On Monday, the hockey community celebrated a handful of icons who got the special phone call to let them know their name and history will be a part of the Hockey Hall of Fame forever.
The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees were, for the builders category, Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau. For the players section, Boston Bruins iconic blueliner and 2011 Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, who was a big factor for the Chicago Blackhawks' run of three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, 2015), three-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada Jennifer Botterill, six-time Hockey World Championship gold medalist for the United States, Brianna Decker, longtime Sharks forward Joe Thornton and 2000 NHL Stanley Cup champion, Alexander Mogilny.
Of all the inductees, only Thornton and Mogliny donned the Toronto Maple Leafs crest, even for a short time. Let's turn back the clock and see how they did with the Leafs.
Joe Thornton - 2020-21
Thornton had a short, one-season stint with the Leafs in the 2020-21 season. He notched 20 points (five goals, 15 assists), which was his lowest point total at the time since his rookie season in 1997-98. To give him the benefit of the doubt, he was already 41 years-old, so Leafs Nation can be sure that he was mainly brought in to act as a mentor to the younger players on the team. However, playing for the Leafs at that age got his name etched in the team's history book, as Thornton became the oldest player in Maple Leafs history to score a goal (41 years and 296 days). He also formed a bond with his teammates, including Auston Matthews, who had played alongside one of Thornton's old San Jose Sharks pals in Patrick Marleau.
Thornton currently ranks sixth in NHL all-time games played (1,714), seventh in NHL all-time assists (1,109), as well as 14th all-time in points (1,539).
Having retired in 2023, unfortunately without a Stanley Cup, Thornton is still an NHL legend and icon and will be remembered for all that he has done on the ice and scoresheet.
Alexander Mogilny - 2001-02 to 2003-04
Mogilny signed with the Leafs as a free agent on July 3, 2001. He would spend three full seasons with Toronto before signing with the New Jersey Devils on August 17, 2005, which would end up being his final NHL season.
In his first season with the Leafs, he ranked third on the team in points (57). Mogilny was second on the team in goals scored (24) and fifth in assists (33). In his second season with Toronto, he turned it up a notch by leading the team in points (79), assists (46) and was second on the team with 33 goals, only behind Mats Sundin that year. His final season with the Leafs was a down year, as he only notched 30 points (eight goals, 22 assists), his lowest point total, at the time, in his NHL career. To be fair, he only played 37 games that year due to a hip injury, which turned out to be the reason for his performance.
Aside from his time in Toronto, Mogilny earned his one and only Stanley Cup as a member of the New Jersey Devils in the 1999-00 season, two months after being traded by the Vancouver Canucks. He finished his NHL career with 1,032 points, 473 goals, and 559 assists in 990 games played.
The Leafs have numerous players who are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now that Thornton and Mogilny are in, they've added two more great players who wore the crest, even though their time in Toronto was short.