Winter Federations Watch -- Two Olympians Inducted into Hockey Hall, New IBU Secretary General

Three Olympic Participants Inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

The International Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) inducted two Olympians and one Olympic official on Monday.

Soviet-era player Igor Larionov and Canadian Glenn Anderson entered the hall largely for their professional careers. Larionov is the only medalist. He took home gold in 1984 and 1988.

"It's a real honor to be joining players like Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Ted Lindsay," Larionov said during his acceptance speech.

In addition to his Olympic career, Larionov played for 14 years in the National Hockey League, and was on three Stanley Cup winning teams.

Anderson played for team Canada three times and lifted Lord Stanley's cup six times. His lone Olympic appearance came at the Lake Placid Games in 1980 when Canada didn’t advance to the medal round.

Also inducted was Ray Scapinello, a linesman for the Nagano Olympics ice hockey tournament. "Scampy" as he was affectionately known, is revered for never missing an assignment during his career. He officiated close to 3000 matches between 1971 and 2004.

…Briefs

...Nicole Resch was named the new Secretary General of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) last weekend. Resch was unanimously approved by the federation's executive board. Resch is the third secretary general in the history of the IBU and replaces Michael Geistlinger. Her tenure begins Dec. 1.

...The women's Olympic ice hockey tournament is set, after Slovakia qualified for the Vancouver Olympics. Slovakia, ranked 17th in the world, was the lowest ranked team to partake in Olympic qualifications and defeated Germany, Kazakhstan and France to seal a spot at the Games. They will face Canada, Sweden and Switzerland in Group A, while Group B features the United States, Finland, Russia and China. Men’s qualifying is ongoing and in pre-qualification tournaments, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Japan advanced to the final Olympic qualification.

...The International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation adopted a new anti-doping education program. "RealWinner," as the program is called, is designed to support athletes in a full range of anti-doping issues. RealWinner is an online educational program for athletes and support personnel, covering the new World Anti Doping (WADA) Code. Developed by Anti-Doping Norway, RealWinner will give elite athletes and their support personnel knowledge concerning obligatory subjects such as doping control procedures and routines, the WADA Prohibited List, whereabouts and therapeutic use exemption.

Written by Ed Hula III.