SAN JOSE, Calif. — Joe Thornton spent a career setting up his teammates with the perfect passes that helped them score goals.
His jersey retirement ceremony Saturday was an opportunity for his former San Jose teammates to dish out the compliments for his play, leadership and friendship in tributes that repeatedly forced him to wipe away tears on an emotional afternoon.
“The best thing hockey ever gave me — friends for life,” Thornton said during a lengthy speech that included thanks to his former teammates, coaches, executives and family members that helped him throughout his career.
Thornton walked out to the ceremony nattily dressed in a black suit and top hat. He walked through the current members of the Sharks — wearing fake beards in his honor — before coming through the famed Shark head to thunderous applause.
Dozens of his former teammates were on hand and gave tributes on a lengthy video to the player simply known as “Jumbo.”
“It feels good to be back,” Thornton said.
With his pinpoint passing, infectious joy and signature beard, Thornton became the face of the Sharks franchise and was honored with his No. 19 jersey being raised to the rafters.
Thornton joins longtime teammate Patrick Marleau as the only players to have their jerseys retired by the Sharks. It’s fitting that they are side by side as the entered the NHL as the top two picks in the 1997 draft and spent 13 seasons 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 entered the NHL as the No. 1 overall pick by Boston but had his greatest success in 15 seasons with San Jose following a trade to the Sharks on Nov. 30, 2005.
Thornton 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 transform the Sharks from a middling franchise to a perennial contender.
“San Jose is his city and the Sharks are his team,” former teammate Joe Pavelski said in his first public appearance at the Shark Tank since retiring last season in Dallas.
Thornton played 1,714 regular-season games over his career, recording 1,109 assists and 430 goals. He was a four-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist for Canada in 2010 and won the Hart Trophy as MVP and Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader in 2005-06 after getting traded early that season from Boston to San Jose.
Thornton ranks seventh alltime in assists, 14th in points with 1,539 and sixth in games played.
About the only thing Thornton didn’t accomplish was winning a Stanley Cup, losing in his only trip to the final round in 2016 with the Sharks against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But with his pristine playmaking schools and iconic beard, Thornton became the face of the Sharks franchise after being acquired from Boston on Nov. 30, 2005.
San Jose had only intermittent success before his arrival but made the playoffs all but two seasons during Thornton’s time with the Sharks with the best regular-season record in the NHL in that span.
He helped the team win the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best record in 2008-09, make back-to-back conference finals appearances in 2010 and ’11, the Stanley Cup final in 2016 and 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.'”