It is official.
Joe Thornton, who played 24 seasons in the National Hockey League, last with Florida in 2021/22, has officially announced his retirement.
Thornton was the first overall pick of the 1997 Amateur Draft, and he joined the team that selected him, the Boston Bruins that year. The Center’s would prove his worth, breaking the 100 Point plateau in the 2002-03 Season, but he grew disenchanted with the team’s direction, and the franchise in turn were not happy with him. Thornton was traded during the 2005-06 campaign to the San Jose Sharks, and it was in the state of California that his greatest success came to be.
The Canadian made history as the first player to win the Art Ross Trophy (125 Points) while splitting his season between two teams. Thornton also won the prestigious Hart Trophy that year, and was a First Team All-Star. He would lead the NHL in Assists the next two years, and in 2016, he led San Jose to their first Stanley Cup Final.
Thornton was unable to win a Stanley Cup with the Sharks, and in his final two years, he played a year on the contending Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers respectively, but never hoisted the Stanley Cup.
Internationally, Thornton represented Canada on multiple occasions, and won Gold at the 2004 & 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the 2010 Olympics and 1997 World Juniors.
Thornton is eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025, and there should be little doubt that he will enter immediately on the first ballot.
We would like to wish Joe Thornton the best in his post-playing career.
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