After 16 years of gruelling omissions, an NHL legend who had a cup of coffee with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the early 2000s is on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Despite 473 career goals, 1032 points in 990 career games, and a Stanley Cup, which is typically the culprit that keeps otherwise deserving players out of the Hall of Fame, it took until 2025 for Alexander Mogilny to see his name on a Hockey Hall of Fame ballot. But, better late than never.

Mogilny defected from the Soviet Union to play in the NHL in 1989, becoming the first NHL player to do so, and played an instrumental role in paving the way for fellow aspiring Russians, with current stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Kirill Kaprizov leading the way. He possesses one of the five best goal-scoring seasons ever, with 76 goals in 77 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 1992-93, and is also a member of the Triple Gold club, with all three of an Olympic gold medal, a World Junior gold medal, and a World Championship gold medal.

Also in the class is former Maple Leaf Joe Thornton along with fellow NHL legends Duncan Keith and Zdeno Chara, Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker from the women’s hockey stratosphere, and Jack Parker and Daniele Sauvageau in the builders category.

While all members of the class are deserving for their contributions to the game that gives us stuff to write about and stuff for you to read about, Mogilny’s induction will finally put to rest a debate that’s ravaged the annual ceremony for nearly two decades. With the numbers he put up over the course of his career combined with the adversity he had to fight to get to the NHL, it’s objectively a shock that he was left out of the Hall of Fame for so long. But, again, better late than never. And now, Mogilny has his final accolade.