Four Canadians were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. All four were Canadian Olympic gold medalists. They were men’s players Joe Thornton of St. Thomas, Ontario (2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver), Duncan Keith of Winnipeg, Manitoba (2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi), women’s hockey player Jennifer Botterill of Ottawa, Ontario (2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, and 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver), and women’s hockey head coach Daniele Sauvageau of Deux-Montagnes, Quebec (2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City).
Thornton, a centre, played 1714 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers from 1997 to 2022. He had 430 goals and 1109 assists for 1539 points. He was a +182 with 1272 penalty minutes, 548 power-play points, 12 shorthanded points, 68 game-winning goals, and 3068 shots on goal. Thornton was a six-time NHL All-Star (2002 to 2004 with Boston, and 2007 to 2009 with San Jose). Three times Thornton led the NHL in assists (96 in 2005-06, 92 in 2006-07, and 67 in 2007-08), and in 2005-06 while with the Bruins and Sharks, led the NHL in points (125). That season in addition to winning the Art Ross Trophy, Thornton won the Hart Trophy.
Keith, a defenseman, played 1256 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers from 2005 to 2022. He had 106 goals and 540 assists for 646 points. Keith was a +159 with 675 penalty minutes, 186 power-play points, 20 shorthanded points, 19 game-winning goals, and 2526 shots on goal. He was a four-time NHL All-Star (2008, 2011, 2015 and 2017), won the Norris Trophy (2010 and 2014), three Stanley Cups (2010, 2013, and 2015), and one Conn Smythe Trophy (2015).
Botterill had 49 goals and 68 assists for 117 points in 92 games internationally for Canada. She also won five gold medals at the Women’s World Hockey Championship (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2007). Sauvageau made women’s hockey history in 1999-2000, when she became the first female coach in QMJHL history. She was an assistant coach for the Montreal Rocket.
