With Joe Thornton’s return to San Jose, Sharks fans finally have chance to say thanks

SAN JOSE – It’s a chance for the Sharks and their fans to give Joe Thornton a proper thank you.

It’s a chance they didn’t get two years ago when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the sports world and prematurely ended San Jose’s season. It’s a chance they didn’t get last year, either, as Thornton signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs and NHL teams during the regular season only played within newly configured divisions.

So on Tuesday, those in attendance at SAP Center will finally get an opportunity to express their gratitude to Thornton for his 15 years in San Jose as he and the Florida Panthers make their only scheduled visit this season to the downtown arena.

“The people here were so kind to me and we shared a lot of experiences together,” Thornton said before Tuesday’s game. “For years, it was such a hard building to play in and the energy that they brought to us, it was electric. It’s going to be fun to be part of it again.”

Thornton, third on the Sharks’ all-time list in games played (1,104) and second in points (1,055), said he didn’t know what to expect during the pregame ceremony.

“Just trying to get through the first couple of shifts and settle down, and then just play some hockey,” Thornton said, “but I’m sure it’ll be a little emotional to be back and that’s a good thing.”

The Sharks in Oct. 2017 had a special pre-game ceremony to honor Patrick Marleau, “Mr. Shark,” in his first game back in San Jose after he signed as a free agent with the Maple Leafs earlier that year. A similar ceremony was held for fellow franchise icon Joe Pavelski in Jan. 2020 after he signed with the Dallas Stars in July 2019.

“It’s just nice. For guys that put in so many years at something in the same place, it’s exciting,” Thornton said. “I’m going to enjoy it.”

As was his custom in San Jose, Thornton took part in the Panthers’ optional skate Tuesday morning.

The last time Thornton had been on the ice surface at SAP Center was March 8, 2020, when the Sharks played the Colorado Avalanche before an announced crowd of 14,694.

Thornton and the Sharks then went on the road and a day after they played Chicago Blackhawks on March 11, the NHL paused its season. Thornton and the Sharks then got on their charter plane in St. Louis and flew back to San Jose.

And that was it. The Sharks didn’t qualify for the play-in tournament the NHL held that summer and in October 2020, with the Sharks entering what they termed a “reset” and Thornton, still chasing a Stanley Cup, signed a one-year deal with the Leafs.

After Toronto was eliminated in the first round of last year’s playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens, Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Panthers, who entered Tuesday with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 40-13-6.

“The guys are super, they’re a really close group and they play at a very, very high level,” Thornton said of the Panthers. “You don’t know what to expect when you sign with a new team, but the organization has been great. The training staff’s been super and the guys have been so easy.

“But this is a very, very good hockey team and we’ve obviously got some work to do here still in the regular season, but we expect big things.”

Thornton took a couple of extra minutes after the skate Tuesday to chat with some members of the Sharks’ support staff – the people behind the scenes that were such a huge help to the future Hockey Hall of Fame centerman.

Thornton said being in San Jose again, “brought back a lot of memories and then obviously coming into this building, so many great years and super memories. So just it’s a good feeling.”

The night before, Thornton went over to Sharks defenseman Brent Burns’ house where he saw a lot of his former Sharks teammates that he competed with in recent years.

“You know, you play somewhere for 15 years and you become family,” Thornton said, “it was great to see everyone.”