Some of the other highlights at the Fan Forum:
— Decker, a gold-medal winner for the United States at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, telling the story of how she got the call from the Hall of Fame. She was actually cutting her grass on her riding mower in June when the phone started ringing and it was call from Toronto. At first, she thought it was a recruit from Shattuck-St. Mary’s, where she’s an associate coach.
“It was a normal day in Minnesota,” Decker said. “I ignored it, but then a phone call comes through again. I think, ‘I should probably answer this one,’ and sure enough, it was Ron (Francis) and Lanny (McDonald) on the other line.”
— Keith, who played 16 of his 17 NHL seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2010, ’13, ’15), had perhaps the most heartfelt moment when he recognized and thanked a group of Blackhawks fans seated in the first row who supported him his whole career. His funniest moment was when he talked about how he came to wear No. 2.
“I remember being sent down to Norfolk when I was 20 after my first training camp,” Keith said. “I got into Norfolk, got into the room and saw No. 2 (jersey) sitting there, and I said, ‘I guess I’m No. 2.”
— Botterill’s story of her wearing No. 17 went back to a conversation she had with her dad when she was 15.
“I was talking about my dream of making the (Canadian) Olympic team, but I wasn’t sure if it was possible and my dad told me, ‘Why not? Why not you if someone else can be there?'” said Botterill, a four-time Olympian who won gold three times (2002, ’06, ’10). “When I made my first Olympic team I wore No. 7, but a couple of years afterwards I had a chance to change it, and I took 17 because my dad’s birthday is the 17th.”
— Of all of Thornton’s best moments, including recognizing his junior coach in the crowd, perhaps the best came when he followed up Keith’s story of his struggles in the minors.
“Well, I was drafted first overall,” joked Thornton, who was selected No. 1 by Boston in the 1997 NHL Draft. “My [rookie] year was a disaster. I didn’t score my first goal until December (3rd), so brutal. I didn’t know if I was going to go back to the [Ontario Hockey League], but they ended up keeping me up for the whole year.
“But I was second-guessing myself all year long. It was a year-long battle.”
Thornton, like Chara, Keith, Decker and Botterill, overcame the early struggles and on Monday will officially become a Hockey Hall of Famer.
