Joe Thornton has earned a lot of respect throughout his lengthy 21-year NHL career as he’s earned the reputation as one of the greatest playmakers to ever play the game.
On Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks kicked off a short two-game road trip in Dallas against the Stars and it just so happened to be Thornton’s 1,500th career game in the NHL. While he didn’t get the chance to enjoy the accomplishment in front of the Sharks faithful, the Stars fans made sure to make him feel like he was at home with a standing ovation and shoutout on the jumbotron.
Very classy move by both the Stars franchise and their fan base.
Heading into the game, Thornton stopped for a quick interview and showed exactly why he’s a fan favourite around the league with his answer.
The 39-year-old made his NHL debut as an 18-year-old with the Boston Bruins and put up just three goals and four assists for seven points in 55 games during his rookie season, but flourished into an elite player a few years later. In 1,499 games, Jumbo Joe has scored 399 goals to go with 1,031 assists for 1,430 career points in that span.
