Not one of the men inducted today did anywhere near as much to grow the sport of hockey as Julie Chu did (and does).

Chu was a fantastic athlete, full stop. She is also an Asian-American lesbian who was so talented and well-respected that she served as captain of the United States National Team. Sit with that for a second.

Canadians and youngsters might not realize what a huge figure she was in her prime. Americans who knew nothing about women's hockey were cheering for her. Americans who knew nothing about hockey at all were cheering for her.

Her impact extended way beyond the rink. She was an Asian-American woman excelling at a contact sport on the world stage, and she was so clearly born for it that people had no choice but to rethink their prejudices.

No disrespect whatsoever to Botterill but imo Chu's exclusion is the bigger snub, because Chu's legacy is far more than just her (very impressive) stats. She helped shape US women's hockey into something we could be proud of on and off the ice. /fin