Joe Thornton spent his career setting up perfect passes for his teammates, helping them score goals. His jersey retirement ceremony on Saturday gave his former San Jose teammates a chance to honor him for his play, leadership, and friendship. Their tributes brought Thornton to tears during an emotional afternoon.
“The best thing hockey ever gave me — friends for life,” Thornton said during a heartfelt speech, thanking his former teammates, coaches, executives, and family members who supported him throughout his career.
Dressed in a black suit and top hat, Thornton walked out to the ceremony. He passed through the current Sharks players, who wore fake beards in his honor, and entered through the iconic Shark head to loud applause.
Many of his former teammates were present and shared tributes in a special video for the player known as “Jumbo.”
“It feels good to be back,” Thornton said.
With his perfect passing, joyful personality, and famous beard, Thornton became the face of the Sharks franchise. His No. 19 jersey was raised to the rafters in honor of his legacy.
Thornton now joins longtime teammate Patrick Marleau as the only players to have their jerseys retired by the Sharks. It’s especially fitting that they are together, as they were both top draft picks in 1997 and spent 13 seasons playing together in San Jose.
“Thank you for making hockey fun, even in the hardest moments,” Marleau said in his tribute. “I’m very thankful and honored that your banner is going to be up next to mine.”
Thornton was the No. 1 overall pick by Boston but achieved his greatest success in 15 seasons with San Jose after being traded to the Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005.
He ranks first in Sharks history with 804 assists, second with 1,055 points, third with 1,104 games played, and fourth with 251 goals. He helped turn the Sharks from a struggling team into a consistent contender.
“San Jose is his city and the Sharks are his team,” said former teammate Joe Pavelski, who was making his first public appearance at the Shark Tank since retiring last season in Dallas.
Over his entire career, Thornton played 1,714 regular season games, recording 1,109 assists and 430 goals. He was a four-time All-Star, won an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2010, and earned the Hart Trophy as MVP and the Art Ross Trophy as the scoring leader in 2005-06 after his trade to San Jose.
Thornton ranks seventh all-time in assists, 14th in points with 1,539, and sixth in games played. The only major achievement Thornton didn’t reach was winning a Stanley Cup. His team lost in the final round in 2016 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But despite not winning the Cup, Thornton became the face of the Sharks franchise after his trade from Boston in 2005.
Before his arrival, San Jose only had limited success, but they made the playoffs all but two seasons during Thornton’s time with the team. The Sharks also had the best regular season record in the NHL during that time.
Thornton helped the team win the Presidents’ Trophy in 2008-09, make back-to-back conference finals appearances in 2010 and 2011, reach the Stanley Cup final in 2016, and make another trip to the Western Conference final in 2019.
“Thank you, Sharks fans,” Thornton said to end his speech. “And like I said when I retired, ‘I’ll see you at the rink. Peace and love. Go Sharks.’”
