General manager of the San Jose Sharks, Doug Wilson, announced today that Joe Thornton has signed a three-year contract extension with the club worth $21 million, taking him through the 2013-14 season.
The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Thornton was named team captain on October 7th while in Europe, just at the beginning of his 6th year with the team.
“Joe stepped up and made a tremendous commitment to this franchise, his teammates and the fans in San Jose," Wilson said. "We are very pleased that we now have another key piece of this team's core under contract for the next four seasons.”
Joe Thornton was the last of the core players to be locked up as he headed into the last year of his three-year contract extension he signed in 2007. As most players (especially elite ones) are searching for long term deals at five years plus, Joe displayed his leadership and love for the Sharks once again with the term he signed for. Thornton’s three-year deal, which is actually a pay-cut from last year, leaves options open for his club, something very valued to the organization. Thornton made Wilson’s decision to lock up the 31 year-old superstar quite easy with his work ethic, production, and character qualities on and off the ice.
"It's a great compliment to the organization and his teammates that he did this," GM Doug Wilson said. "It tells you a lot about Joe Thornton. Joe stepped up in a huge way for this organization and his teammates," he said. "It's certainly tremendous for team building."
“Joe is among the top players in the game, and along with several other core members of our team, we feel he is just entering the prime of his career."
Thornton is one of the NHL’s elite. His production and consistency over his 12 NHL season is rivaled by few, and his consummate leadership is foundational for the team so desperately wanting the Stanley Cup. With his large 6’4 235lbs. frame he can power to the net to drive home goals, play a defensive forechecking game, is great on the draw, and is one of the best (if not the best) passers in the league. He has led his Sharks’ team in points every year since 2006-07, and the year before that he finished 2nd on the team just one point behind Jonathan Cheechoo.
In 2009-10, Thornton finished 8th in the league in points, 2nd in assists, 33rd among forwards in average time on ice, and 12th in powerplay points. His totals for last season include 20 goals and 69 assists for 89 points with a +17 rating and 54 penalty minutes. In the post season he went 3-9-12 in 15 games with a -11 rating as he matched up against the other teams’ top scorers. Also in 2009-10, he paired up with his regular season linemates, Patrick Marleau and Danny Heatley, to win the gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics for Team Canada where he notched a goal and an assist in seven games.
His career totals are staggering. In 917 NHL games he’s racked up 287 goals and 646 assists for 933 points, a stellar +130 rating, and 885 penalty minutes. He has appeared six times as an NHL All-Star, twice as a Second All-Star, and once as a First All Star player. In 2005-06 he won the Art Ross and Hart Trophies, and achieved the gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
At just 31 years old Thornton ranks 58th on the NHL's all-time assist list (646), 87th on the all-time points list (931) and amongst players that started the season 31-years-old or younger, he has the most points (931).
He has accumulated the most points since the 2002-03 season (684), has the second most points in the NHL since his debut in 1997 (931) and has the third most points in the NHL since appearing in his first game with San Jose on Dec. 2, 2005.
Thornton’s streak of seven consecutive 20 goal and 50 assist seasons are the longest for any player since Steve Yzerman and Doug Gilmour posted eight consecutive from 1986-87 to 1993-94. His 10 consecutive seasons of 20+ goals is the second longest active streak in the League next to Jarome Iginla's 11.
His play is an obvious reason for a contract renewal, but it is not the only reason for his deal or captaincy. He is a leader and a presence off of the ice as well, and there’s not a soul in San Jose that doesn’t see it.
“He has always been a team-first player and he has embraced the role of being the captain and leader of this team," Wilson said. "Since Joe joined the NHL in 1997, no player has scored more points in the League than he has, averaging more than a point per game for almost 1,000 games and his average is nearly 1.25 points-per-game since coming to San Jose.”
San Jose yearns for a Cup sooner rather than later, but with the extension made now Thornton, Heatley, Marleau, Pavelski, Clowe, Setoguchi, Mitchell, Couture, Boyle, Vlasic, Murray, and Niittymaki are all locked up for two years, plus. (Capgeek.com lays this out very nicely).
The Chicago Blackhawks had the team to beat last year and they got it done because they absolutely had to. Ten roster players are now gone from that Blackhawks team from last year to now, whereas the Sharks have that solid and important core locked up for much longer.
Thornton gives his team a chance to win every night, and so far in just two games played he’s already scored two goals. His deal, his captaincy, and his presence alone just could be enough to bring that Cup to the Shark Tank in very short order.
- Kendall Grubbs
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