Henrik Lundqvist had posters of Mike Vernon and Tom Barrasso on a wall in his bedroom when he was growing up in Sweden hoping to play in the NHL.

Decades later, they are going into the Hockey Hall of Fame together this November as part of a goaltender-heavy class of 2023.

Lundqvist was elected Wednesday in his first year of eligibility and Vernon and Barrasso after lengthy waits to get the call, making nearly half the inductees guys who keep the puck out of the net.

Vernon was so surprised he thought board chairman Lanny McDonald, a teammate when they won the Cup together with Calgary in 1989, was calling to ask him to play golf. The two-time Cup champion who was also playoff MVP when he won it in 1997 with Detroit had been eligible since 2005.

“The game has meant a lot to me throughout my life,” Vernon said. “It is an emotional time for me. Might be a long time coming, but it’s still worth it.”

The wait continues for point-a-game Russian winger Alexander Mogilny and goaltender Curtis Joseph, who is just five victories behind Lundqvist on the NHL career list.

Ouellette got in on her second chance after helping Canada win a gold medal in all four of her Olympic appearances. She had 30 points in 20 games during those tournaments and also was part of six teams that won the IIHF women’s world championship.

Turgeon was selected after being eligible for more than a decade. The 1993 winner of the Lady Byng Trophy as the most gentlemanly player in the league, Turgeon had 1,327 points in 1,294 regular-season NHL games, with nearly of those coming with Buffalo and St. Louis.

“There are a lot of great players that had great careers, so it’s got to be tough for them to decide,” Turgeon said. “It has been a great journey and a privilege to be a part of that journey.”

Hitchcock finally got in 24 years since coaching the Dallas Stars to their first championship in franchise history. He also ranks fourth in regular-season wins among coaches, and yet still the now 71-year-old was shocked to get the call.

“What I’m proudest of is that I survived,” Hitchcock said. “I’m really proud of the fact that when I coached I stayed current. It’s really hard to stay current. I was able to do it.”

Lacroix, the architect of the first two Colorado Avalanche Cup-winning teams in 1996 and 2021, was elected posthumously. He died in December 2020 at the age of 72, and son Eric said Wednesday was bittersweet for the family.

“It’s been a long time coming,” son Marty Lacroix added. “I’m sure my father today in spirit is overwhelmed. I know he wanted this badly, so thank you to everybody.”

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