‘Why not you?’: HHoF class grateful for those who inspired their journey

TORONTO — The last time Joe Thornton was in the Hockey Hall of Fame, he celebrated the wedding of the parents of then-Sharks teammate Brent Burns.

“Let me tell you, we rocked so hard that night that I didn’t think I’d be invited back,” Thornton said from the Hall podium Monday night in front of a crowd of family, friends, peers and fellow hockey royalty.

“But here I am,” he continued. “And this time I will stay forever.”

And he arrived for the first vote, no less. Having his Hall of Fame plaque presented on stage by the legendary Lanny MacDonald (his iconic mustache paired with his beloved beard) made the moment even more meaningful, with Thornton calling his induction into the hall “the honor of a lifetime.”

The newly minted inductee, never shy about telling a story and known for his great one-liners, was greeted with cheers and applause from those in attendance as he began his speech, all smiles and tears in his eyes. He was like this all evening.

As events began earlier Monday evening, the camera often panned to Thornton, who soaked up every word his fellow inductees uttered from his front-row seat, brimming with pride and often wiping his eyes. Now on the podium, that fabric played a prominent role as he strolled down memory lane, sharing happy stories about his life in hockey and expressing heartfelt gratitude as if he were back on the ice, dishing out assists as one of the NHL's all-time great playmakers.

Listening to him talk about his career, from the first overall pick in Boston to an instant icon in San Jose and then influential veterans in Toronto and Florida to cap off his storied career was the perfect end to a night filled with gratitude – not only from the eight legends being honored, but also from For them too.

Kudos to Zdeno Chara, who, like Jumbo Joe, was a formidable force every time he stepped on the ice, not only for his dominant defense but also for his leadership; for Duncan Keith, without whose smooth skating and endurance there would be no Chicago Blackhawks dynasty; For Alex Mogilny, as experienced and as exciting as any other player, his long-awaited call from the Hall finally came this year.

Gratitude was an overwhelming emotion coming from the stands as Team Canada legend (and Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster) Jennifer Botterill was honored. The fact that the three-time Olympic gold medalist was immortalized that same year along with two other legendary hockey players in American star Brianna Decker and longtime coach, manager and now general manager of the PWHL Montreal Victoire team Danielle Sauvageau was a great way to demonstrate just how worthy the women's game is. (Watching famous women's players from Team Canada past and present fill the auditorium was also inspiring, to say the least.)

Joining Sauvageau in the construction category Monday night was Jack Parker, the face of the Boston University hockey program for four decades, who despite his extensive resume humbly joked, “I'm sitting here with you guys wondering what I'm doing here!”

In true hockey fashion, all eight members of this truly stellar class spoke at length about the impact of their teammates, starting from day one of their careers.

Chara remembers his first day in the NHL well, and from the stage Monday night he shared the one-liner that forward (and fellow Slovakian) Ziggy Palffy shouted when Chara walked into the Islanders' locker room for the first time as a lanky rookie in 1997:

“Who let this basketball player in?” Palfi joked. The quip drew a good laugh from Chara and his Islanders peers at the time as everyone embraced their new and tallest teammate, and nearly 30 years later, it also drew a good laugh from those in attendance at the Hall of Fame.

Chara's presence on the podium was as impressive as his presence on the ice throughout his NHL career, which spanned more than two decades. His tall physique, seen as a setback as a child growing up playing in Slovakia, was seen as a huge asset with a far-reaching impact – quite literally – that made the six-foot-nine defender immobile when he was in front of his own goal and unstoppable when he was barreling towards his opponent's goal.

Among the many accolades from teammates in New York and Ottawa, Boston and Washington, Chara made sure to recognize someone special.

“I want to highlight one player: I want to thank Patrice Bergeron,” he said, his confident speech never faltering despite the obvious emotion with which he spoke. “One of the greatest leaders and people I have ever met and played with. My longest serving teammate, my co-captain. Bergie, I could always count on you. You showed me and helped me become a better leader and player, but more importantly, a better person.”

Keith's greeting to his teammates in Chicago was a little more light-hearted in tone, though nonetheless filled with meaning and gratitude as he emphasized the importance of a reliable defensive partner.

“People often ask me what my favorite moment of playing in the NHL was,” Keith said during his speech. “The Cup wins are definitely the highlights, but the opportunity to play alongside Brent Seabrook and become the first defensive pairing in the NHL to play 1,000 games together as teammates is there too.

“I'm not sure we would have made such a difference if Brent hadn't honked outside my house and called my phone and made sure I was up and ready to catch my plane,” Keith said as the camera panned to a smiling Seabrook in the crowd, with teammate Patrick Sharp also capturing it all. “But that’s the type of teammate Brent is, and I was lucky enough to skate next to him.”

The man known for recording marathon minutes of every Blackhawks Stanley Cup run also gave everyone the lowdown on the elite regimen that led to so much success.

“My favorite moments were probably after games, on the road, just sitting in Sibs' room or Sharpie's room. We'd order chicken fingers, French fries, Diet Coke and talk about hockey until two or three o'clock in the morning, sometimes later,” he said, then added with a laugh: “I said I liked working out – I didn't say I was on a diet or I needed a lot of sleep.”

When Botterill was called to the stage, she was greeted by a fellow women's hockey player in Jayna Hefford, a former Team Canada teammate and executive vice president of hockey operations for the PWHL, who presented the four-time Olympian with her plaque. It should be noted that Botterill is a trailblazer not only for women's soccer, but for younger siblings around the world who dare to go against the road hockey tradition that requires the youngest in the family to play in net. (Where would one of the game's top scorers be if she had to wear goalie pads as a child? Luckily, we don't have to find out.)

In front of her three daughters, Botterill also shared a story about a lunchtime conversation she had with her father when she was 15 about whether she could ever play on the national team, to which he simply responded, “Why not?”

That question, she said emphatically, drove her entire subsequent career.

It was fitting that Botterill sat next to Decker the night both women were buried. While Botterill and Decker were never matched in hockey's best competition, both are examples of how much the women's game has grown and where it's heading, thanks in no small part to their contributions, as well as Sauvageau's contributions from the bench on the game's biggest stage.

And it's fitting that now, for Botterill, Decker and Sauvageau, for Parker, Mogilny, Keith, Chara and Jumbo Joe, after an evening of tears of gratitude and endless gratitude to those who shaped their careers, hockey fans can see these eight new names etched there. It is there, in the hallowed hall of hockey, that the fans will also have the opportunity to thank them.