SAN JOSE, Calif. — Joe Thornton spent a profession establishing his teammates with the right passes that helped them rating targets.
His jersey retirement ceremony Saturday was a chance for his former San Jose teammates to dish out the compliments for his play, management and friendship in tributes that repeatedly compelled him to wipe away tears on an emotional afternoon.
“One of the best factor hockey ever gave me — buddies for all times,” Thornton stated throughout a prolonged speech that included because of his former teammates, coaches, executives and relations that helped him all through his profession.
Thornton walked out to the ceremony nattily wearing a black go well with and high hat. He walked by way of the present members of the Sharks — sporting pretend beards in his honor — earlier than coming by way of the famed Shark head to thunderous applause.
Dozens of his former teammates had been readily available and gave tributes on a prolonged video to the participant merely often known as “Jumbo.”
“It feels good to be again,” Thornton stated.
Together with his pinpoint passing, infectious pleasure and signature beard, Thornton turned the face of the Sharks franchise and was honored together with his No. 19 jersey being raised to the rafters.
Thornton joins longtime teammate Patrick Marleau as the one gamers to have their jerseys retired by the Sharks. It is becoming that they’re aspect by aspect because the entered the NHL as the highest two picks within the 1997 draft and spent 13 seasons collectively in San Jose.
“Thanks for making hockey enjoyable, even within the hardest moments,” Marleau stated in his tribute. “I am very grateful and honored that your banner goes to be up subsequent to mine.”
Thornton entered the NHL because the No. 1 general choose by Boston however had his biggest success in 15 seasons with San Jose following a commerce to the Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005.
Thornton ranks first in Sharks historical past with 804 assists, second with 1,055 factors, third with 1,104 video games performed and fourth with 251 targets. He helped remodel the Sharks from a middling franchise to a perennial contender.
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“San Jose is his metropolis and the Sharks are his workforce,” former teammate Joe Pavelski stated in his first public look on the Shark Tank since retiring final season in Dallas.
Thornton performed 1,714 regular-season video games over his profession, recording 1,109 assists and 430 targets. He was a four-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist for Canada in 2010 and received the Hart Trophy as MVP and Artwork Ross Trophy as scoring chief in 2005-06 after getting traded early that season from Boston to San Jose.
Thornton ranks seventh alltime in assists, 14th in factors with 1,539 and sixth in video games performed.
About the one factor Thornton did not accomplish was profitable a Stanley Cup, shedding in his solely journey to the ultimate spherical in 2016 with the Sharks towards the Pittsburgh Penguins.
However together with his pristine playmaking colleges and iconic beard, Thornton turned the face of the Sharks franchise after being acquired from Boston on Nov. 30, 2005.
San Jose had solely intermittent success earlier than his arrival however made the playoffs all however two seasons throughout Thornton’s time with the Sharks with the most effective regular-season file within the NHL in that span.
He helped the workforce win the Presidents’ Trophy because the workforce with the most effective file in 2008-09, make back-to-back convention finals appearances in 2010 and ’11, the Stanley Cup last in 2016 and one other journey to the Western Convention last in 2019.
“Thanks, Sharks followers,” Thornton stated to finish his speech, “and like I stated once I retired, ‘I am going to see you on the rink. Peace and love. Go Sharks.'”
