Joe Thornton, Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith led the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class inducted on Monday. The group includes players Alexander Mogilny, Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker, along with builders Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau.
The Hockey Hall of Fame welcomed its class of 2025 on Monday, honoring a distinguished group of players and builders for their contributions to the sport.
Joe Thornton, known as 'Jumbo Joe,' was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Draft. His career peaked after a trade to the San Jose Sharks, where he spent 14 seasons, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP and scoring title in 2005-06. Thornton led the NHL in assists for three straight seasons, a feat achieved by only two other players. He amassed 1,539 points in 1,714 regular-season games across 24 NHL seasons with the Bruins, Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. 'As long as I can remember, my year consisted of going from road hockey right to the backyard rink,' Thornton said in an emotional speech. 'There was only one season for me — it was hockey season.'
Zdeno Chara, the six-foot-nine defenseman from Slovakia, captained the Boston Bruins for 14 seasons from 2006 to 2020, leading them to the 2011 Stanley Cup and two other finals. He won the Norris Trophy in 2009 and represented Europe as the second European captain to win the Cup. 'Growing up in small town in Slovakia — Trencin — you don't dream about nights like this,' Chara said.
Duncan Keith, a Winnipeg native, won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015, earning two Norris Trophies and the 2015 Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. He also secured Olympic gold for Canada in 2010 and 2014. 'You can't chase a dream alone,' Keith remarked.
Jennifer Botterill won three Olympic golds and a silver for Canada, plus MVP at the 2001 world championships. Brianna Decker claimed Olympic gold in 2018 and six world titles for the U.S. Alexander Mogilny, who defected from the Soviet Union in 1989, set records with 76 goals and 127 points for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93 and won the Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.
Builders included Danièle Sauvageau, the first woman enshrined, who coached Canada to Olympic gold in 2002, and Jack Parker, who led Boston University to three NCAA titles.