gold star for USAHOF

1. Joe Thornton

  • Published in Hockey
  • Read 888 times
  • Rate this item
    2.8 5
    (5 votes)
1. Joe Thornton

Longevity.  Statistics.  Greatness.

Joe Thornton was drafted as the number one overall pick by the Boston Bruins in 1997. His early years in the NHL were slow due to the Bruins Head Coach, Pat Burns, monitoring his ice time. However, by his third season, Thornton became a regular fixture and scored 60 points, which was the first of his 16 seasons in which he scored at least 60 points.

Thornton became an All-Star for the first time in 2002 and broke out as a superstar the following season with a 101-point year. He blossomed as a center, using his size and power to dominate corners and his grace to pass the puck. He was one of the most gifted playmakers of his day, and he would be for years to come. However, it was not going to be in Boston.

In 2003-04, Thornton's points dropped to 73, and fans turned on him, especially after his poor performance in the 2004 playoffs. When play resumed in 2005 after a lockout that cost everyone the 2004-05 season, Thornton was a restricted free agent, and though he resigned with the Bruins, it was a terse negotiation leaving both sides unhappy. Thornton got off to a good start with 33 points in 24 games, but the damage was done, and he was not considered by management to be a leader. He was traded to the San Jose Sharks during the season and, with a chip on his shoulder, won the Art Ross Trophy (125 points), Assists Title (96), and Hart Trophy, making him the first and only player to win the Hart and Art Ross while playing for two different teams.

In San Jose, Thornton became the leader Boston thought he couldn’t be. He topped the NHL in assists the next two seasons and was still a playmaking force over the next ten seasons, performing at a high level over the next decade. The Sharks were Stanley Cup contenders and made the Finals in 2011, but they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. Age and injury began to catch up to him, and he tried to chase that elusive cup late in his career with stops in Toronto and Florida. However, it was not meant to be. He retired with 1,539 points and is in the top ten all-time in games played and assists.

Internationally, Thornton has won a bevy of gold medals: one Olympic, two World Cups, and one World Junior.

With six All-Stars, four post-season All-Stars, individual hardware, and international gold, the only thing Joe Thornton is missing is a Stanley Cup. Nevertheless, his achievements make him a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The Bullet Points

  • Country of Origin: London, Ontario, Canada
  • Eligible Since: Wednesday, 01 January 2025
  • Position: Center
  • Games Played: 1714
  • Notable Statistics:

    430 Goals
    1,109 Assists
    1,539 Points
    +182 Plus/Minus
    631 PIM
    346.Blocked Shots*
    637 Hits*
    836 Takeaways*
    997 Giveaways*
    163.1 Point Shares

    144 Playoff Games
    25 Goals
    90 Assists
    115 Points
    -22 Plus/Minus
    18 PIM
    64 Blocked Shots*
    131 Hits*
    118 Takeaways*
    145 Giveaways*

    *These stats were first implemented in the 2007/08 Season

  • Played For: Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Non-NHL Teams:

    Team Canada (Olympics 2006 & 2010, World Cup of Hockey 2004 & 2016, World Hockey Championships 2001 & 2005, World Junior Championships 1997)
    H.C. Davos (Swiss League)
    Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Hart Trophy (2006)
    Art Ross Trophy (2006)
    First Team All-Star (2006)
    Second Team All-Star (2003, 2008 & 2016)
    All-Star (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 & 2009)
    Most Assists (2005-06, 2006-07 & 2007-08)
    Most Points (2005-06)
    Most Assists per Game (2005-06 & 2006-07)
    Most Points per Game (2005-06)
    Stanley Cup Rings (None)
    Olympic Gold Medal (1) (Canada, 2010)
    World Cup of Hockey Gold Medal (2) (Canada, 2004 & 2016)
    World Junior Hockey Championship Gold Medal (1) (Canada 1997)

  • Notable Top Ten Finishes: Top Ten Hart Trophy Finishes: 4th in 2003, 1st in 2006, 5th in 2007, 6th in 2008, 9th in 2009 & 5th in 2016 Top Ten Frank J. Selke Trophy Finishes: 5th in 2016 
    12 Top Ten Assists Finishes
    6 Top Ten Points Finishes
    1 Top Ten Plus/Minus Finish
    1 Top Ten Power Play Goals Finish
    3 Top Ten Shooting Percentage Finishes
    3 Top Ten Offensive Point Share Finishes
    1 Top Ten Point Share Finishes
  • Rankings: 6. Games Played: 1,714
    7. Assists: 1,109
    14. Points: 1,539
    23. Offensive Point Shares: 118.3
    30. Point Shares: 163.1
    46. Assists per Game: 0.65
    59. Power Play Goals: 146
    75. Game-Winning Goals: 68
    81. Goals: 430
    89. Plus/Minus: 182

Should Joe Thornton be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 100%
Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 0%
Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 0%
No opinion. - 0%
No way! - 0%

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 58

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 58

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 58

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 58

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 60

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 60

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 60

Warning: Attempt to read property "city" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 60

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 60

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 61

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 61

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 61

Warning: Attempt to read property "state" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 61

Warning: Attempt to read property "stateCode" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 61

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "address" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "line1" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "city" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "country" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 62

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 69

Warning: Attempt to read property "attractions" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 69

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 69

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 69

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 73

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 73

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 73

Warning: Attempt to read property "location" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 73

Warning: Attempt to read property "longitude" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 73

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$_embedded in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 74

Warning: Attempt to read property "venues" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 74

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 74

Warning: Attempt to read property "location" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 74

Warning: Attempt to read property "latitude" on null in /home/notinhal/public_html/modules/mod_seatgeek/helper.php on line 74

THE SPORTS MUSEUM TOUR & BOSTON BRUINS HERITAGE HALL

Apr 06, 2025

Buy your Tickets to see The Sports Museum Tour & Boston Bruins Heritage Hall HERE!

,

BUFFALO SABRES VS. BOSTON BRUINS - SUITE RENTAL

Apr 06, 2025

Buy your Tickets to see Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins - Suite Rental HERE!

KeyBank Center Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Sabres
 
More in this category: 2. Zdeno Chara »

Comments powered by CComment