Dustin Brown, Brian Burke, Katie King Crowley, Jamie Langenbrunner and Brian Murphy will be enshrined into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as the Class of 2023, it was announced today by USA Hockey.

“It's an amazing Class and a group that truly reflects extraordinary,” said Mike Trimboli, president of USA Hockey. “Their accomplishments are varied and far-reaching, and the positive impact they've had on the game -- and will continue to have -- will no doubt benefit generations to come."

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, which will feature the formal enshrinement of the Class of 2023 and also include the presentation of the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy, will be held Wednesday, December 6, 2023, in Boston.

Brian Murphy

Brian Murphy is one of eight officials, and only two Americans, to work more than 2,000 NHL regular-season games. He also had the honor of working nine Stanley Cup Finals and the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.

Still, Friday’s announcement that he will be one of five members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023 put him in an unfamiliar position: in the spotlight.

“I never got into officiating to be recognized,” Murphy said on a media call with the other inductees on Friday. “So today’s kind of outside of my comfort zone.”

The 2023 class also includes NHL veterans Dustin Brown and Jamie Langenbrunner, Olympic gold medalist Katie King Crowley and executive Brian Burke. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Dec. 6 in Boston.

Murphy said his love of hockey started as a kid in Dover, New Hampshire. When he was growing up, there was no local rink, so his parents built a rink in their backyard so Murphy could learn to skate.

KATIE KING CROWLEY

King Crowley fought back tears as she thought of all the people who have helped her throughout her hockey career.

“We all had a group behind us that helped us be as successful as we were,” the Salem, New Hampshire, native said. “Family, coaches that I’ve had, and teammates that made me better every day.”

King Crowley played in three Olympic Winter Games, helping the U.S. win gold at the first women’s hockey tournament in 1998, as well as winning silver in 2002 and bronze in 2006. She scored 14 goals in those three tournaments, which is tied for the most goals by a U.S. player at the Olympics.

The 1998 team still stands out to her to this day.

“What a special group of 20 women for me to be a part of,” King Crowley said. “For all of us to do it together for the first time and win the gold medal for the first time was truly amazing.”

After her playing career, King Crowley eventually became the head coach of the Boston College women’s hockey team. Set to start her 17th season at the helm, King Crowley has led the Eagles to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and six Frozen Fours during her tenure.

BRIAN BURKE

Like the other inductees, Burke said he never expected to be named to the Hall.

“No one ever goes to get up in the morning and goes to school and thinks maybe someday I’ll be in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame,” he said. “That’s just not on the spectrum of dreams.”

It certainly wasn’t something Burke planned on growing up, as he didn’t make his high school varsity team in Edina, Minnesota, until his senior year.

Burke then walked on at Providence College and played 112 games for the Friars.

Once he was done playing, Burke had a long career as an NHL executive, with his shining moment coming in 2007 as the general manager of the Stanley Cup-winning Anaheim Ducks.

Burke was involved in dozens of U.S. international teams throughout his career, including being the general manager for the 2010 Olympic team.

He said picking a captain for a U.S. team usually leads to a lengthy debate between coaches and executives. That wasn’t the case in 2010.

“Ron Wilson [the U.S. head coach in 2010] said, ‘I think we should go with Jaime Langenbrunner,’ and we were all like, ‘Yeah, I’m good with that,’” Burke said. “I wasn’t going to argue with that. I thought the world of this kid.”

Burke is still proud of that team’s accomplishment in Vancouver, but he admitted he’s not over the defeat in the gold-medal game to Canada.

“Still grinds my gears, the referee kicked the puck,” Burke said of the moment right before Sidney Crosby’s golden goal.

JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER

Langenbrunner congratulated his fellow nominees and specifically thanked Burke for not only putting him on the roster for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games but selecting him as the team’s captain.

That came as a surprise to the Cloquet, Minnesota, native.

“To be honest with you, I was shocked I made the team,” Langenbrunner said. “I thought that time had passed me, so getting the call was amazing and to be named captain was a real honor. Probably the single greatest individual honor I received.”

On top of captaining the U.S. to a silver medal in 2010, Langenbrunner played in the NHL for 18 years and hoisted the Stanley Cup twice — with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the New Jersey Devils in 2003.

DUSTIN BROWN

Brown said he was particularly grateful to have the experiences he did while playing for U.S. teams because he spent his entire 18-year NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings.

“It gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of different people I would have otherwise not had a chance to meet considering how my NHL career was with one team,” said Brown, who retired in 2022. “Those are relationships that I still have to this day.”

Brown played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games for the U.S., as well as four IIHF Men’s World Championships and two IIHF World Junior Championships.

During his NHL career, he helped the Kings win the Stanley Cup in 2012 — when he led the league in playoff points — and in 2014. Despite his success in his professional career, he said one hockey accomplishment still stands out — his squirt team winning the New York state championship in 1996.

“I think about that team a lot,” the Ithaca, New York, native said. “Two of my best friends to this day were on that team. … On a day like today I’ve already gotten texts from both of them.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.