Former Ducks star Scott Niedermayer elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

Scott Niedermayer’s dazzling resume has another entry: Hall of Famer.

The smooth-skating defenseman was considered a first-ballot lock and it became official Tuesday in Toronto when the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee announced its class of 2013.

Niedermayer, who played for the New Jersey Devils and led the Anaheim Ducks in their Stanley Cup run in 2007, was joined by defenseman Chris Chelios and power forward Brendan Shanahan. In addition, the late Fred Shero was elected as a builder and pioneer Geraldine Heaney went in in the women’s player category.

Niedermayer, 39, is an assistant coach with Anaheim and he is the first Duck to make the Hall of Fame. Adam Oates and Jari Kurri played briefly for the Ducks but are in the Hall primarily for their contributions with other teams.

“It’s unbelievable,” Niedermayer said on the TSN broadcast. “It’s probably going to take awhile to sink in.”

In 17 NHL seasons, Niedermayer won four Stanley Cups (three of them with the Devils), the Norris Trophy (the league’s best defenseman) in 2004 and the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) in 2007. He joined his brother Rob and the Ducks in the 2005-06 season.

Success followed him on the international stage too. Niedermayer won Olympic gold with Canada in 2002 and 2010. He was also a member of the gold-medal winning team for Canada at the World Junior Championships (1991) and the World Championships (2004).

Chelios, 51, was a marvel in terms of ability and longevity. He played until age 48, amassing 1,651 games played, the most by a defenseman. He won three Stanley Cups, one with Montreal in 1996 and two with the Detroit Red Wings, 2002 and 2008.

Shanahan, 44, also has a Detroit pedigree, winning three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings. He started his career with New Jersey and finished it with the Devils. In 2011, he became the league’s chief disciplinarian, heading up the NHL’s department of player safety.

Heaney, 45, was a standout defenseman, winning gold for Team Canada in 2002 and silver in 1998. Shero was regarded an innovator as a coach, having studied international hockey before it became fashionable and was adept at adapting to the skill set of his players.

ALSO:

Tennis star Rafael Nadal meets one of his imitators

Watch Jets Coach Rex Ryan run with the bulls in Spain

Cleveland Browns fan takes parting shot at team in his obituary