Joe Thornton

How Thornton's storied legacy can inspire Sharks' next generation

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SAN JOSE -- Joe Thornton's days of helping the Sharks from the ice are over, but that doesn't mean he still can't leave an impact on the up-and-coming generation of San Jose's players.

A sellout crowd of 17,435 packed SAP Center on Saturday to celebrate Thornton's No. 19 jersey retirement ceremony, with his larger-than-life personality on full display as fans and former teammates alike honored his storied career.

Following San Jose's 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky explained what he has learned being around Thornton during the weekend's festivities, and how the legendary center can inspire the franchise's current group of players fighting to establish a culture and identity.

"Just the type of player he was, the person he is, the leader he is. I mean, he's at the rink almost every single day and he's retired," Warsofksy said. "We see a lot of them, what I will say, is with the alumni, the guys that have came back, is how much they care for each other. That's what we're trying to do in there.

"The care of the Joe Pavelskis, Douglas Murrays, the Patty Marleaus, that group of players, they cared about each other and that's what we need here. This next generation that's coming, we need to care about each other, and that's why that team, and those teams that Jumbo were on had so much success. That's what I took from these last two days, watching the interactions with Jumbo and his teammates. I thought that was truly really, really impressive."

Barclay Goodrow, now in his second stint with the Sharks, knows that kind of camaraderie firsthand after spending parts of six seasons playing alongside Thornton from 2014 to 2020.

As a veteran leader tasked with helping guide a young-but-promising core of talent, Goodrow perhaps is the perfect bridge to pass along Thornton's wisdom to the next wave of Sharks.

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Goodrow, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, explained how Thornton's innate joy and love for the game of hockey still is something he cherishes in his 11th NHL season.

"I think just little lessons. I think he was a guy that would just appreciate kind of how lucky we are to be able to do what we love for a living," Goodrow said. "You know, we get to play hockey, have fun, be around our teammates every day and he never he never took that for granted.

"It's something that he didn't have to teach anyone but you could just learn from him that we truly do have the best job. It's maybe easy to get down some days but, he always came [with] the best attitude and I'm just ready to work and just ready to work hard and, and get better. Even at the later stages he was still doing that.

"So, he was a great guy to learn from knowing, Jumbo."

Fans can be assured Thornton's presence will be felt around the franchise moving forward -- his love for the Sharks and San Jose is too great to expect otherwise.

Replicating that undying love can help the next generation of Sharks usher in a golden era of their own, and deliver the kind of memories that made Thornton and his teammates so beloved.

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