Monday marked the final day of the Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The eight individuals who make up the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 took part in the induction ceremony, expressing their emotions and thanking all those who helped them get to where they are today.

Here's what each of them said.

Zdeno Chara

Legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was on stage to hand the plaque to Zdeno Chara, who, later in his speech, said the Red Wings blueliner was his idol growing up. 

‘Big Z’ reflected on his long 24-year career, as well as his childhood, sharing how unlikely his route from Slovakia to the NHL was.

“We don’t dream about nights like this,” Chara said at the podium. “We dream about a patch of ice that doesn’t melt before we finish practice. We dream about finding a stick that’s not broken, or skates that can still fit for a couple of more years.”

He also attributed his success to his wife, Tatiana, for being the backbone of their family.

“You allowed me to chase this career for so many years,” Chara said. “You are the reason why I’m standing here tonight; this honor is more yours than mine.”

His final thanks were to the game of hockey itself.

“I was so fortunate to play in the era of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Joe Thornton, Duncan Keith – and the younger generation – Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, and many others,” Chara said.

“I gave everything I had to this game, and it gave me more than I could ever imagine. Hockey, it will always be the greatest game,” he concluded.

Who's Being Inducted Into The Hockey Hall Of Fame's Class Of 2025? The Hockey Hall of Fame is inducting eight hockey legends this weekend. Here's a look at each inductee.

Duncan Keith

Duncan Keith opened his speech about his roots, sharing memories of his parents taking him to the rink.

“My mom would drop me off for early morning practice, and I can still see her standing behind the glass, watching me for about five or 10 minutes, then waved goodbye as she left to go on to work for 12 straight hours at a nursing home,” Keith said.

“Getting woken up the odd weekend morning by my dad, saying ‘it’s a working day,’ was all a part of it. They taught me what real work looked like.”

Keith was visibly emotional when thanking his first coach with the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I’m forever grateful for the time that my first NHL coach, Trent Yawney, spent helping me,” Keith said as his voice began to tremble.

“He not only taught me small details of playing defense that I used as a foundation for the rest of my career. But just as important, if not more, he believed in me.”

The three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist took the time to acknowledge and speak on his partnership with Brent Seabrook.

“People often ask me what my favorite moment was playing in the NHL,” Keith said. “Getting the opportunity to suit up alongside Brent Seabrook and become the first defensive pairing in the NHL to play 1,000 games together as teammates is right there, too.”

Jennifer Botterill

Jennifer Botterill’s speech was very family oriented. She shared moments she had with her brother, Jason, who is the GM of the Seattle Kraken, and thanked him for not always making her be the goaltender when playing hockey in the basement growing up.

She also recalled special moments she had with her mother and father. Botterill’s mother represented the Canadian Olympic speedskating team. Her parents were her biggest motivators.

"You showed me this is possible – you showed me I could dream big at a young age,” Botterill said of her mother.

As a teenager, Botterill was asked by her father what her dream was.

"I told him I would love to play hockey for Canada one day at the Olympics, but I told him I'm not sure it's possible. So he looks across the table and says, 'Why not you? If someone else can be there, why can't it be you?' "

“Why can’t it be you?” stuck with Botterill, and she went on to win three gold medals at the Olympics for Team Canada, just like she dreamed.

Brianna Decker Looks Back At Career, And Ahead To Growth Of The PWHL After Entering The Hockey Hall Of Fame Brianna Decker was one of several legendary players and builders to join the Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 induction class. While it was another step in her career, Decker's hockey life continues to take her to new opportunities, which this season will include coaching in the PWHL.

Brianna Decker

Brianna Decker’s speech revolved around how everyone she had come across in her career shaped her to be the player she was and the person she is.

Some of those people included Amanda Kessel, twin sisters Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Alex Cavallini, Kacey Bellamy, Megan Bozek and Kendall Coyne Schofield.

She shared the ice with all those players at different levels, including high school at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, University of Wisconsin and Team USA.

“They taught me how to be bold, they taught me how to lead, and they taught me how to fight for something greater in life,” Decker said.

“What stands out most when I look back at this is, these teammates, they didn’t just make me a better player. Like I said, they made me a better person. They challenged me, they believed in me. We laughed, we cried. And they certainly helped shaped me.”

She thanked the coaches she had at all volumes of her hockey career and further strengthened her point about the ones she connected with along the way.

“To every young player out there dreaming of what is possible, know it’s not about how many goals you score or how many games you win. It’s about the people you meet, the relationships you build and the character you grow that truly is the real reward,” Decker said.

Jack Parker

For Jack Parker, Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello took the stage to say a few words of praise, listing Parker’s incredible achievements, and introduced him to the stage.

Parker opened his speech by joking that he felt like he didn’t belong with his fellow inductees for the Class of 2025.

“This is an incredible honor beyond the scope of my imagination, to tell you the truth,” he said. 

“And I’d also say congratulations to my fellow inductees. Again, I’m sitting with you guys, wondering what I’m doing here.”

The longtime coach of Boston University told the unlikely story of how he went from a basketball kid, all the way to becoming the coach, and his longevity behind the Terriers’ bench.

“I got a basketball and a pair of sneakers,” he said. “And Bob (his twin brother) got a pair of pro hockey skates, a Northland pro hockey stick, and he got a Gordie Howe game shirt with the No. 9 on the back and the winged wheel on the front. And I’m looking under that tree, thinking to myself, ‘I’m in the wrong sport.’ ”

Parker shared that he was only able to coach Boston University for as long as he did because of all the talented players that went through the Terriers program. It became their formula to winning in a way.

“We used to have a philosophy,” Parker said. “You want to have success, get the team with the best players. We got off the bus most times with the best players.”

New Hockey Hall Of Famer Jack Parker Is Surprised To Be Inducted, But He Shouldn't Be Jack Parker became a legend at Boston University over 40 years. As he enters the Hockey Hall of Fame, he reflects on the NCAA's changing landscape and why he resisted becoming an NHL coach.

Daniele Sauvageau

Daniele Sauvageau shared her story of fighting through the “nos” that were thrown at her throughout her life.

“With my brother, Sylvain, we wanted to go and play organized hockey, and I was told he could play, but you cannot. And the first thing that came out of my mouth was, ‘How can I help?’ They said, ‘You see the bottles, you could put water and bring them to the bench,’ ” she said.

However, all the rejections and denials were worth it once she received the call to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the first woman in the builder’s category.

“My parents taught me that when doors close on you, you just need to find a way. On June 24 at 1:22 in the afternoon, I received a call, and I almost thought there was a ghost in my room telling me the great news, that I was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In a second, all those nos that, ‘You cannot play, you cannot coach, you cannot do this,’ lifted,” Sauvageau said.

Sauvageau led Team Canada from behind the bench to its first gold medal in women's hockey at the Olympics in 2002.

Alexander Mogilny

Alexander Mogilny wasn’t able to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but he provided a video speech.

Mogilny’s long wait before being inducted into the Hall of Fame was the highlight of the announcement back in June. The story of how he got the call was just as fascinating.

"You know I don't like early wake-up calls, but when I saw the 416 area code came up on my phone at three o'clock in the morning and the beautiful voices I waited to hear for a long time said, 'Hello Alex,' then I knew something special happened," Mogilny said.

 "I got so excited I couldn't go back to bed. I thought I'll go make myself a cup of coffee or I'll pour a nice, chilled shot of Russian vodka. Take a guess what I did."

Mogilny went on to thank his four former teams, as well as the hockey fans and community.

"It doesn't matter whether you cheered for or against me – you pushed me to be better," Mogilny said. "This sport is nothing without its community. Hockey gave me everything, and the greatest thing about it is its ability to unite people, countries, different lifestyles and life stories.”

Hall Of Famer Says Celebrini Deserves To Be On Canada's Olympic Team: 'I Just Hope He Gets A Chance' Joe Thornton, who is Macklin Celebrini's landlord again this year, has seen the No. 1 overall pick grow from an offensive-minded rookie who was a minus-31 last season to an all-around center who is leading the NHL in scoring.

Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton ended the Hockey Hall of Fame festivities with his touching and rather emotional speech.

He was raised in St. Thomas, Ont., and he told the story of how he and his brothers grew up with Don Cherry videos and knee hockey in the basement. From those early beginnings, he adored hockey and learned how to be a teammate.

“At a young age, I instantly fell in love with the game of hockey,” Thornton said. “It taught me the importance of brotherhood. It taught me the importance of friendship.”

He thought of his time with the Boston Bruins, which selected him first overall in the 1997 draft.

“Everyone was just so kind to me,” he said. “They golfed with me, had lunch with me, taught me how to be a man. Wayne Cashman, we still talk weekly. It’s always the highlight of my week. I love you.

“But there was no one bigger during my time with the Bruins than Johnny Bucyk. As a young kid, 18 years old, the ‘Chief’ really took me under his wing, and he helped me through my first few years,” he added.

Thornton talked about the highs of his time with the San Jose Sharks and the great and funny memories of winning the gold medal with Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

“I remember leaving the arena, and I looked to my left, and I saw a naked woman on the back of a motorcycle, waving a Canadian flag,” he said. “I looked to my pregnant wife, and I said, ‘I am so proud to be Canadian.’ ”

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