of eligibility and said he was “just flabbergasted.” He began his career with the Blackhawks and called his trade from Chicago to San Jose after a contract dispute “the worst day of my career,” yet went on to win the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999.

He shared Tuesday’s honor with Cup teammate Joe Nieuwendyk, who had 1,126 points in 1,257 games with five teams and also won a Cup in 2003 with New Jersey, which was coached by Burns; Doug Gilmour, who had 1,414 points in 1,474 games over 20 seasons, and defenseman Mark Howe, who was 16 when he helped the U.S. Olympic team win a silver medal at the 1972 Winter Games and later played alongside his Hall of Fame father, Gordie, in the World Hockey Assn. and NHL.

The 18-man committee didn’t choose a builder — coach or executive — for the first time since 1981. Public sentiment for Burns, who had a distinguished career with Montreal, Toronto and New Jersey before his death in November, and a swell of support for Shero didn’t sway voters.

“We are not at liberty to discuss the process or who was or was not involved,” said Bill Hay, the Hall’s chairman.

Gilmour and Nieuwendyk said they’d welcome Burns’ election.

“We’d love to see him in there and we know he will be one day,” said Gilmour, who retired after the 2002-03 season.

Said Nieuwendyk: “For me, he’s a Hall of Famer in my mind.”

Mark Howe, a heady defenseman with great instincts, spent six seasons in the WHA and 16 in the NHL. He retired in 1995 and scouts for the Detroit Red Wings. He said his father was ecstatic and that he teared up when he told his children.

“It does mean everything to me,” Howe said.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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