Joe Thornton: Ten Years As A San Jose Shark
Ten years ago today, the fate of the San Jose Sharks organization drastically changed. Why you might ask?
Well, today is the date when Joe Thornton made his Sharks debut, a 5-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, which looking at how things went since, was no small feat.
In all seriousness, Thornton has forever altered the perception of the NHL franchise in the Bay Area, providing the Sharks with a true super star and building block for many years to come. As Darin Stephens points out, no player has played in more games or had more assists than Thornton since he first donned that teal sweater 10 years ago.
Since Dec. 2, 2005, Thornton leads the NHL with 777 games and 628 assists.
— Darin Stephens (@SharksStats) December 2, 2015
In fact, there are only two other players who have amassed more points than Thornton’s 820 with the Sharks, and those are two guys named Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
Thornton’s impact was immediately felt in San Jose as he helped turn around a floundering Sharks team into a playoff contender. In 58 games with the Sharks in 2005-06, he racked up 20 goals and an incredible 72 assists, an average of 1.59 points per game. He was awarded with the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP, along with the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer, the only time a Sharks player has won either award in the franchise’s 25 years.
He would back his play up the next year, recording 22 goals and 92 assists in his first full season as a member of the Sharks. Thornton seemed to fit in perfectly with the more relaxed atmosphere in the Bay Area rather than constantly being under the microscope as a member of the Boston Bruins.
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In San Jose, Thornton was reunited with his friend Patrick Marleau, who was taken one spot behind Thornton in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft at number two. Thornton holds many of the franchise’s offensive records, and those he doesn’t hold, he’s likely second behind Marleau. Thornton leads the Sharks with 628 assists, plus/minus (155) and points per game (1.06), while being second in points (820) and games played (777).
Now, his time in San Jose hasn’t been all smooth sailing as Thornton, and Marleau, have shouldered the blame for many of the Sharks’ playoff shortcomings. In fact, after their latest playoff collapse, the organization stripped Thornton of his captaincy position, and a feud seem to wage all last year between Thornton and the franchise because of this.
While Thornton has posted very solid postseason numbers with 24 goals and 76 assists (0.76 points per game) in 132 games, his numbers don’t match the points he was able to post during the regular season where he’s registered 361 goals and 913 assists (0.97 points per game) in more than 1,300 career games. It’s that perception, fairly or unfairly, that has earned Thornton a reputation as someone who has always fallen short.
However, there’s a very strong argument to be made that many of those Sharks teams throughout the years would never have made it that far if not for the talents of Thornton. He had the ability, and continues to do so, to elevate the play of his wingers by setting them up time and again. There’s no better evidence of this than when he turned Jonathan Cheechoo into a 56-goal scorer when Thornton arrived in 2005-06.
Thornton has the feeling of a player who won’t fully be appreciated until he is no longer around to showcase how much the Sharks have relied upon him. He has definitely provided plenty of memories throughout the years, highlighted by his epic slide after scoring the decisive goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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While Thornton is still writing his legacy in San Jose, his presence has been immense. He came to the Sharks organization at the perfect time and helped elevate this franchise into one of the premiere destinations in the Western Conference.
It’s unfortunate for Thornton and Sharks fans everywhere that they’ve never been able to hoist the Cup together, but don’t let that cloud the tremendous impact Thornton has had on this organization both on and off the ice.
San Jose may never again see a playmaker as lethal as Thornton has been during his 10-plus years in teal.