Joe Thornton

At 44 years old, Joe Thornton has this physical status:

Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks.

In the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, he was voted first overall by the Boston Bruins and went on to play seven seasons with the club, three as its captain.

He was traded to the Sharks in 2005-06 during the 2005-06 season.

He received the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophies as the league's most valuable player and best player, respectively, making him one of the league's top line center players.

He is widely regarded as one of the best passers of all time, and he is one of only 13 players to reach 1,000 points in history.

He was born 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds and earned the nickname "Jumbo Joe" or "Jumbo" due to his height and Jumbo the elephant that was killed in 1885 in St. Thomas, Ontario, where Thornton was raised.

Personal life

Thornton is married to Tabea Pfendsack, who he encountered while playing in Switzerland during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. They have a daughter and a son. Thornton, who was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, became a naturalized American citizen in July 2009 at a Campbell, California, a suburb of San Jose; he later obtained a Swiss passport. Joe and Scott Thornton, both former Sharks teammates, are first cousins.

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Playing career

Thornton grew up playing minor hockey for the St. Thomas Travellers in St. Thomas, Ontario. He played "AA" hockey for the Travelers, and in peewee, he earned the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship in 1992–93. His Bantam year was the first for the newly created "AAA" Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs group, and Thornton joined the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario's "AAA" Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs team in 1993-94. The formation of this group allowed the St. Thomas Minor Hockey Association to compete on a "A" level. He appeared in six games for the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), scoring eight points in six games as a 14-year-old during his bantam season. Thornton was drafted second overall in the 1995 OHL Draft to the Sault Ste. 104 points in 50 games as a 15-year-old and reeled off 104 points in 50 games over the course of 50 games. Daniel Tkaczuk, who was selected by the Barrie Colts, was a member of Marie Greyhounds behind Daniel Tkaczuk.

Thornton played for the Greyhounds from 1995 to 1996, and he spent two years in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In his first year, he had a 76-point record in his first year, winning both OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year awards. Thornton's following season, the Oshawa Generals' Marc Savard was second in league scoring behind him, and was named to the OHL second All-Star squad.

Thornton was drafted first overall by the Boston Bruins in 1997 NHL Entry Draft, his second OHL season. Thornton suffered with a fractured arm in the Bruins' pre-season, but the team made their roster for the 1997–98 season. In a 3–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on December 3, 1997, he scored his first career NHL goal. Pat Burns, the Boston head coach, was measured in his Thornton deployment, using him almost exclusively on the fourth line and making him a healthy scratch. He has played eight minutes and five seconds per game over the course of the season, totaling three goals and seven points in 55 games as a rookie. Thornton was scoreless in six games in the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Thornton saw much more ice time in 81 games, rising to 41 points in 81 games, as well as a 9-point effort in 11 playoff games.

Thornton continued to develop into a key player in the Bruins' line-up, with his points up in each of the following two seasons. He was appointed team captain before the 2002-03 season, replacing Jason Allison, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 2001; the captaincy position was open for a complete year after Allison's departure. Thornton played 68 points in his first season as team captain. With 36 goals, a career high, and 65 assists, he had his first 100-point season in a lifetime. He came in third in NHL point scoring, behind Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche and Markus Näslund of the Vancouver Canucks, who came in third place.

In 77 games during the 2003–04 season, Thornton's output dropped to 73 points. During a game on January 19, 2004, he suffered a fractured right cheekbone in a match with New York Rangers center Eric Lindros. After Lindros cross-checked Thornton in the head, the two power forwards fought. The injury required surgery, excluding him from the line-up for three games. Thornton's goal-scoring output has also declined, but it hasn't recovered; his last 30-goal season was 2002-03.

Thornton played for HC Davos of the Swiss National League A (NLA) during the 2005 NHL lockout. He fought on a line with fellow NHL players Rick Nash and Niklas Hagman, assisting the Davos in winning the League championship and the Spengler Cup. Nash and Thornton have since kept in touch with HC Davos and their longtime coach Arno del Curto; Thornton has returned to train with the team for up to a month each summer.

Thornton became a restricted free agent in summer 2005 ahead of the NHL resuming in 2005–06. Thornton was reportedly dissatisfied with the Bruins' direction, as well as furious with rumors of his involvement in the Bruins' early playoff departure in 2004. Thornton's leadership style was apparently unsatisfied with his job description and he did not raise his level of play during the playoffs, according to Boston's front office. Nonetheless, Thornton re-signed with Boston on August 11, 2005, to a three-year, $20 million deal.

Thornton dominated the 2005-06 season (33 points in 24 games), making him the team's top scorer by a large margin, but the Bruins were struggling in the standings. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks in a four-player contract, bringing forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston in exchange for Thornton. In June 2011, Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell said he'would still make the trade" and that it was "satisfying" that Boston had won a Stanley Cup before Thornton's new team had won the race before Thornton's new team's new team did. Thornton's character was both on and off-ice at the time, according to O'Connell, who was playing his second full season with the Bruins when the trade began. O'Connell remembered making the call with assistant general manager Jeff Gorton rather than Thornton. Despite O'Connell's stance, the trade is widely believed to be one of the most lopsided deals in NHL history.

Thornton improved the Sharks' fortunes and struck instant chemistry with winger Jonathan Cheechoo upon landing in San Jose. Thornton wore the "A" during the absence of normal alternate captain Alyn McCauley from the San Jose line-up, and wore it for the first time as a Shark in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on March 30, 2006, when McCauley was out of the lineup for the remainder of the season. Thornton's season ended with a league-leading 96 assists and 125 points total, winning the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer after completing 92 games with the Sharks since the trade. He was the first player to win the award despite splitting the season between two teams. Cheechoo also enjoyed a fruitful run in the NBA, winning the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer with 56 goals. Thornton was criticized once more for his play in the 2006 playoffs, after the Sharks were defeated in the second round by two goals and 9 points. Thornton was honoured for his regular season play in the off-season and was given the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's regular season MVP for the Art Ross Trophy. He is the first player in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy while playing for two separate teams in the same season.

Thornton was awarded a permanent alternate captaincy in the 2006–07 season, but the first half of the season was marred by a toe injury that didn't recover until January 2007. Thornton had a fruitful second half, defeating Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby for a second-consecutive scoring title late in the year, ending sixth, with 114 points behind Crosby. Thornton made history by winning back-to-back 90th seasons with a record-breaking 92 assists, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Thornton led the Sharks to the first round of the Nashville Predators in the 2007 playoffs by scoring six assists. He was a goal and three assists in the first three games of the series, advancing to the second round against the Detroit Red Wings. However, Thornton was practically neutralized by Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidström for the remainder of the season, after the Sharks were eliminated in six games.

Thornton has been a member of the Sharks since June 2011, and he has been on a three-year contract extension worth US$21.6 million. Thornton finished fifth in NHL scoring in 2007-08 with 96 points (29 goals and 67 assists). Thornton was named captain of the Western Conference for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal in 2008-09. He scored 86 points on the season's first season. As the Sharks were eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, he scored a goal and four assists in six games.

The Sharks acquired Dany Heatley in a three-player swap that gave Thornton's struggling former linemate Jonathan Cheechoo, left-winger Milan Michálek, and a second-round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators in September 2009. Patrick Marleau, a college captain from Thornton, Heatley, and Sharks captain Patrick Marleau were all welcomed on the Sharks' top line and enjoyed immediate offensive success together. The three guys were instrumental in the Sharks' best-ever regular seasons in franchise history. Despite the fact that the line's growth slowed in the second half of the season, all three Sharks players ranked in the league's top 15 in point scoring. Thornton's 89 points ranked eighth in League scoring, while Marleau and Heatley finished 14th and 15th in league scoring with 83 and 82 points, respectively. For the second year in a row, the Sharks qualified as the first seed in the Western Conference in the Western Conference. The Sharks were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Finals after progressing past the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings in the first two rounds. Thornton posted a career-high 12 points in 15 games in the playoffs.

Following the layoff, team leadership vacated all of the Sharks' captaincies, including Thornton's role as one of the alternate captains. He was chosen to replace Rob Blake as the eighth captain in team history prior to the 2010-11 season. He signed a three-year, US$21 million contract extension with the Sharks, nine days later. Thornton beat the New Jersey Devils 5–2 in their fourth hat-trick of his NHL career against Martin Brodeur on Saturday in a 5–2 win. Thornton was suspended two games for a tense hit to the head against St. Louis Blues forward David Perron in November 2010. Perezon missed the remaining 72 games of the 2010–11 season due to post-concussion syndrome. On December 3, 2011, he returned after missing 97 games in a span of 13 months (394 days). Thornton eclipsed Marleau as the Sharks' all-time leader in assists later in the season. In a game against the Phoenix Coyotes on April 8, 2011, Thornton scored his 1,000th career point with a goal. Thornton advanced the Sharks to the second round of the 2011 playoffs after scoring a series of goals in overtime of Game 6 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Thornton signed a three-year contract extension with the Sharks from January 24, 2014.

Thornton ranked 46th on the all-time points leaders (1,194) and 24th on the all-time assist leaders (852) for the NHL at the end of the 2013–14 season. With 567, he became the San Jose Sharks' all-time leader in assists. Thornton scored 111 points, just six short of their franchise's all-time record, and was one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the third time this season. The Sharks won the first three games in the best-of-seven tournament, defeating their in-state rival Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. Los Angeles won the next four games and became just the fourth team in NHL history to win a playoff series after losing three games to none. Thornton had just two goals and an assist in the playoffs.

Thornton had been stripped of his captaincy and the Sharks would start the 2014-15 season without a captain, according to Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. Joe Pavelski was eventually named Sharks captain at the start of the 2015–16 season.

Thornton's second assist of the game, Joe Pavelski's second appearance in his career during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on January 26, 2015, on his 1,300th career point, despite being assisting on a Joe Pavelski goal. Thornton is the 33rd player in NHL history to reach 1,300 points, second among active players (Jaromr Jágr being first). The Sharks lost to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2003, with Thornton scoring 16 goals and 49 assists during the 2014–15 season.

Thornton's return to the playoffs after a one-year absence during the 2015–16 season featured 19 goals and 63 assists. The Sharks defeated the Kings in the first round of five games in the 2016 playoffs, avenging a loss two years ago. For the first time since 2011, the Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators in seven games and advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. This was also Thornton's first appearance in the Finals in his career. The Sharks did not win in six games in the Finals, while the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. With 21 and second in playoff assists, Thornton ranked fifth in playoff points with 18. Thornton was named a Second-Team All-Star for the 2015-2016 season at the end of the season.

Thornton earned his 1,000th NHL assist in a game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 6, 2017, becoming the 13th player in NHL history to reach the milestone. Thornton made the most assists among the league's active players since 1997.

Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Sharks in July 1, 2017. Thornton sustained ACL and MCL damage in January 2018 and missed the remainder of the season after recovering from surgery.

Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Sharks for the 2018-19 season on July 2, 2018. With 1,500 games played and 1,000 assists, he scored his 400th goal in his career to date on November 13, 2018. As of 2018, this feat has only been won by six other players in NHL history. Thornton won by 7–2 over the Vancouver Canucks on February 11, 2019, securing their ninth position on the NHL all-time assists list. Thornton and the Sharks will both qualify for the Western Conference Finals, but they were knocked out by the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in six games. During the playoffs, Thornton scored four goals and six assists.

On September 6, 2019, he re-signed to a one-year, $2 million contract to remain with the Sharks. In a 3–1 victory over the Calgary Flames on February 4, 2020, he scored his 1,500th career point in his career. The Sharks had a rough start to the season this season, and they did not make it to the playoffs. Thornton expressed dissatisfaction with his not being traded to a playoff team before the February 24 trade deadline to allow him the opportunity to win his first Stanley Cup, as had happened with longtime teammate Marleau.

Thornton returned to HC Davos of the National League for a third stint in 2020 as the 2020–21 NHL season was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He did not count against the import limit because he had been a Swiss citizen since 2019, and did not worry about the import limit.

Thornton's one-year, $700,000 deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs began on October 16, 2020. Thornton departed Davos, Alberta, on December 14, 2020, to return to Toronto for the start of training camp. Thornton scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf on January 16, 2021. Thornton sustained a fractured rib injury after being struck by Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald on January 22, 2021. Thornton made it back to the bench on February 27, scoring 20 points in 44 games. Thornton scored one goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Thornton returned for his 24th appearance in the NHL on August 13, 2021, after signing a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Florida Panthers.

Career statistics

Bold indicates led league

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