Maple Leafs Hosting Hall of Fame Game as Legendary Names Enter 2025 Class
Photo credit: Hockey Patrol
The Hockey Hall of Fame Game will be played on Sunday, November 9 as the Maple Leafs host the Hurricanes in a night commemorating some of the NHL's greatest.
There's a lot of excitement surrounding the 2025-26 NHL season and some of that has to do with the Hall of Fame festivities that are going to occur in early November.
A star-studded class is set to be enshrined and as always it's going to be an exciting time for fans, inductees, and everyone involved as they rightfully earn their place alongside the legends of the game.
Maple Leafs Set to Host Carolina in Annual Hall of Fame Game
But one of the big events that weekend is the Hall of Fame Game that is set to take place on November 9, and will have the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Carolina Hurricanes at home; apropos considering the Hall of Fame isn't far away.
While there is no information officially on the site as of yet, a Forbes article on key NHL dates gives a great idea of what fans can expect:
The annual celebration of the latest inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame will take place from Nov. 8-10 in Toronto.
Special events will include the Hockey Hall of Fame game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, Nov. 9 and the induction ceremony in the Great Hall on Monday, Nov. 10.
With Seattle Kraken president Ron Francis now serving as the chair of the Hall of Fame's selection committee, this year's class features eight inductees.
The six players are Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Thornton along with Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker. In the builder category, general manager Daniele Sauvageau of the PWHL's Montreal Victoire will become the first woman inducted as a builder.
She goes in alongside longtime Boston University coach Jack Parker.
Special events will include the Hockey Hall of Fame game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, Nov. 9 and the induction ceremony in the Great Hall on Monday, Nov. 10.
With Seattle Kraken president Ron Francis now serving as the chair of the Hall of Fame's selection committee, this year's class features eight inductees.
The six players are Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Thornton along with Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker. In the builder category, general manager Daniele Sauvageau of the PWHL's Montreal Victoire will become the first woman inducted as a builder.
She goes in alongside longtime Boston University coach Jack Parker.
Names like Mogilny and Thornton are no strangers to the Maple Leafs, having played for the team at separate parts in their career, though the former played substantially longer for the team.
Thornton, Chara, Mogilny and Botterill Among 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
All the names inducted deserve their spot, and have etched their names in the record books one way or another.
Thornton is one of the greatest over the last 25 years, his longevity and talent carrying him well into his late-30's and early 40's, and he finished his career with 1,539 points in 1,714 games (430 goals, 1109 assists) but never ended up winning a Stanley Cup.
Mogilny came into the league and took it by storm, debuting with Buffalo and scoring 76 goals for the team only a few seasons later. A dynamic forward with an incredible shot, Mogilny had 1,032 points in 990 games and is often overlooked at times when discussing the NHL's greatest scorers; so he deserves his spot.
Chara is no stranger to the Maple Leafs but on the opposite end, being a mainstay for both the Senators and Bruins in his career. A tree trunk on skates, Chara used his legendary slap shot, incredible size, and vicious physicality to dominate for over a decade.
The Czech defenseman finished his career with 680 points in 1680 games (209 goals, 471 assists), won the Norris and was a 7-time All-Star in his 24-year career.
Botterill is one of Canada's greatest female players, and she is one of the most accomplished Olympic athletes in Canadian women's hockey.
She has three Gold Medals (2002, 2006, 2010) as well as one Silver (1998) and won 5 IIHF Women's World Championships; she has 117 points in 98 international games (49 goals, 68 assists).
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