Keith, Thornton, Mogilny, Decker, Chara, Botterill helped teams win total of 8 gold, 3 silver medals
© Getty Images Sport
NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, “Zizing ‘Em Up,” to preview the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
TORONTO — One of the most special sporting occasions in these parts every year takes place this coming weekend in the event known as the annual Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
The Class of 2025 features such deserving former NHLers as defensemen Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara, forwards Joe Thornton and Alexander Mogilny, and womens’ stars Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker.
The success each enjoyed domestically was well earned. At the same time, each left their own marks at the Olympic Games, which makes their individual body of works that much more impressive.
Consider this: Those six players being welcomed into the Hall combined to help their respective teams win eight gold and three silver medals.
Here’s a breakdown of their individual Olympic accomplishments.
D Duncan Keith, Canada
The Winnipeg native was one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the NHL during his prime with the Chicago Blackhawks and was a no-brainer selection for Team Canada for the 2010 Vancouver Games and 2014 Sochi Games.
In both instances, Canada won the gold medal. Over that span, Keith had eight points, all assists, in 13 games and was plus-12.
In Vancouver, he tied for the team lead in points among defensemen with six, all of them assists, in seven games. He also tied for the second-best plus-minus among all Canadian players in the tournament at plus-six.
Four years later, Canada adopted a more defensive blueprint, leaving Keith with just one point, an assist, in six games. His effectiveness came more in his own zone as reflected by the fact that he tied for the team lead in plus-minus at plus-six.
The British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame inducted Keith in 2011 as a member of the 2010 Olympic team, and he was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012 along with the 2010 Olympic Team.
F Joe Thornton, Canada
The St. Thomas, Ontario native attended two Olympics as a member of Team Canada, playing at the 2006 Turin Games and in Vancouver four years later.
The gold medal in Vancouver was special for a couple of reasons. First, he’d been disappointed along with his teammates four years earlier when Canada failed to medal. Secondly, once his career was over and he’d failed to get his name on the Stanley Cup, the Vancouver Games gave he and San Jose Sharks teammate Patrick Marleau a chance to celebrate a professional championship together.
“It meant so much,” Thornton said. “And it was special to do it with him”
In 13 games at the Olympics, Thornton had five points (two goals, three assists).
D Zdeno Chara, Slovakia
No, the 6-foot-9, 250-pound giant never won an Olympic medal with his native Slovakia.
But the foundation he helped establish for his national team is a trait that has carried on to this day.
Chara played in three Olympics: 2006 in Turin, 2010 in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi. He was the captain for each of those final two events.
The highlight came in Vancouver when he helped Slovakia to a fourth-place finish, its best showing at any Olympics to that point. That tournament featured upset victories over favored Russia and Sweden before losing to Finland.
In 17 Olympic contests Chara had six points (one goal, five assists).
For the record, Slovakia won its first-ever medal in ice hockey at the 2022 Beijing Games, a bronze. Keep in mind that NHL players did not participate in that tournament.
F Alexander Mogilny, Soviet Union/Russia
Mogilny made headlines when he defected to the United States following the 1989 IIHF World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden and made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres on October 5, 1989.
Prior to that, however, he made his only Olympic Games appearance a successful one.
Although only 18 years old at the time, Mogilny joined the USSR team at the 1988 Calgary Games and was part of its gold medal run. He had five points (three goals, two assists) in six games on a star-studded squad that featured fellow future Hockey Hall of Famers Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov, both forwards, and defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov.
F Brianna Decker, United States
One of the most decorated female players in U.S. history with 170 points (81 goals, 89 assists) in 147 career games with the national team, the Dousman, Wisconsin native was part of three medal-winning Olympic teams: gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, and silver at the 2014 Sochi Games and 2022 Beijing Games.
In 11 Olympic contests, Decker had nine points (two goals, seven assists). All those impressive numbers led her to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.
One year later, she’ll receive a similar honor at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
F Jennifer Botterill, Canada
A native of Ottawa who grew up in Winnipeg, Botterill grew up with a special appreciation for the Olympics.
It’s easy to see why.
After all, Botterill’s mother, Doreen McCannell, competed for Canada in speed skating at the 1964 and 1968 Games. Her best result was an eighth-place finish in the 3,000 meters as part of the long-track event at the 1964 Innsbruck Games.
Jennifer, whose brother Jason is the general manager of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, went one step further, helping Canada win three Olympic golds (2002 Salt Lake City Games, 2006 Turin Games, 2010 Vancouver Games) and a silver (1998 Nagano Games). In that span she had 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 21 games.
When Czechia named its first six players on June 16, the name that stood out was forward David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, easily the face of the team and its expected top offensive player.
At the same time, if the early season results are any indication, he’ll have some much needed help in Italy in the form of Martin Necas.
Entering play Sunday, only seven NHL players had more points than the 17 of the Bruins’ Pastrnak (seven goals, 10 assists) and Necas of the Colorado Avalanche (nine goals, eight assists).
Necas, who like Pastrnak was one of the half-dozen players selected to the roster five months ago, is playing the best hockey of his career right now, a run of quality that began at the start of last season.
COL@SJS: Necas finds the twine on a wrister for opening goal
The Avalanche obviously are pleased with the 26-year-old’s ascension, and this week came to terms with Necas on an eight-year contract that kicks in next season. Necas responded to the new deal by compiling four points (two goals, two assists) in Colorado’s two subsequent games.
“Super excited,” Necas said. “Happy to get this done. Excited for the times ahead. Now I can focus on winning hockey games and do whatever it takes to bring a (Stanley) Cup back to Colorado.”
Splitting time between the Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes after being acquired by Colorado in a trade on Jan. 24, 2025, Necas set NHL-career highs last season in assists (56) and points (83) in 79 games. He tied for third in the League with 37 power-play points and has won gold twice with Czechia, at the 2016 Hlinka Cup and the 2024 Worlds. In 12 games in two World Championship appearances, Necas has 12 points (four goals, eight assists).
Now, on his radar, are the upcoming Olympics. And watching him couple with Pastrnak up front for Czechia should be much-watch hockey, given the form both seem to be in.
Each week we’ll look at a candidate who’s catching our attention in the push to make his respective national team.
Macklin Celebrini, F, Canada (San Jose Sharks)
Yes, he’s only 19 years old. Yes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft has only played one full professional season, plus one month of his second.
Having said that, it’s hard to ignore the impact the kid is having on the sport right now.
Is he too young, too inexperienced, too raw to thrust upon the fishbowl that is the Olympic stage, much like fellow up-and-coming superstar Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks, himself just 20 years old? Here’s what Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong told us in last week’s column when asked those same questions.
“What you’re looking for in a player as you build his resume is consistency,” Armstrong said. “These are world-class athletes. Players can have massive nights. But what’s he done through five, 10, 15, 20, 50 games, and not just the one night? A young player has to build their resume through consistent play every night, whereas a veteran player’s already done that.
“I mean, let me stress that there is no age restriction on this event for us. But you also want to take players with the belief that as the environment changes, as the game changes, as the stakes go up, they have something to refer back to.”
Fair enough.
SJS@NYR: Celebrini dazzles with five points in Sharks’ OT win
At the same time, Celebrini has been far from a one-hit wonder this season. His point explosions haven’t come in just a couple of games. Indeed, he’s shown the consistency Armstrong has been looking for, at least in the limited body of work that is the 2025-26 NHL season.
The stats back up that claim.
Entering play Sunday, the Sharks forward was tied for fourth in NHL scoring with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 12 games, two behind leader Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets and one away from Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.
Keep in mind, too, that he competed for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship on a team that featured star forwards Sidney Crosby and MacKinnon, who both were among Canada’s initial six selections for the Olympic roster back in June. He spent time on the same line as Crosby and finished the tournament with six points (three goals, three assists) and was plus-nine in eight games.
Will all this be enough to earn him a spot for Milano Cortina? The jury remains out.
But he’s certainly building a legitimate case for himself, isn’t he?
“This is about team building. This is about all aspects of a team. It’s not just about goal-scoring. It’s also about special teams like power plays and penalty killing. It’s about character. It’s about forechecking. It’s about going into greasy areas. It’s about all of those things. And those are the things that will make our decisions difficult. And that’s a good thing for USA Hockey because it shows how much depth we have.” — U.S. Olympic GM Bill Guerin, in an interview with NHL.com
Now that November has arrived, Hockey Fights Cancer Month emotionally touches so many players around the NHL.
Count Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights among those.
During the 2025 NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, I asked Marner if he still had the pink bracelet made for him by the late Hayden Foulon, the brave little girl who passed away of acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Oct. 20, 2019, at just 7 years old. Marner had crossed paths with Hayden during a player’s visit to the Children’s Hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre in 2015 while he was playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League and the two became best friends, with Marner calling her “my hero.”
Marner, a leading candidate for Team Canada, rolled up his shirt sleeve to provide the answer. There, on his wrist, as advertised, was the faded bracelet.
“I haven’t taken it off since she gave it to me,” the forward said, his voice cracking with emotion. “She’ll always be with me. A true fighter.
“I’ve been wearing it so long, it’s faded.” he said. “It’s a reminder that you can make a difference in life. It was hard to see her go through her ups and downs. It’s devastating to think she’s gone, but when you can make someone smile — and we had lots of them — it’s priceless.”
Just one of the many Hockey Fights Cancer stories we’ll be documenting on NHL.com in the coming weeks that will be guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings.
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