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.

So…what does longevity mean?

As far as we are concerned, it should matter a lot!

This week, 17 year NHL veteran Dan Boyle retired in San Jose, the home of six of his pro seasons. 

The defenseman grinded out a long career after being undrafted out of Miami University.  Signing with the Florida Panthers, the native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada would play 129 games for the South Florida team but a trade across the state to the Tampa Bay Lightning would see him turn around his career.

Under the guidance of John Tortorella, Boyle would enjoy his first 50 Point season (2002-03) and was a significant part of the Lightning’s first (and to date, only) Stanley Cup win in 2004.  Three years later he would be named a Second Team All Star.

Following the 2007-08 season, Boyle was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he would go to his first All Star Game and again make Second Team All Star honors.  Despite being a loaded team, San Jose was never able to get over the hump and make the Stanley Cup Finals.  After six seasons in San Jose, Boyle would play his last two years with the New York Rangers.

Over his career in the National Hockey League, Dan Boyle played in 1,093 Games scoring 163 Goals with 442 Assists.  Along with the coveted Stanley Cup he won with Tampa, he also has a Gold Medal with Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics.

Boyle will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.  While he isn’t likely to get enshrined, we suspect he will earn a spot on our Notinhalloffame.com Hockey 100.

Evgeni Nabokov took his time to enter North America after being a late-round draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in 1994.  Six years later, the Goalie would make his debut with the San Jose and is, without doubt, the best backstop in franchise history.

Although Sandis Ozolinsh played for a plethora of NHL teams, Sandis Ozolinsh was not exactly a journeyman. The Latvian was adept at playmaking and was an excellent scoring defenseman. He finished his career playing in European leagues and though he made seven All-Star teams, there is a very good chance that he is going to be quickly forgotten by those who decide the Hall of Fame inductees.