Timeline: Remembering the highlights of Thornton’s 15 seasons with the Sharks.

Key dates in the Joe Thornton era with the Sharks:

Nov. 30, 2005: General manager Doug Wilson deals Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart to the Boston Bruins for Thornton.

Dec. 2, 2005: Thornton plays his first game with the Sharks in Buffalo. Thornton has two assists, both on goals by Jonathan Cheechoo, as the Sharks win 5-0.

April 17, 2006: Thornton finishes the regular season with 125 points, two more than Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers, to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leader in points.

June 22, 2006: In a close vote, Thornton wins the Hart Memorial Trophy as the “player judged most valuable to his team.”

Feb. 28, 2010: Thornton and Team Canada beat Team USA 3-2 in overtime in the Gold Medal Game at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Oct. 7, 2010: Coach Todd McLellan announces that Thornton has been named the Sharks’ captain.

April 8, 2011: Thornton records his 1,000th NHL point, scoring a goal in a 4-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. Thornton is the 78th player in NHL history to score 1,000 points.

Oct. 21, 2011: Plays his 1000th NHL game. Thornton has a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over New Jersey.

Summer 2014: Just months after the Sharks are reverse-swept by the Kings in the playoffs, the Sharks strip Thornton of the captaincy.

March 12, 2015: Explaining the decision, GM Doug Wilson told season ticketholders, “he carries the weight of the team on his shoulders and he’s got such a big heart that when stress comes on him he lashes out at people, and it kind of impacts them.” Thornton reacted the next day, saying, “I think Doug just needs to shut his mouth, I think that’s the bottom line.”

May 25, 2016: Thornton and the Sharks advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, beating the St. Louis Blues in six games. The Sharks, though, lose the Cup final to Pittsburgh.

March 6, 2017: Records his 1,000th career assist at Winnipeg, becoming just the 13th player in NHL history to do so.

April 2, 2017: Thornton suffers a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee in a game in Vancouver. Thornton returns just two weeks later to play in the Sharks’ final four playoff games against the Edmonton Oilers.

July 2, 2017: Patrick Marleau and Thornton, both free agents, are courted by the Maple Leafs. Marleau signs with the Leafs, but Thornton returns to San Jose on a one-year deal.

Jan 23, 2018: Thornton again tears his ACL and MCL, this time in his right knee, in a game against Winnipeg. He misses the rest of the season.

April 3, 2019: Thornton assists on Marcus Sorensen’s goal in a 3-2 win over Edmonton, giving him 1,063 assists for his career and moving into a tie with boyhood idol Steve Yzerman for eighth place on the NHL’s all-time list (1,063).

Feb. 4, 2020: Thornton becomes the 14th player to score 1,500 NHL points with two assists against the Calgary Flames.

Oct. 16, 2020: Thornton signs a oneyear, $700,000 contract with the Maple Leafs, ending a 15-year run with the Sharks.