Alexander Mogilny makes his first public appearance in years for Hall of Fame induction

Last night the Hockey Hall of Fame finally did what it should have done years ago when it inducted Russian superstar Alexander Mogilny into the Hall.

Mogilny has been retired from professional hockey for two decades and is only now getting the recognition that he deserves. Credited as the first Russian-born player to defect from the Soviet-ran nation to the NHL, Mogilny opened the door to an entire generation of Russian players. If it weren't for Mogilny's precedent setting defection, we likely would have never seen other Russian superstars like Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov and Alexei Kovalev in the NHL.

Mogilny's on-ice accomplishments are nothing to sneeze at either. He's the 4th highest scoring Russian in NHL history, behind only Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Fedorov. He managed an incredible 473 goals and 1032 points in 990 games and won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

He was an electrifying talent on the ice and a pioneer off the ice.

Check out his Hall of Fame acceptance speech below: