Mogilny, Thornton, Chara, Botterill among newest inductees to Hockey Hall of Fame
Article content
Mogilny was joined by fellow former NHL players Joe Thornton, Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith as well as women's hockey stars Brianna Decker and Jennifer Botterill. Mogilny had been eligible for election 16 previous years going back to 2009, passed over time after time until getting in on the 17th chance.
Article content
Article content
Keith grew up watching Mogilny play for the Vancouver Canucks and marveled at how fast he was.
'I was sitting up in the nosebleed sections and he stood out just with his speed and skill,' Keith said. 'I can remember it very clearly just how good he was in person. You see it on TV, but it was another level being able to witness that in person. It's a huge honor to be inducted with everybody, and Alex is one of those guys. I think he's probably happy that he's inducted now, finally, and it's especially a cool honor to go in with him.'
Article content
Ron Francis, chairman of the 18-person selection committee for the first time, in announcing Mogilny's inclusion mentioned that Mogilny is one of just 30 players in the Triple Gold Club for winning the Stanley Cup and gold at the Olympics and world championships. Mogilny also led the league in goals in 1992-93 with a total of 76 that is tied for the fifth most in a single season.
Article content
All that came after Mogilny defected from the Soviet Union by leaving the 1989 world championships in Stockholm to join the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him the previous year.
Article content
Mogilny, who along with Thornton and Chara were not on the annual conference call, said in a statement: 'I am happy to be part of a great organization like the Hockey Hall. I want to thank both my Russian and NHL teammates for helping me achieve this honor.'
Article content
Outgoing Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald said Mogilny picked up when he finally got the call this time in the middle of the night in Russia.
Article content
'He actually answered the phone,' McDonald said. 'Talk about a Hall of famer. That's a Hall of Famer answering the phone at 3 o'clock in the morning.'
Article content
Keith, Thornton and Chara all got in in their first year of eligibility. Carey Price and Ryan Getzlaf were among the first-timers who did not get elected.
Article content
Thornton won the Hart Trophy and led the NHL in scoring in 2005-06, and his 1,539 points rank him 14th all time. Former teammate Mike Grier said Thornton 'saw plays happening a step before they did and found lanes and through layers where you never really thought he was going to be able to get you the puck.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
24 minutes ago
- CTV News
Riders' staunch defence holding firm as they set their sights on the Stampeders
Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Rolan Milligan (0) celebrates with defensive back CJ Reavis (1) and defensive lineman Benoit Marion (93) after an interception against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the second half of CFL football action in Regina, on Saturday, August 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu The Saskatchewan Roughriders defence has joined rarified air. The defensive unit has not allowed an opposing touchdown in two consecutive games. According to the Riders' Senior Journalist and Historian Rob Vanstone, that makes them only the seventh defence in team history to accomplish the feat. 'Yeah, we'd love to always keep offenses out of the endzone,' said Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace. 'In this league, I haven't seen a whole ton of that, but certainly something that I know the guys will continue to push for.' Linebacker AJ Allen told CTV News the key to this run of lockdown defence starts up front with the defensive line group. 'We have defensive linemen like Caleb Sanders out here hooping and making plays. It makes playing football easy when you have guys like that, like Micah Johnson. It starts with them in the trenches, and it makes playing easy. And after that it's just communication, attention to detail and being able to play together.' The unit has certainly been a cohesive one over their last two contests. In the two games, they have combined to force seven turnovers and registered seven sacks, including six on Bo Levi Mitchell last weekend. Despite the accolades, the defence is moving forward with their sights set on the Calgary Stampeders, the only team to hand the Riders a loss this season. In that Week 6 game, the Riders gave up nearly 550 yards of offence, and over 5.5 yards per carry to Dedrick Mills and company. 'You look at the stats, they ran the ball over us,' said Riders' defensive lineman Caleb Sanders. 'I think it's the only team that's had the majority of success running the ball. So, we have to stop that, first of all. And if we do, we make a team one-dimensional, we know what plays are coming, we can stop them.' Allen said the team is heading into this rematch with a chip on their shoulder, knowing they had plenty of missed assignments in round one. 'I think it starts with correcting what we messed up on, and part of it was physicality. We weren't physical and we got our butts kicked last time. They were the more physical team, which can't happen if you want to win football games,' he said. Saturday's showdown in Calgary could have big playoff seeding implications. A win for the Riders would see them six points ahead of Calgary, while a Stampeders win would see Saskatchewan's lead atop the West Division shrink to just two points.
National Post
24 minutes ago
- National Post
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.-less Blue Jays score first and fast en route to easy win in Pittsburgh
Considering the Blue Jays won a combined 74 games in 2024 that landed them dead last in the AL East, it is quite stunning to fast forward to this year. Article content Following a rather ho-hum 7-3 win over the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, the Jays matched last year's total with many more victories on the horizon, especially in the short term based on the quality of Toronto's opposition. Article content Article content Article content The worst to first ascension is very much in play with the Jays' schedule reduced to 35 games, which, admittedly, is an eternity in baseball. Article content Tuesday's win also improved Toronto's road record to 32-32. Article content While far from playing a clean game, the 74-53 Jays weren't as sloppy as Monday's late-game meltdown. They were opportunistic right from the start and were never threatened. Article content The following are three takeaways from take your dog to the park night at PNC Park, a Tuesday feature in Pittsburgh that happens to fall on the same day the Jays have their Loonie Dogs Night, for what it's worth. Article content 1. Sure-thing Scherzer Article content He keenly watched Paul Skenes pitch Monday. Article content It was Max Scherzer's turn Tuesday with all eyes on the right-hander. Article content When the veteran took to the mound to begin his outing, Scherzer was pitching with a 3-0 lead. Article content He needed three pitches to record his first strikeout. Article content When Scherzer made his way to the mound to begin the second inning, he had a 5-0 advantage only to walk the first two hitters. Article content Article content An infield hit would load bases, but the damage was limited to one run. Article content Article content Mind you, it could have been none had Andres Gimenez exercised better judgment on a grounder hit up the middle. Article content Myles Straw made two great catches in centre field to deny the Pirates. Article content Scherzer hadn't reached 100 pitches in almost two years. Article content He did Tuesday, his 104th and final pitch resulting in a strikeout. Article content It wasn't vintage Mad Max, but he did look the part of a staff ace in going 6.0 complete innings. Article content 2. Inflamed hammy Article content A collective sigh of relief could be felt when an MRI on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s left hamstring revealed nothing more than inflammation. Article content He's considered day to day, which provides absolutely zero clarity. Article content Say what you want about Vlad Jr., but no one can ever say he's not a gamer. Article content His passion is baseball and he wants to be in every game. Article content The inflammation diagnosis does represent the best-case scenario given soft-tissue issues can fester. Article content It was expected Vlad Jr. would not be available Tuesday.
CTV News
39 minutes ago
- CTV News
Vancouver Whitecaps sign homegrown midfielder Liam Mackenzie to MLS deal
Vancouver Whitecaps' Liam Mackenzie looks on during the second half of an MLS soccer match against the Chicago Fire, in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed homegrown midfielder Liam Mackenzie to a Major League Soccer contract. The deal, announced Tuesday, runs through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. Mackenzie made his MLS debut on March 22 when Vancouver dropped a 3-1 decision to the Chicago Fire. The 18-year-old from Comox, B.C., joined the club's academy system when he was 13 and signed his first professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in April 2024. He had two goals and three assists in 24 appearances with WFC2 and was selected to the 2024 MLS NEXT all-star game. Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster says Mackenzie is a young player with a good mentality who continues to progress with the club. 'Liam has a fantastic work rate and has adapted well to every level he has stepped up to,' Schuster said in a release. 'We look forward to helping him move forward into this next stage in his career.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025.
