Is Tampa Bay a Hall of Fame haven? When Dave Andreychuk was selected to the NHL Hall of Fame, it marked the fourth time in the past five years Tampa Bay was represented in a professional hall of fame. What does the latest hall call mean for the Bay Area?
Andreychuk joins a distinguished list of area athletes to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
Since 2005, five Tampa Bay associated players or coaches entered a Hall of Fame. Wade Boggs, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy and now Andreychuk. The Lightning Stanley Cup captain received nearly 500 congratulatory text messages and one special phone call.
“Got a great call from Derrick Brooks, which was really cool,'' Andreychuk said, "kind of relating the whole Hall of Fame thing together.”
There’s an appeal for so many professional athletes who make their way to Tampa Bay in their respective sports to make it a permanent home.
“We know that this community and what it means to me and my family and for us to stay here," Andreychuk said. "And that’s the exact same with everyone else. After getting here and only being here for a short time in Tampa, I was not going to leave.”
Is Tampa Bay a Hall of Fame hotbed?
“I’m hoping so, I’m hoping so," he said. "I’m hoping it will continue.”
Other big cities might argue more. But there could be some Hall of Famers added in the future to bulk up the list.