'Family 'the Overriding Theme During Hockey Hall of Fame Inductions: Puck Drop

Jennifer Botterill
Brianna Decker
Duncan Keith
Puck Drop: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Monday's Scores
Today's Schedule
This Date in Hockey History:
Hockey Quote of the Day
We'll Leave You With This ...

Jack Parker said he was in disbelief at where he was standing on Monday night, behind the podium for the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring the former Boston University coach along with Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Jennifer Botterill, Brianna Decker, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton and Daniele Sauvageau.

He was the only one, though. After 40 years leading the Terriers, who won 897 games, three national championship and made a record 24 NCAA tournament appearances, his enshrinement was if anything overdue.

It was also despite originally being a self-described basketball player, while growing up in a basketball town, Somerville, Mass. It was his brother Bob who started him down his hockey path after an unforgettable Christmas.

“I got a basketball and a pair of sneakers, and Bob 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," the 80-year-old Parker said. “And I’m looking under that tree, thinking to myself, ‘I’m in the wrong sport.’”

As for his years of coaching success, Parker gave a lot of credit to his players.

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

Here's some of what else was said by former college players per NHL Media (and video of Joe Thornton's speech at the end) :

Jennifer Botterill

The former Harvard player and only two-time recipient of Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the top female college hockey player, used a lot of her speech to give high praise to her family. He mother Doreen was a Olympic speedkater for Canada, and it was her father Cal who put the thought into her head: "Why not you?"

"You always did what you could to elevate your teammates," Botterill said of Jason. "My favorite career play wasn't a goal but an assist, a pass I made in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in the gold-medal game to Marie-Philip Poulin and it ended up being the gold medal winning goal, so for me in that moment, I wanted to be the best teammate and make the best decision I could to set up my teammate up for success. So thank you Jason for showing me how to be a great teammate."

Jennifer Botterill is welcomed to the Hockey Hall of Fame by Jayna Hefford 👏 pic.twitter.com/DkjvoKxCnm
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 11, 2025

Brianna Decker

Decker make a point to thank her college teammates at Wisconsin, where she played alongside Alex Cavallini, Meghan Duggan and Hilary Knight.

“Those years were transformative for me. We weren’t just building a team, we were building a family and we pushed each other every single day. And it wasn’t just the wins or the titles that made it special, it was the accountability and the trust that we had and the love that we had for one another.”

She also said called playing for Team USA “one of the proudest moments of my life."

“Hockey has given me so much,” Decker said. “It’s given me lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories and now this incredible honor. I never played for the accolades, but this moment means the world to me, because it sure does represent all the people who supported me all 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.

“And finally, for every young girl out there, never let anyone tell you a woman can’t be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Brianna Decker concludes her Hall of Fame speech by offering advice to young aspiring hockey players 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ZJDND5QhhE
— BarDown (@BarDown) November 11, 2025

Duncan Keith

The former Michigan State defenseman said of winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks: "You can’t chase a dream alone, and you don't lift a cup or wear a gold medal on your own. You lift it with everybody that ever lifted you.”

But the moment that seemed to grab everyone's attention the most was when he talked about his son playing hockey.:

“These days, my favorite hockey moments are with my son, Colton, and his teammates back home in Penticton (British Columbia). The road trips, the tournaments, the early mornings. Seeing the game through his eyes has reminded me what this sport is really about: joy, connection and being a part of a team that's bigger than yourself.

“I'm going to sound like an old man here now, but to every kid out there: Work hard, stay humble and remember where there's a will, there's a way. “My dad used to tell me, ‘Play with fire in your eyes.’ And my mom used to say to me before games, ‘Keep eyes in the back of your head.’ So thank you to my parents, to my brother Cam, my sister Rebecca, for always being there for me and for looking after Colton when I couldn't.

“To my son, Colton. Thank you for making me fall in love with this great game all over again."

"So to everybody who ever lifted me up, thank you for being my team." 🥹

Duncan Keith shared a heartfelt message during his @HockeyHallFame induction speech. pic.twitter.com/lHuvETsEaq
— NHL (@NHL) November 11, 2025

Puck Drop: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

• Chara on playing with the Boston Bruins, including the 2011 Stanley Cup champions: “We had a tight-knit group during that Stanley Cup year and many around it, a bunch of players who didn’t want to disappoint each other. We sacrificed our bodies, everyone knew their roles, we stuck up for each other and refused to let the guy next to you down.”

• Ross Dellenger of Yahoo reported that the Big Ten is working on a plan to move forward with the $2.4 billion private capital deal with UC Investments, with or without Michigan and USC. He wrote: “If they don’t agree to the deal, the schools may lose the additional capital as part of the landmark proposal and risk their future within the conference beyond 2036, the current end of the existing grant-of-rights agreement. League officials are socializing a specific date — Nov. 21 — for a vote on the capital investment proposal. Administrators and board members at both Michigan and USC were informed earlier this week that, if a 16-school agreement is reached, the two programs would be granted a grace period — three to six months — to agree to join the deal if they wish to reap the full financial benefits. That period is only a proposal for now.”

• Defenseman Holton Davison from Wayzata, Minn., who at age 16 is 6-3, 185 pounds, announced his commitment to the Miami RedHawks.

• Former UConn and Minnesota left wing Matthew Wood notched his first career NHL hat trick, making him the youngest player in franchise history to have a hat trick. Overall, he has six goals and 10 points in 11 games. However, he had Nashville's only offense of the evening during a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers in their first home win of the season. American Vincent Trocheck had two assists in his first game since Oct. 9 due ot an upper-body injury.

FIRST CAREER HATTY FOR MATTHEW WOOD! 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/VShUQRVxZR
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) November 11, 2025

Monday's Scores

No Games Scheduled

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.

Today's Schedule

Men
Non-Conference
St. Cloud State at St. Thomas, 7 p.m. CT

This Date in Hockey History:

November 11, 1926: Hall of Fame goaltender Harry Lumley was born in Owen Sound, Ontario.

November 11, 1930: The city of Philadelphia hosted its first-ever NHL game as the Quakers lost to the Rangers 3-0

November 11, 1934: Northeastern center/defenseman Art Chisholm was born in Arlington, Mass.

November 11, 1943: Clint Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks scored the first empty-net goal in NHL history after Boston Bruins’ head coach Art Ross pulled goaltender Bert Gardiner in a 6-4 defeat.

November 11, 1944: The New York Rangers finally snapped their 25-game winless streak (0-21-4) with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

November 11, 1972: Lake Superior State left wing Brian Felsner was born in Mt. Clemens, Mich.

November 11, 1972: Steve Konowalchuk, the first player born and raised in Utah to make it to the NHL, was born in St. Lake City. He played in 790 games over 14 seasons, 693 of which were with the Washington Capitals.

November 11, 1972: Former North Dakota goaltender Mike "Lefty" Curran, who represented the United States seven times in international competition and is in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, but never played in the NHL, notched the first shutout for the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA against the Winnipeg Jets.

November 11, 1974: The St. Louis Blues traded Dave Gardner and Team USA right wing Warren 'Butch' Williams to the California Seals in exchange for former Denver center Craig Patrick and American left wing Stan Gilbertson.

November 11, 1981: Steve Christoff and fellow Miracle on Ice teammate Neal Broten had a shorthanded goal as the Minnesota North Stars set an NHL record with 11 different players scoring goals in a 15-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Bobby Smith set a team record with seven points (four goals and three assists).

November 11, 1985: Swedish goaltender Pelle Loidbergh of the Philadelphia Flyers died after his Porsche hit a wall in front of an elementary school. He was 26. He was intoxicated at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level of 0.24, after leaving a team party. He had won the 1984-05 Vezina Trophy and helped lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals.

November 11, 1997: The new NH: franchise in Columbus, Ohio, announced that the team would be called the Blue Jackets roughly three years before their first game.

November 11, 2001: Former Michigan goaltender Steve Shields led Anaheim to a 2-2 tie against Dallas, which was a lot more impressive when considering the shots on goal 44-22 in favor of the Stars. Former St. Cloud State center Matt Cullen had two assists for his 100th career assist.

November 11, 2016: Former Miami defenseman Andy Greene became the first New Jersey Devils player to ever score an overtime penalty-shot goal during a 2-1 victory over Buffalo.

November 11, 2023: Former Boston University and U.S. National Team Development Program forward Clayton Keller and former Minnesota Center Logan Cooley both had three-point nights during a 7-5 victory for the Arizona Coyotes over the Nashville Predators. Cooley was still 19.

November 11, 2023: Former Michigan left wing Zach Hyman notched just the second first-period natural hat trick in Edmonton Oilers history during a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. The first, of course, was Wayne Gretzky on Dec. 17, 1986.

November 11, 2023: Former Colorado College defenseman Jacob Slavin became the Hurricanes/Whalers’ all-time leader in assists when he recorded his 197th during in a 4-0 win over the Tamp Bay Lightning.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“He tries to needle me in the games; he says things like, 'You're lucky. You're lucky,' but he's the best centerman there ever was. He'll score on anybody."
Tony Esposito on his brother Phil

We'll Leave You With This ...

You knew there'd be tears. 🥹

Watch Joe Thornton's full HHOF speech. pic.twitter.com/4ydusfhoun
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 11, 2025