THORNTON WILLING TO PAY PRICE FOR ELUSIVE TITLE
Veteran pivot says he left cash on the table to help Sharks load up for a Stanley Cup run
Joe Thornton said he didn’t watch the Stanley Cup final. It was too painful. But there was no way he missed the footage of what came after. Everyone saw that.
The keg stands with the Cup. The drunken swims in public fountains and impromptu celebrations with fans on the street. The pure joy on Alex Ovechkin’s face as he sang We Are The Champions and the relief on the face of the Washington Capitals’ captain.
For Thornton, it wasn’t hard to look at Ovechkin, who had dealt with a career’s worth of criticism as a player who couldn’t get over the hump, and picture himself and what could be.
“Obviously I was happy for him,” Thornton said of Ovechkin. “We wanted to be there, but the way he plays — he plays a unique style, a hard style — and I think everyone around the league was happy for him. It was a big relief and you could see how happy he was. When players play with their hearts on their sleeves, I think fans get behind those individuals.
“But it’s going to be our turn, I think.”
Thornton isn’t guaranteeing a Cup. But he is putting his money where his mouth is.
When San Jose acquired Erik Karlsson in a trade last week from the Ottawa Senators, a lot of the praise went to Sharks GM Doug Wilson. But the deal wouldn’t have been possible without a financial sacrifice from Thornton.
After earning US$8 million last year, Thornton took a $3-million hometown discount to return to San Jose. Part of the reason was that he is 39 and coming off an injury-riddled season cut short by a serious knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of the playoffs.
Still, $5 million seems low for a No. 1 centre.
When asked if he left money on the table so the team could not only re-sign Logan Couture (and Evander Kane), but also land a difference-maker in free agency, Thornton smiled.
“A little bit of truth. A little bit,” he said. “Mission accomplished, I guess.”
San Jose’s first choice might have fallen through when John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But acquiring a two-time Norris Trophy winner in Karlsson can hardly be viewed as a consolation prize.
“I was very, very happy,” Thornton said of the trade. “Very, very happy.”
With Karlsson joining Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the back end, the Sharks have one of the best defence cores in the league. They should be the favourites to win the Pacific Division and could easily win another Presidents’ Trophy as the best team in the regular season.
But with Thornton nearing the end of a Hall of Fame-worthy career, it’s time to win a Cup.
“I think if you ask anybody, we need a Cup around here,” Thornton said. “That’s the bottom line. It was a good run (in 2016, when the Sharks reached the final), but we didn’t win. This year, if we do things right, we have a chance.”
Thornton — who tore the MCL and ACL in his left knee in April 2017 and then tore both in his right knee in January of 2018 — said the injuries are behind him.
“I feel good. Knees feel good. I’m healthy.”
At the same time, head coach Peter DeBoer understands that feeling good in training camp and feeling good in the playoffs are different things. A couple of days ago, DeBoer told Thornton to stay off the ice. He’d been practising too much. He needed to rest. Thornton showed up anyway. “He was in his tracksuit and he said he was just trying out skates and got off,” said DeBoer, laughing. “But it’s constant. He’s a worker. That’s what we love about him.”
That’s part of it. When healthy, Thornton is still the NHL’s premier playmaker, having recorded 36 points in 47 games last season and 50 points in 79 games in 2016-17. He will need to continue that production if San Jose hopes to get over the hump.
Thornton knows it. And so does DeBoer, who acknowledged the acquisition of Karlsson has put a giant target on the team’s back. Not that he’s complaining.
“I think you welcome pressure like that,” said DeBoer. “I would rather be here talking about deep playoff runs and Stanley Cups and being one of the top teams in the league than sitting here with a sub-par roster trying to shock people. I think you welcome that pressure. There’s no hiding from it. I can’t downplay that. We’ve got a good team. It’s on us to try and maximize that.”