IN THIS CORNER

This was not an easy decision and comes after a long period of evaluation. However, we feel that a change in the leadership of our Major League club is necessary as we move forward. Once this conclusion was reached, I felt it was appropriate to make the move now.

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 afterwards. Every one 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 — perhaps more importantly — the sense of relief for 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 in a rare move, he’s putting his money where his mouth is.

When San Jose acquired Erik Karlsson in a trade last week from the 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 $8 million last year, Thornton took a $3-million hometown discount to return to San Jose. Part of the reason for the pay cut was that he is 39 years old and coming off an injuryriddled season that was cut short because of a serious knee injury that required surgery that 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 that the team could not only resign 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.”

Indeed, San Jose’s first choice might have fallen through when John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But being able to acquire 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 for Karlsson. “Very, very happy.”

With Karlsson joining Brent Burns and MarcEdouard Vlasic on the backend, 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 yet another Presidents’ Trophy as the best team in the regular season. But this season isn’t about regular season stats or getting close, as they did by reaching the final in 2016.

With Thornton nearing the end of a Hall of Fameworthy career, it’s time to win a championship.

“I think if you ask anybody, we need a Cup around here,” said Thornton. “That’s the bottom line. It was a good run (in 2016), 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 two 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 his body.

Thornton apparently wasn’t happy about. He wanted to skate.

“Just for a little bit?” he asked.

“No,” said DeBoer. 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.”

Well, that’s part of it. When healthy, Thornton is still the NHL’s premier playmaker, having scored 36 points in 47 games last season and 50 points in 79 games in 2016-17. He will need to continue that point per game production if San Jose hopes to get over the hump this season.

Thornton knows it. And so does DeBoer, who acknowledged that the acquisition of Karlsson has put a giant target on the team’s back. Not that anyone is 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 subpar 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.”