Newark, NJ

New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello has been elected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, together with scorers Mike Modano and Ed Olczyk.

"It's an honor, especially going in with these two players I had. Eddie Olczyk I had in a sports festival when he was 16. I was a young coach then. And Mike Modano was on the 1996 World Cup team. That was a great series for American hockey," said Lamoriello.

Lamoriello, the longest tenured general manager for a single franchise, has already been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in 2009. Working for the Devils since 1987, he is currently the president, general manager and CEO of the team.

The date and location of the induction ceremony will be announced later. The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, founded in 1973, has 153 enshrined members to date. The Hall of Fame Museum is located in Eveleth, Minnesota.

"What a remarkable class," said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. "The positive impact this group has had on our sport is one that will be felt for decades to come."

Under Lamoriello's guidance, the Devils have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL with five appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, with victories in 1995, 2000 and 2003.

Lamoriello led the Devils to their first winning season and to the Wales Conference finals during his first campaign and the team has advanced to the NHL playoffs in 21 of the last 23 seasons.

But Lamoriello was hit with two failures in the recent weeks. After the Devils lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup finals, he failed to re-sign free agent and former Devils captain Zach Parise, who eventually joined the Minnesota Wild.

Previously, Lamoriello coached the Providence College men's ice hockey team from 1968 until he resigned in 1983 to focus on his duties as athletic director of the college.

He also served as general manager of gold-medal winning Team USA at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and was instrumental in the U.S. entry to the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.

With 21 NHL seasons to his credit, Modano is the league's all-time goal-scoring and points leader among American-born players with 561 goals and 1,374 points. He also holds records for the most NHL playoff points (145) by an American-born player and games played (1,499) by an American-born forward.

Additionally, Modano holds the Dallas Stars franchise records for most games played (1,459), goals (557), assists (802) and points (1,359). Drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 NHL entry draft, Modano went on to win the 1999 Stanley Cup with the Stars.

Olczyk was the third overall pick of the 1984 NHL entry draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and finished a 16-year professional career with 342 goals and 452 assists for 794 points in 1,031 games.

A member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers, Olczyk's career was split between six teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leaf, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins.

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