Joe Thornton to have his jersey number retired by San Jose Sharks in 2024-25 season
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KION-TV)- No other San Jose Shark will be wearing No. 19 again.
The Sharks announced that they will retire Joe Thornton's jersey number in the 2024-25 season. The team is working on a date for the ceremony.
Thornton will join his teammate Patrick Marleau as the only two Sharks players to have their numbers retired. Thornton and Marleau were the first and second draft picks of the 1997 NHL Draft.
“But when I came to San Jose, it felt like I was truly home." Thornton said in a statement. "I fell in love with the area and the people, and I had the best years of my career wearing the Sharks crest."
Thornton spent his first eight seasons with the Boston Bruins before being traded midway thru the 2005-06 season. Thornton won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Art Ross Trophy during the 2005-06 season.
Along with Marleau, he was one of the faces of the franchise that won four Pacific Division Titles, a President's Trophy and a Western Conference Championship in 2015-16.
Thornton also spent time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.
In October 2023, Thornton retired from the NHL.
In 1,714 regular season games, Thornton recorded 1,109 assists and 430 goals. He was a four-time All-Star and 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist for Team Canada. Thornton ranks seventh all-time in assists and 13th all-time in points with 1,539.
He is the Sharks' leader in assists and power-play points. Thornton
