Joe Thornton:
San Jose looks for resurgence from its center. NHL preview
On one hand, who wouldn’t want their No. 1 center to be Hall of Fame-bound while ranking 12th in assists and 22nd in points all-time?
On the other, who wants their No. 1 center to be 38 years old and coming off knee surgery following a down season of offensive production?
The Sharks have both in Joe Thornton.
Teammates, coaches, management and Thornton himself believe he’ll start the season injury-free and rediscover his offensive prowess.
Reality suggests time will tell.
“A lot of guys, including myself, have to step up a little bit and score a couple of more goals this year,” Thornton said. “We’ve got some good young players coming in who can accept a bigger role on the team.”
Thornton struggled last season. His seven goals and 50 points were his fewest by far in any full season since he was 19 and playing for Boston.
The Sharks’ power play — which has been led by Thornton since he arrived via trade early in 2005-06 — fell to 25th in the league after converting just 16.7 percent of its chances. And then a serious injury struck three games from season’s end.
It wasn’t disclosed until two days after the Sharks were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs that Thornton had left-knee surgery to repair tears to his ACL and MCL. Incredibly, Thornton was skating three days after the injury and missed only the first two games of a six-game playoff series against Edmonton.
Thornton spent the summer rehabbing his knee, although he appeared in just one preseason game. He returned to the ice in early August and followed doctor’s orders not to rush the process. And he heeded the advice of trainers to strengthen his quadriceps to take pressure off his surgically repaired knee. Thornton was a full-time participant from Day 1 of San Jose’s training camp.
“I feel like I have a lot of pop out there,” Thornton said. His quads are “probably as strong as they’ve ever been just because I had to rehab that knee.”
Thornton spurned a number of interested outside suitors and instead signed a oneyear, $8 million contract to remain in San Jose. It’s possible that Thornton is looking at his last year in teal if things don’t fall back into place.
“Jumbo is one of the most unique athletes — forget about hockey players — that I’ve ever seen,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. “The amount of work he’s put in rehab-wise and fitness-wise is such an inspiration to everybody in this organization.”
Head coach Peter DeBoer agrees.
“He’s a machine. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “He continues to amaze, but that’s why he’s had the career he’s had and that’s why he’s the leader he is.”