Joe Thornton

For other people named Joseph Thornton, see Joseph Thornton.

Joe Thornton
Thornton with the San Jose Sharks in April 2016
Born (1979-07-02) July 2, 1979 (age 45)
St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 219 lb (99 kg; 15 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
HC Davos
San Jose Sharks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Florida Panthers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 1st overall, 1997
Boston Bruins
Playing career 1997–2022

Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the Bruins in the 1997 NHL entry draft and went on to play seven seasons with the club, three as its captain. During the 2005–06 season, he was traded to the Sharks. Splitting the campaign between the two teams, he received the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's leading point-scorer and most valuable player, respectively, becoming the only player in NHL history to win either award in a season played for multiple teams.[1] Thornton went on to play another 14 seasons with the Sharks, including four seasons as team captain and a run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Thornton was the last active NHL player and the last big 4 North American sports player to have played in the 1990s.[2]

Thornton's on-ice vision, strength on the puck, deft passing ability and power forward style of play led to him becoming one of the league's premier centres and playmakers.[3] He is widely regarded as one of the best passers of all time, and he is one of only seven players in history with 1,100 NHL assists.[4] His nickname "Jumbo Joe" is a nod to his large stature and to Jumbo the elephant, who died in St. Thomas, Ontario, where Thornton was raised.[5][6]

  1. ^ McKeon, Ross (June 23, 2006). "NHL Awards / 'Humbled' Thornton named MVP". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  2. ^ DeMartino, Joe (May 26, 2021). "Adam Vinatieri was one of the last players standing from the '90s". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference trade-to-sj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "NHL & WHA Career Leaders and Records for Assists". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  5. ^ Brennan, Pat (September 8, 2010). "Jumbo the elephant leaves a big legend in southern Ontario". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 29, 2018. Joe Thornton, an NHL star with the San Jose Sharks, is known as Jumboin part because he hails from St. Thomas.
  6. ^ Rea, Kyle (July 10, 2010). "St. Thomas honours its hockey hero with banner". St. Thomas Journal. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2018. The nickname is a homage to Jumbo, the famous elephant killed in St. Thomas 125 years ago.