Mike Gartner and Lanny McDonald make calls to members of the Class of 2023 from the Hockey Hall of Fame Founders Hall.

McDonald, a member of the Class of 1992, was named Hall president in March 2015, voted by the board of directors to succeed the late Pat Quinn with a 10-year term that officially began July 1.

With the end of his tenure on the horizon, McDonald couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than Gartner. With Jeff Denomee, president and CEO of the Hall, he called Gartner in mid-summer to make the proposal.

“I said how honored I was that they thought of me to take the job and I would seriously consider it,” said Gartner, whose 708 NHL goals during a 19-season career from 1979 to 1998 rank eighth in the rankings. general. time. “I had a lot of questions, most of them about the time commitment needed.”

(He also had 627 assists with his five NHL teams, totaling 43 goals and 50 assists in 122 Stanley Cup playoff games.)

There’s a lot to balance: Gartner and his wife, Colleen, parents of three children and grandparents of five, their business interests are also part of the equation.