A teary-eyed Joe Thornton thanked his household, his former teammates, and the NHL organizations he performed for, together with the Sharks, as he was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame on Monday evening in Toronto.
Thornton was a part of an esteemed Class of 2025, which included former NHL stars Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, and Alexander Mogilny, and girls’s hockey greats Brianna Decker and Jennifer Botterill within the Participant Class, and coaches Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau within the Builder Class.
Thornton and Keith helped Canada win the gold medal on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and Parker, the previous longtime coach at Boston College, was a mentor to a number of former Sharks gamers and to ex-Sharks coach David Quinn.
Thornton stated after he received Olympic gold, he noticed a unadorned girl on a motorbike waving a maple leaf flag and stated, “I looked at my pregnant (Swiss) wife (Tabea) and said, ‘I’m so proud to be Canadian.’”
Thornton was moved when he talked about his dad and mom, Wayne and Mary, who raised three boys in the home they in-built St. Thomas, Ontario.
After Thornton thanked Corridor of Famers like Pat LaFontaine, Cam Neely, Eric Lindros, and Steve Yzerman “for setting the bar and creating a dream inside of me,” he added, “That dream was made on Crescent Ave. in a 1,200 square foot house that my mom and dad built and where they still live today. Wayne and Mary, my parents, you were the beginning, the middle, and the end of my story.”
Thornton was welcomed to the Corridor of Fame by the Corridor’s outgoing chairman, Lanny McDonald, who was inducted in 1992.
A number of of Thornton’s former teammates, together with Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture, plus members of the Sharks’ entrance workplace and group, have been in Toronto to be part of the celebration. Thornton was elected to the Hockey Corridor of Fame in June in his first yr of eligibility and have become the primary participant who spent nearly all of his profession with the Sharks to be inducted.
Contemplating what Thornton achieved in his profession, it’s not laborious to see why.
Joe Thornton will get emotional discussing his upbringing. pic.twitter.com/qrPtvhI7BZ
Nicknamed ‘Jumbo,’ a nod to Jumbo the elephant, who, as a part of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, died in a practice accident in 1885 in his hometown of St. Thomas, Thornton received the Hart Trophy and led the NHL in scoring in 2005-06, and his 1,539 factors rank him 14th all-time.
Thornton was drafted No. 1 total by Boston in 1997 and performed eight seasons with the Bruins. In that point, Thornton captained the Bruins from 2002 to 2005 and led the staff in scoring 3 times, together with 101 factors in 2002-03.
In probably the most vital commerce in Sharks historical past, Thornton was acquired by San Jose from Boston on Nov. 30, 2005.
He performed 15 seasons with the Sharks from 2005 to 2020, and in his first season with San Jose, Thornton led the NHL in scoring with 125 factors, profitable the Artwork Ross Trophy. He additionally received the Hart Trophy because the participant adjudged to be most precious to his staff, turning into the primary participant in NHL historical past to win the scoring title after being traded mid-season.
“I was with my parents, my girlfriend, when I got a phone call and I was told I was traded to San Jose,” Thornton stated of the November 2005 commerce that despatched him from the Boston Bruins to the Sharks. “It was a hard few hours, but then it hit me: I’m 26, I’m in the prime of my career, so let’s go west. I played two nights later, and our head coach, Ronnie Wilson, one of the best, said, ‘Joe, just go play hockey.’”
Joe Thornton discusses his commerce from Boston to San Jose in his Corridor of Fame speech. pic.twitter.com/dL9mszgGPL
Thornton was solely the third participant in NHL historical past to steer the league in assists three consecutive seasons. He led the Sharks in scoring eight occasions and helped lead the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Ultimate in 2016. Thornton was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Staff in 2005-06 and the Second All-Star Staff in 2015-16.
“Being a Shark is something I’m extremely proud of, and I sure have been enjoying watching the team play this year,” Thornton stated as he acknowledged Macklin Celebrini, who’s staying at Thornton’s home within the South Bay.
“Macklin, I can’t wait to continue being roommates with you. I’ll be coming in hot.”
Thornton completed his taking part in profession with one-year stints in Toronto (2020-2021) and Florida (2021-2022) and formally introduced his retirement on Oct. 28, 2023. In 1,714 regular-season video games, Thornton had 430 objectives and 1,109 assists for 1,539 factors, 14th most all-time. Thornton additionally had 134 factors in 187 NHL playoff video games.
Internationally, Thornton helped Canada win gold on the 1997 World Junior Championship and the 2004 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The Sharks retired his quantity ‘19’ in 2024, and earlier this yr, he was named to the NHL Quarter Century Staff.
Thornton formally started his three-day celebration on Saturday as he and different honored members of this yr’s class acquired their Corridor of Fame rings and blazers.
An emotional Joe Thornton discusses his household and assembly his spouse in Switzerland throughout the lockout. pic.twitter.com/V5T7znY89t
Thornton returned to his hometown of St. Thomas on Saturday evening and was honored by one in all his youth hockey groups, the St. Thomas Stars, on the area that bears his identify. This yr’s inductees have been acknowledged Sunday evening earlier than the Toronto Maple Leafs performed the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Area.
