The grand old game that the Hockey Hall of Fame celebrates has had more than its share of goofs and goons, balanced by a few self-proclaimed geniuses.

Just about everyone else that has called the NHL home at one time or another falls somewhere in between, except for a very few who chose to rise above the common fray.

	Mike Gartner was three months shy of winning the Cup when he was traded from the Rangers to the Maple Leafs.

Mike Gartner could never pretend to be a goof, nor would he claim to be a hockey genius, even if he did seem rather professorial about the art of offense.

What always set him apart from the crowd was his constant aura of class, from the way he played the game for 19 years to the way he still carries himself as he gracefully slips behind a microphone or shakes several young hands.

His induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame highlights his longevity (1,432 games), or his scoring touch (708 goals) or useful generosity (627 assists). His work in building up the NHL Players Association may be glossed over, as will the one common theme that has earned Gartner so much respect from so many peers over the years:

"When I played with him, he was a very serious kid," said former NHL goaltender Mike Liut, now a successful players agent. "He spent time to learn the game. That part of his intelligence, his maturity, understanding and dedication to the game has certainly helped his scoring."

It has also defined the person that Gartner has become, a man dedicated to his craft of not only bettering the careers of today's players and improving the quality of life of yesterday's players, but also bringing smiles to the faces of young people across North America.

This former hockey hero and past president of the NHLPA still works as a union leader, with the title of director of business relations. He oversees the players' pension funds and alumni association activities. What is his most important job, though?

"It's my work with our charitable organization, called Golden Dreams," Gartner said. "It was a grass roots effort initially. But through our work with the players and various groups we've put $15 million into the fund."

Gartner speaks to civic groups and roomfuls of children, an atmosphere he's very comfortable in, one not far from where he'd spend his off-ice hours during his long career.

It is an atmosphere that provided a constant reminder of his station in life.

"When you're an older player, you start believing what the writers and other media are saying when they refer to you as a future Hall of Famer," said Gartner. "But you can't appreciate that as much as you would, because you're always trying to prepare for your next game.

"I guess my first thoughts (when he heard about his selection to the Hall) were that it made me feel old. Whenever I thought of a Hall of Famer, I always thought of some old guy already in the Hall of Fame. So now I guess every time I'm introduced at a charity event that's what I'll be referred to as -- Hall of Famer Mike Gartner. I think that's pretty cool."

Cool, yes. Gratifying, certainly. But not ego-altering.

"I would never consider myself a superstar," Gartner said. "But I was in the league for a long period of time and I'd like to think that during that time I always maintained a consistency as a good player. Consistency is something I've always strived for, both in my life and career. So I'm proud of that."

No matter what light he casts his career in, Gartner was one of the first star players bred in the Washington Capitals organization. He spent 10 years in the organization and experienced the growing pains, moments of elation and near-misses in the postseason.

He was a skilled player, crafty afoot, but not lacking toughness (1,159 penalty minutes) or a sense of cunning. What opponents remember most about him, however, is that deadly shot.

"The accuracy is incredible," former goalie Pete Peeters, who played with and against Gartner, once said. "He's made a living at the five-hole. He's so patient, he waits for the opening and then you're dead."

	Mike Gartner strung together an NHL-record 15 seasons with 30 or more goals.

Though overshadowed by people named Gretzky and Lemieux, Gartner was a dominant player in the 1980s. He was traded twice in just over a year at the end of the decade, finally landing with the N.Y. Rangers in 1990.

Gartner didn't know he was fewer than three months from a championship ring when he was traded to Toronto in March of 1994. Two years of tutoring young players in Toronto and Phoenix followed. Through the model of consistency Gartner called a career, he never won a major individual award -- not even the Lady Byng Trophy that seemed to define him.

"As a player, obviously, I would have loved to have been a part of a Stanley Cup team," said Gartner. "But the Rangers traded me right at the deadline that year and it wasn't meant to be. I really would have loved to be a part of that. But my years with the Canada Cup helped make up for it.

"In 1987 I was on the best team in the world in the Canada Cup, and I represented my country eight times in international competitions. I was a man playing a boy's game until the age of 38, and I had a great time doing it."

In his later years, this serious player who managed to have so much fun focused his energies on a higher challenge. Gartner was the head player representative of the NHLPA when it hired Bob Goodenow as its executive director. Shortly thereafter, the labor war that had been brewing for years started in earnest. Owners locked out the players in the fall of 1994, and Gartner had to play the role of spokesman for a league of well-paid athletes trying to explain to fans why they deserved more.

"That was a pretty unique time," said Gartner. "It was a tough time to be the president of the association, but personally, it was a great learning experience. It was easy for me because it was over something I believed in so much. But there was a lot of pressure to go along with it. Both sides took a position and tried to (negotiate) but it just wasn't happening as far as a CBA is concerned. And it ended up dragging along. I don't think anybody envisioned it would take as long as it did to resolve."

Gartner said he will lend his advice if asked when the current CBA expires in 2004. Until those storm clouds approach, Gartner is more than happy to play his role as one of the NHL's most visible and effective ambassadors. And if his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer makes his vocation take on a more serious look ... well, that's pretty cool.

"It's still sinking in," Gartner said. "It's tough to define a career in one moment. In my memory it's more like a compilation of lots of really good games and times."

Rob Parent writes for the Delaware County (Pa.) Times.