Joe Thornton, amid laughs and tears, joins hockey immortals in Hall of Fame

A teary-eyed Joe Thornton thanked his family, his former teammates, and the NHL organizations he played for, including the Sharks, as he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto.

Thornton was part of an esteemed Class of 2025, which included former NHL stars Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, and Alexander Mogilny, and women’s hockey greats Brianna Decker and Jennifer Botterill in the Player Category, and coaches Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau in the Builder Category.

Thornton and Keith helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and Parker, the former longtime coach at Boston University, was a mentor to several former Sharks players and to ex-Sharks coach David Quinn.

Thornton said after he won Olympic gold, he saw a naked woman on a motorcycle waving a maple leaf flag and said, “I looked at my pregnant (Swiss) wife (Tabea) and said, ‘I’m so proud to be Canadian.’”

Several of Thornton’s former teammates, including Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture, plus members of the Sharks’ front office and organization, were in Toronto to be a part of the celebration. Thornton was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in June in his first year of eligibility and became the first player who spent the majority of his career with the Sharks to be inducted.

Considering what Thornton accomplished in his career, it’s not hard to see why.

Nicknamed ‘Jumbo,’ a nod to Jumbo the elephant, who, as part of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, died in a train accident in 1885 in his hometown of St. Thomas, Thornton won the Hart Trophy and led the NHL in scoring in 2005-06, and his 1,539 points rank him 14th all-time.

Thornton was drafted No. 1 overall by Boston in 1997 and played eight seasons with the Bruins. In that time, Thornton captained the Bruins from 2002 to 2005 and led the team in scoring three times, including 101 points in 2002-03.

In the most significant trade in Sharks history, Thornton was acquired by San Jose from Boston on Nov. 30, 2005. He played 15 seasons with the Sharks from 2005 to 2020, and in his first season with San Jose, Thornton led the NHL in scoring with 125 points, winning the Art Ross Trophy. He also won the Hart Trophy as the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team, becoming the first player in NHL history to win the scoring title after being traded mid-season.

“I was with my parents, my girlfriend, when I got a phone call and I was told I was traded to San Jose,” Thornton said of the November 2005 trade that sent him from the Boston Bruins to the Sharks. “It was a hard few hours, but then it hit me: I’m 26, I’m in the prime of my career, so let’s go west. I played two nights later, and our head coach, Ronnie Wilson, one of the best, said, ‘Joe, just go play hockey.'”

Joe Thornton discusses his trade from Boston to San Jose in his Hall of Fame speech. pic.twitter.com/dL9mszgGPL

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 11, 2025

Thornton was only the third player in NHL history to lead the league in assists three consecutive seasons. He led the Sharks in scoring eight times and helped lead the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. Thornton was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team in 2005-06 and the Second All-Star Team in 2015-16.

“Being a Shark is something I’m extremely proud of, and I sure have been enjoying watching the team play this year,” Thornton said as he acknowledged Macklin Celebrini, who is staying at Thornton’s house in the South Bay.

“Macklin, I can’t wait to continue being roommates with you. I’ll be coming in hot.”

Thornton finished his playing career with one-year stints in Toronto (2020-2021) and Florida (2021-2022) and officially announced his retirement on Oct. 28, 2023. In 1,714 regular-season games, Thornton had 430 goals and 1,109 assists for 1,539 points, 14th most all-time. Thornton also had 134 points in 187 NHL playoff games.

Internationally, Thornton helped Canada win gold at the 1997 World Junior Championship and the 2004 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey. The Sharks retired his number ‘19’ in 2024, and earlier this year, he was named to the NHL Quarter Century Team.

Thornton officially began his three-day celebration on Saturday as he and other honored members of this year’s class received their Hall of Fame rings and blazers.

Thornton returned to his hometown of St. Thomas on Saturday night and was honored by one of his youth hockey teams, the St. Thomas Stars, at the arena that bears his name. This year’s inductees were recognized Sunday night before the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena.