Brett Hull, who decided to play for the United States at the 1986 world championships because his native Canada didn't invite him, heads the 2008 class for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hull, whose 741 goals are third best in NHL history, is joined by former NHL stars Brian Leetch and Mike Richter and pioneering women's player Cammi Granato. Granato will be the first female among the Hall's 138 member.

The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Eveleth, Minn. The Hall of Fame induction will be in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 10.

Hull was known as the underachieving son of superstar Bobby Hull when he started at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1984. The stocky winger quickly turned around his image with two dominant seasons for the Bulldogs, scoring 52 goals as a sophomore -- a total not reached in college hockey since. Despite being born in Belleville, Ontario, the dual citizen played for Team USA at the 1986 world championships because he was invited, and spent the rest of his career playing for U.S. national teams, including the Olympic silver medalists in 2002. Hull was the NHL's MVP in 1990-91 with St. Louis after scoring 86 goals, was a nine-time All-Star, and won Stanley Cups with both Dallas and Detroit. He is now co-general manager in Dallas.

Leetch, from Cheshire, Conn., was a standout youth hockey player, playing on three U.S. junior teams. After one season at Boston College, he played 18 NHL seasons, winning two Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1994 as the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, was the NHL rookie of the year, in 1986, and finished his career with 1,028 points. Leetch, whose number has been retired by the Rangers, played on three U.S. Olympic teams.

Richter, from Flourtown, Pa., was also on the Rangers' Stanley Cup championship team in 1994. He played 14 NHL seasons after a college career at Wisconsin and finished with a Rangers goalie record of 301 victories. Richter played on three Olympic teams and three world championship tournament teams.

Granato was a 15-year member of the U.S. national women's team and is their all-time scoring leader (186 goals, 157 assists in 205 games). The native of Downers Grove, Ill., played in nine world championships and two Olympics, captaining the U.S. to the gold medal in 1998. Granato, married to former NHL standout Ray Ferraro, is the first woman in the U.S. Hall.