Murray Costello, Cam Neely and Alexander Kharlamov (Valeri's son), pose for the camera Monday night during their induction ceremony. Hall embraces three more stars The Hockey Hall Of Fame was closed for business Monday due to renovations. But these weren't your typical renovations. Instead of fixing the floor or the walls, Chairman and CEO Bill Hay, Vice-Chairman Jim Gregory, Media Relations director Kelly Masse and the whole crew at the Hall were busy enshrining three more hockey legends. Cam Neely, Valeri Kharlamov and Murray Costello became the newest additions to the Hall of Fame Monday, each in their own way bringing even more magic and mystique to the walls of the hockey Mecca inside BCE Place and 30 Yonge Street in Toronto. All three inductees received their honorary Hall of Fame rings from Gregory and Hay early in the day and the official ceremony took place inside the Great Hall Monday night. "Aside from winning the Cup this has to be the pinnacle for any player or athlete to be honored this way and put in the Hall of Fame," said Neely, the man who epitomized "power forward" during his career with the Boston Bruins. "I never really thought about this as a player and kind of just did my job and went out to play but you do think about it once you retire and you hear people start mentioning your name as a candidate," Neely said when asked if he ever thought induction was a possibility. "But there was really nothing I could do because it was out of my control." As the last induction announcement approached in early June, Neely distracted himself by par taking in a favorite past time of any hockey player, golf. In fact as he told the assembled media at Monday's press conference, he was on a golf course when he got the call from the Hall. "I actually had lined up a golf match for June 8 not realizing what the day was," Neely recalled. "So I was on the 17th hole and about to hit my approach shot. I had my ringer off but I kept looking at the phone and then I saw I had a missed call with a 416 area code and needless to say, I didn't finish the round. But I put birdies on for 17 and 18!" Costello recalled the phone call he got too. "I got a call and they told me I was in, but I didn't believe them at first," he said. "But then when they said get ready, you have to a conference call with Cam Neely in a few hours, I knew it was for real. I just wondered how I had gotten this far but I was honored and thrilled." Alexander Kharlamov who received the honor for his late father, who was inducted posthumously, said that the call he got served as an alarm clock. "In Moscow it was three or four in the morning and I was sleeping," he said with a laugh. "So they said they were calling from Toronto and I didn't know what for but when I found out I was so happy." All three inductees shared the same awe of induction to such a select circle and were happy they were able to do so playing or being involved with the game they love. "To be able to make a living doing what I love and help the game and help others excel at it has been an honor and a pleasure," Costello said. "I just hope I've given and can continue to give to the game of hockey what the game has given to me." Kharlamov said his father would feel the same way. "I think my father right now is happy because he loved this game so much and he loved the way they treat him here in North America and Canada so this would make him happy," the proud son said. Neely said he still struggles with the thought that he is a Hall of Famer now, but its been sinking in quickly the last three days. "I had never been to the Hall of Fame before and I haven't had much time to sneak a peek but what I have seen is amazing and to be a part of this now is just incredible," he said. The Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin has burst onto the NHL scene with 15 goals in 20 games. Crosby, Ovechkin vie for bragging rights  With a free-flowing game that reminds many of the high-flying 1980's and early 90's, many fans have commented that the National Hockey League has turned back the clock. And when you re-wind back to those days, the biggest question of that period was: "Who's better: Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux?" Call it a stroke of luck or kismet, but this new NHL era has its own budding "Who's Better" debate. The only difference is that the names have been replaced by a pair of wunderkinds in Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Pittsburgh Penguins' fans, who are already enjoying one of the greatest shows in professional sports -- the debut season of rookie sensation Crosby -- get to double up on the fun Tuesday night when the Penguins host the Washington Capitals, and Ovechkin, the rookie goal-scoring leader, at 7:30 p.m. ET in Mellon Arena. Tale of the Tape Sidney Crosby Alexander Ovechkin Height: 5-foot-11 Height: 6-foot-2 Weight: 193 pounds Weight: 216 pounds DOB: Aug. 7, 1987 DOB: Sept. 17, 1985 Drafted: 1st overall (Penguins, 2005) Drafted: 1st overall (Capitals, 2004) Games: 21 Games: 20 Goals: 10 Goals: 15 Assists: 15 Assists: 6 Points: 25 Points: 21 PIM: 28 PIM: 16 The pair have joined in a spirited race for the Calder Memorial Trophy that goes to the NHL rookie of the year. Crosby gained a short advantage when he captured the award for the October NHL Rookie of the Month. Crosby leads in overall scoring, but Ovechkin has more goals. Crosby has 10 goals and 15 assists in 21 games, while Ovechkin has 15 goals and six assists in 20 games. Curiously, while Crosby is said to have the better all-around game, including good defensive skills, Ovechkin has him beat so far, racking up a minus-3 record compared to Crosby's minus-6. But both players are about more than statistics. Both are great skaters and fearless, blessed with very hard shots. Crosby, from suburban Halifax, is 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, while Moscow-born Ovechkin is 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds. The two rookies dazzled in games last week on Comcast's OLN, the NHL's new television partner. Ovechkin led the Capitals to an important 5-4 shootout victory over the defending Southeast Division rival and Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The following night, Crosby scored in overtime to give his Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 victory over their Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. In each case, the rookie scored the tying goal in regulation that set up their overtime heroics. Equally as important, those games showcased to a national audience the skill sets that make these two players so extraordinary. The Capitals were trailing, 3-2, with 1:15 remaining when Capitals captain Jeff Halpern's pass sent Ovechkin into the Tampa Bay zone where he was met by two Lightning defenders. Ovechkin went outside Cory Sarich on the left wing. Sarich's pokechecking interfered with Ovechkin's stickhandling, causing him to lose control of the puck. Tampa Bay goalie Sean Burke saw that and positioned himself perfectly, tall against the near post. But the loose puck hit a chip of ice or a crack and came up off the ice just enough for Ovechkin to slip the back of the tip of his blade underneath it and lifted it over Burke's shoulder. A simply amazing goal, given the limited time, the closeness to the net and the defensive pressure. "He lost the puck for a split second. I committed a touch too soon and I tried to recover, but he shot it," Burke said. "I maybe wasn't as patient as I'd like to be on that play, but I didn't think he was going to be able to recover and come back and shoot. There's not a lot of players in the League that will challenge guys 1-on-2 and make a play like that. He has no fear. He goes at everybody and challenges them." The very next night on OLN, the Penguins built a 2-0 lead on Crosby's goal in the third period. Then he scored the winner with 47 seconds left in overtime. The Flyers were really done in by a trio of Penguins' rookies. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury kept the Flyers off the scoreboard for two periods, only the second time this season that happened, and made 47 saves. After Peter Forsberg set up Joni Pitkanen for a pair of goals to tie the game, Crosby took a long pass in overtime from rookie Matt Murley and went in alone on Flyers' rookie goalie Antero Nittymakki, beating him with a quick wrister on the stick side. Early in the game, Crosby had flattened veteran defenseman Derian Hatcher, who was clumsily playing a puck along the boards. Hatcher got the number and returned later to rub out a Crosby right-wing attack, finishing the check with a forearm shiver that sent Crosby to the ice and then the dressing room for stitches. Crosby returned just in time for a Penguins' power-play, during which Hatcher high-sticked him in the mouth, chipping teeth. Sidney Crosby has experienced plenty in his rookie season and has shined in two "Battle of Pennsylvania" games. Crosby took a penalty for beefing to the refs and later a dressing down from coach Ed Olczyk, who emphasized discipline and responsibility. Crosby got the message, staying out the box for the remainder of the game while overshadowing the heroics of established superstar Forsberg. Five nights earlier, Crosby won another game for Pittsburgh by beating Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore on a shootout backhander that appeared to strike the crossbar and ricochet down behind the goal line. The speed of the lifted shot and the ricochet gave strong evidence of the torque Crosby can put on a puck. Ovechkin and Crosby have continued their torrid pace through the first three weeks in November. Crosby has picked up his goal scoring and has scored 10 goals and 15 assists in 21 games, while Ovechkin had 15 goals and six assists for 21 points in 20 games. The Ovechkin-Crosby rookie rivalry wouldn't have occurred were it not for last season's labor strife. Ovechkin, 20, was the first pick overall in the 2004 Entry Draft while Crosby, 18, went first in June's 2005 Entry Draft. Under normal circumstances, Ovechkin would be in his second season. Trailing the NHL's dynamic rookie duo are a pair of much older rookies. The Colorado Avalanche's Marek Svatos, 23, has 10 goals and eight assists. Chicago Blackhawks forward Pavel Vorobiev, 23, has six goals and nine assists. Rookies are making an impact all around the NHL. Calgary's Dion Phaneuf leads NHL rookies with 47 hits and in total ice time and is the third-most active player on the Flames. Crosby's teammate, defenseman Ryan Whitney, leads all rookies in average ice time with 24:42 minutes per game. Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Zybnek Michalek is averaging 20:20 per game. His 16 takeaways beats all rookies. Michalek's teammate, defenseman Keith Ballard, tops all rookies with 35 blocked shots. Philadelphia's Jeff Carter is tied for third among all NHL players in shorthanded points. New York Rangers rookie center Dominic Moore leads the freshman class with 188 faceoffs won, three ahead of Buffalo's Paul Gaustad. Special-teams time is a sure measure of a coach's confidence in a young player. Crosby leads all rookies with 11 power-play points, while Ovechkin is close behind with nine. Phaneuf also has nine power-play points while Vorobiev has eight and Buffalo' Tomas Vanek has seven.