Warriors Honor Joe Thornton at Sharks Jersey Retirement Ceremony

Joe Thornton is almost certainly the greatest player in the history of the San Jose Sharks. He played 15 seasons in his 24-year career with the Sharks and he helped transform the team into a perennial playoff team — albeit one that fell short of winning the Stanley Cup.

Thornton played his last NHL game in 2022 and the Sharks recognized his lengthy career and tremendous contribution with a No. 19 jersey retirement ceremony Saturday night prior to the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Many of Thornton’s past teammates made an appearance at the ceremony, including Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau. The Golden State Warriors recognized the hockey great’s contributions to the Bay Area with a post the basketball team offered on X.

Overall, Thornton played in 1,714 NHL games. He was one of the greatest playmakers in NHL history as he racked up 1,109 assists to go with 430 goals for a total of 1,539 points. That total ranks 14th on the all-time NHL list.

The 45-year-old Thornton was the No. 1 draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 1997. He played seven full seasons with the Bruins, starting in 1997-98 and he stayed with the Original 6 team until early in the 2005-06 season when he was traded to the Sharks. His best season with the Bruins came in 2002-03 when he scored 36 goals and added 65 assists for 101 points.

He added 73 points the following year, but he was held pointless in the team’s first-round defeat to the Montreal Canadiens after gaining a 3-1 series lead, and was largely blamed for the loss.

Thornton turns it on after trade to Sharks

The trade to San Jose paid immediate dividends for the Sharks and Thornton. He closed out the 2005-06 season with 29 goals and a league-leading 96 assists and 125 points. Thornton seemed to be relieved to be playing in a new environment and his team and West Coast hockey fans embraced him.

He had another brilliant season in 2006-07 when he tallied 22 goals and 92 assists for 114 points. Thornton followed that season a 96-point effort in 2007-08.

Throughout his long career that also included stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, Thornton was known for his tremendous pinpoint passing as well as his dominance in the face-off circle. The NHL started keeping track of faceoff success officially in the 2007-08 season and he was on the positive side of the ledger for 12 straight seasons, with a career-best mark of 58.5 percent in 2012-13.

The Sharks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. They lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games after defeating the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues. Thornton had an excellent run in that postseason, scoring 3 goals and 18 assists in 24 games.

Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.”