'He's Almost Everybody's Mentor Here': Auston Matthews Reveals Why He Brought Joe Thornton Along On Maple Leafs' Team Bonding Trip Thornton played 44 games with Toronto in 2021, scoring five goals and 15 assists.

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward rocked a No. 97 Joe Thornton jersey to the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, honoring one of the newest inductees.

“I was a huge fan of his,” fellow inductee Joe Thornton said. “I used to go to Buffalo (from St. Thomas, Ont.) to watch him. He and Pat Lafontaine were my guys. I would have loved to meet with him and talk to him. It’s unfortunate he’s not here.”

Former Bruins Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton, former Boston University coach Jack Parker and ex-Harvard star Jennifer Botterill were among those honored.

The Leafs came back from the dead against the high-flying Pittsburgh Penguins for an improbable 4-3 victory after being down 3-0 after two periods of lifeless hockey that saw them being outshot 25-8.

The latter was an issue for Lohrei’s first 11 games. There would not be a 12th until Saturday, when Lohrei returned to the lineup. Charlie McAvoy, his former top-pair partner, did not travel with the Bruins to Toronto because of a personal matter.

Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside fellow former players Joe Thornton, Alexander Mogilny, Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker on Monday in Toronto. Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau will enter as builders.

Joe Thornton, who played 15 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, was elected to the Hall in the Player’s Category in June in his first year of eligibility

Of course, the Bruins called and Chara signed a five-year contract, a move that put him on course to be a Boston legend and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Class of 2025.

If you’re a baseball fan, you probably already know that Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement is a great story. He scrapped his way to the big leagues as an unheralded prospect, and is now starting in the World Series. But you might not know that Clement was at one point a great hockey story, too.

The Bruins will be facing their divisional rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena with a seriously depleted lineup.