Zdeno Chara could hardly believe what had just unfolded.
Duncan Keith was in the same boat, at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum.
Chara and his Boston Bruins held a 2-1 lead late in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup final against Keith and Chicago. A victory on home ice would ensure a winner-take-all finale back in the Windy City.
That script then flipped in dramatic fashion. The visitors scored twice in a jaw-dropping 17-second span to stun the Bruins 3-2 and claim Chicago’s second Cup in four years.
“Shocking for us,” Chara recalled more than a decade later. “That’s sports, that’s life.”
Keith, meanwhile, had just moments earlier been dreading a pressure-packed Game 7.
“It’s never over until it’s over,” he said. “Special to do it against such a good team.”
Chara and Keith, two standout defencemen with decorated NHL and international careers, will share a special moment together Monday when they are enshrined as part of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
“It causes you to reflect,” Keith said Saturday after inductees were given their hall rings and jackets. “It’s a long journey with a lot of people that have helped me.”
The pair will be inducted alongside fellow former players Joe Thornton, Alexander Mogilny, Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker. Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau will enter as builders.
“Loved every minute,” Thornton said of his 24-season NHL career. “Started at 18 [years old] and I ended up at 42. I was very, very fortunate.”
Manitoba star Jennifer Botterill to be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame
Chara, 48, was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1996 and traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2001, but his career really took off after signing with Boston.
The six-foot-nine blueliner from Trencin, Slovakia, spent 14 seasons with the franchise, all as captain, from 2006 through 2020. The Bruins won the Cup in 2011 and made the final two other times.
The second European captain to hoist hockey’s holy grail, Chara also competed at three Olympics and seven world championships. He was a six-time all-star and captured the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman in 2009.
The tallest player to ever suit up in the league, Chara finished with 680 points in 1,680 regular-season games. He added 70 points in 200 post-season contests.
Keith played 16 seasons with Chicago after making his debut in 2005, winning the Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, to go along with four all-star appearances.
The 42-year-old Winnipeg native won Olympic gold for Canada in 2010 and 2014, twice claimed the Norris Trophy and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2015.
Keith was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2021 and played one more season to finish with 646 points in 1,256 games. He added 91 points in 151 playoff contests.
Thornton was selected No. 1 overall by Boston at the 1997 draft, captaining the club from 2002 until he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2005. The 46-year-old from St. Thomas, Ont., who also suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers to close out his career, spent 14 seasons in California.
He led the NHL in scoring and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2005-06. Only the third player to top the league in assists three consecutive seasons, Thornton led San Jose in scoring eight times, including five straight campaigns, and helped the Sharks make the 2016 final.
Thornton, who won Olympic gold in 2010, put up 1,539 points in 1,714 regular-season games, finishing 12th all-time in scoring, seventh in assists and sixth in games played. He added 134 points in 187 playoff outings.
Mogilny, who is not taking part in the hall celebrations, defected to the U.S. in 1988 and set career-highs with 76 goals and 127 points with the Buffalo Sabres in 1991-92 – the most ever by a Soviet/Russian player.
The 56-year-old won the Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000, and played for the Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, finishing with 1,032 points in 990 regular-season games. He collected 86 points across 124 playoff contests.
Botterill played for Canada at four Olympics, winning three gold medals and a silver. She was part of five podium-topping performances and three second-place finishes at the world championships, including taking MVP honours in 2001.
“So fortunate to be surrounded by great people throughout my playing career,” said the 46-year-old from Winnipeg, who now works in television. “This has been a chance to reflect with them.”
Sauvageau has taken part in six Olympics either behind the bench or in management for Canada, with coaching the country to gold in 2002 the highlight. Sauvageau’s long resume includes her current role as general manager of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s Montreal Victoire.
“I don’t think I realize it yet,” said the 63-year-old trailblazer from Montreal, who is the hall’s first female builder. “When I put the ring on, it’s a little big, and the first reaction is: still a lot to do because (the game) needs to grow.”
Decker won gold at the 2018 Olympics with the United States and has two silver medals. The 34-year-old forward from Dousman, Wis., earned world championship gold six times along with a pair of second-place finishes.
Parker was head coach of Boston University’s men’s program from 1973 through 2013. A three-time national champion, the 80-year-old from Somerville, Mass., was also a three-time NCAA coach of the year.
“It’s hard to really sum it up in a few words,” Chara said when asked to look back on his own career. “You are going through the roads that are not always smooth, not always fun, but you’ve got to just stay with it and believe and have a hope and dreams.
“And continue to go after them.”
