Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton lead 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class

The wait is finally over, Alexander Mogilny is finally headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. 

Mogilny has been one of the biggest Hall snubs since 2009 and is remembered as one of the premier goal scorers during his 16 seasons in the NHL, which included time with the Sabres, Canucks, Devils and Maple Leafs. 

Through his career, Mogilny recorded 473 goals and 559 assists for more than 1,000 points and was part of hockey history when he became the first Soviet player to defect to play in the NHL back in 1989. 

The story of Mogilny’s defection feels like one right out of a spy novel. He left the Soviet Union team at the 1989 World Championships in Stockholm with the help of Sabres brass, who helped orchestrate the entire episode to get him to Western New York. 

Mogilny made his NHL debut with the Sabres that fall on Oct. 5, 1989, and began what is now a Hall of Fame career. 

He set a single-season goal-scoring record for the Sabres during the 1992-93 campaign when he put up 76 goals that year. 

Mogilny won a Stanley Cup with the Devils during the 1999-00 season after he was traded to New Jersey at the deadline. 

He also took home a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics as a member of the Soviet team and a gold at the 1989 World Championship. 

“I am happy to be part of a great organization like the Hockey Hall of Fame. I want to thank both my Russian and NHL teammates for helping me achieve this honor,” Mogilny said in a statement. 

Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith, Zdeno Chara, Jennifer Botterill, and Brianna Decker join Mogilny in the player category and Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau in the builders category are part of the Class of 2025. 

Chara bookended his career with the Islanders, who drafted him in 1996 and played for the organization from 1997 to 2001 and was dealt in one of the most debated trades during the tenure of former general manager Mike Milbury.

Chara’s NHL career, which spanned from 1997 to 2022, also included time with the Senators, Bruins and Capitals. 

He is best remembered for his time in Boston, where he served as captain and helped the Bruins win a Stanley Cup in 2011. 

Chara played in 1,680 games – the most by an NHL defenseman and third most among any player in the league – and averaged 23:33 of time on ice per game. 

Chara returned for one final stint with the Isles during the 2021-22 season, scoring a goal in his final game of his career on April 29, 2022. 

The Hall of Fame induction will take place on Nov. 10 in Ontario.