Congratulations On Being Old As Shit. You Watched Every Player Inducted Into This Year's Hockey Hall of Fame Class In Their Prime
Growing up is a hell of a thing. Obviously when you're a kid, professional athletes seem like superheroes to you. These massively talented dudes who don't even seem real when you watch them out there playing. Then you get a little older and you start to see guys around the same age as yourself playing professionally. You're amazed because you understand how completely lost you'd be if it were you out there. Then you hit a point where it seems like 80% of every roster is younger than you are. You're stunned by how quickly time has passed you by, but at least there are a couple guys on every team who you still remember from your youth.
Then you hit the point in your life where you hear sports commentators talk about a pro athlete who is the same age as you, and they mention how ridiculous it is that they are still able to play at their old age. About how their career is winding down and in its twilight. The man is 33-years-old and they're talking about him like he's been around for centuries. All of a sudden, all the guys who are the same age as you start retiring. And before you know it, the guys who you grew up watching and idolizing all become legends inducted into a new class of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Obviously Alexander Mogilny is a bit of an outlier with this group. His prime was in the 90s with a 76-goal campaign in 1992-93, and then a 55-goal season with Vancouver in 1995-96. But if you're over 30 at this point, you were around for that. And you can distinctly remember watching Alexander Mogilny with the Devils and Maple Leafs.
Guys like Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton and Duncan Keith? Those are all guys who you watched their entire career from start to finish. You didn't just catch the end of Chara's career and have memories of him as his time in the league was coming to an end. You saw him with the New York Islanders. You remember his time in Ottawa. You saw every big moment of his time with the Bruins. These are guys who are now in the Hall of Fame, and you were there for every step of the way.
I'm sure there are a few older fellas in here who have felt this way for quite a bit of time now. Maybe there's a 20-year-old or two reading this blog right now who has no idea who Alexander Mogilny is. But if I know the readership of this blog like I think I do, the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class is the first time the Hockey Hall of Fame became more about actual memories to us than just history. Time is a hell of a thing.