NHL legend officially announces his retirement
Joe Thornton has announced his retirement from the NHL today. In a video on the San Jose Sharks twitter (X) page,
Thornton played in 24 NHL seasons, recording 430 goals and 1109 assists in 1714 games played. The 1997 first overall pick won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading NHL scorer and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the MVP in the 2005-2006 season.
Thornton began his career in Boston, where he had a bumpy start to his career. Thornton would only score 7 points in his first year, where he primarily played 4th line minutes. The following season, Thornton improved as the season went on and by his 3rd NHL season, Thornton showed signs of his future greatness, recording 60 points in 81 games.
Thornton would be traded from the Bruins to the San Jose Sharks in the 2005-2006 season. Thornton finished his tenure with the Bruins with 454 points in 532 games. He joined the Sharks en route to his first (and only) MVP.
Thornton went on to play 1104 games with the Sharks. He is widely regarded as one of the best passers in the NHL. As a Shark, he registered 251 goals and 804 assists. Thornton wore the Captaincy for the Sharks from 2010-2011 to 2013-14. He was also assistant captain from 2005-2006 to 2009-2010 and 2014-15 to 2019-2020.
Thornton also played with Florida and Toronto in his last few seasons in the NHL. Thornton's last season was with the Maple Leafs in 2021-2022. Thornton did not play last season but did not officially close the door on an NHL return until today.
Thornton is a first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer. The 44-year-old has stated that he will be back at the rink. Potentially hinting at a job with an NHL team. Thornton has plenty of experience and could be of interest to many teams.
