Thornton's jersey retirement forever immortalizes Sharks' golden era

SAN JOSE -- Capping a weekend centered around honoring Sharks legend Joe Thornton's greatness, you couldn't help but feel as if every one of the 17,435 fans at sold-out SAP Center was being celebrated, too. And you can bet he didn't want it any other way.

On San Jose's first-ever Joe Thornton Day, a sense of nostalgia was in the air as former teammates, family members, friends, and of course, Sharks fans packed the Tank to witness the franchise legend's No. 19 jersey retirement ceremony, saluting one of the greatest players to ever don the iconic teal sweater.

How do you properly immortalize the larger-than-life personality of the gentle giant affectionately known as "Jumbo?" With lots of smiles, plenty of laughs and the tears that only can come from the nostalgia of reliving San Jose's glory years.

"When I was traded here in 2005, I knew I loved the Sharks' logo. But wasn't quite sure how the color teal would look on me," Thornton said during his speech that capped a 90-minute pregame ceremony Saturday. "As soon as I put on that sweater and took to the ice with the boys and rang one off the post in my very first shift. I knew teal looked good on me and I was sold for life."

Thornton spent 24 years in the NHL, but his 15-year stint in San Jose forged an identity that the hockey legend still carries into retirement. The Sharks' blockbuster acquisition of Thornton during the 2005-06 NHL season forever changed the landscape of Northern California hockey, helping usher in a golden age that saw the franchise climb to the status of perennial contender.

"The pride I take in being a Shark is something I truly can't explain … from Day 1, when I skated through the Shark head, I truly felt all your energy, passion and support," Thornton said. "It was my mission to return all that love every time I stepped on the ice.

The love affair between Thornton and Sharks fans was immediate, and still blossoms to this day, as evidenced by the thousands of screaming fans bellowing out "Jumbo! Jumbo! Jumbo!" regularly throughout Saturday's ceremony.

San Jose's supporters weren't the only ones excited about Thornton, as longtime teammate and fellow franchise Icon Patrick Marleau detailed his emotions upon learning he would soon be on the ice alongside Jumbo.

"When we got Jumbo, I was ecstatic. I mean, to have somebody like him, of his caliber, come to our team, and you knew we were going to be good right from the start when he got here," Marleau said. "He came in and just gave us a whole new dynamic for our team. I know, especially when I was on Jumbo's line, I had the biggest smile on my face coming to the rink every night because I knew I was going to get two or three grade-A scoring chances by just being in the right spot because you knew Jumbo was going to put in on your tape and find you."

"When Joe became a family man, it was so great to see because you knew he was going to bring all that enthusiasm, excitement he brings to hockey and to life to his kids and his family. He's a leader so you know he's going to be able to do those things with his family. He's a great family man and it's been great to see that part of his life as well."

Until Saturday, Marleau was the only Shark in franchise history to have their jersey number retired. Make no mistake about it, "Mr. Shark" is happy to have company now in the SAP Center rafters, with nobody more fitting to be placed alongside him than his former linemate and dear friend, Thornton.

"To see Jumbo's banner up there next to mine, it just makes me happy," Marleau said. "Right from an early age when we were like 16, our paths crossed and they've been woven together over the years for all of our career, so it just seems right."

Marleau concluded his speech with a heartfelt thank you, perfectly eulogizing everything that makes Thornton

"Thank you for helping me in my career. Thank you for making hockey fun, even in some of the hardest moments," Marleau said. "Most of all, Jumbo, I want to thank you for your friendship, and being a brother of the course of my career, and I'm looking forward to making a lot more memories with you and your family going forward. I'm very thankful and honored that your banner is going to be up next to mine forever."

Joe Pavelski spent 13 years as Thornton's Sharks teammate, but the former San Jose captain's most prominent memory of Jumbo stemmed from a poolside conversation on a sunny South Bay afternoon.

"When I first got to San Jose, first training camp, he invited me over for dinner," Pavelski said. "I remember sitting out just on the patio, out by the pool talking about some things that his old coaches gave him, and one of them would be on a night where it's going good where you might score a point or two, you got to really dial in on those nights and keep going and keep playing. And then on the flip side, if it's not going good you got to find a way to produce.

"I remember sitting out there, California sun, beating out there, Jumbo had his shirt off. It was a moment like that that really sticks with me."

Pavelski lauded Thornton's leadership, praising the Sharks legend for his competitive spirit that sparked his teammates' relentless pursuit of excellence.

"When I think of Jumbo, he was always a booming voice in the locker room," Pavelski said. "Respected a lot from his teammates. For me, it was an elite competitor. We might be down 4-1 in a game going into the third, 5-1 game feels out of reach. But we were going to get something out of this game, we weren't going to just pack it in and go home. You knew about his playmaking, about his everything. But to compete, whether it was a game or it was in practice, he loved being out there loved putting the work in."

In 2015, Pavelski followed in Thornton's footsteps by receiving the honor of being named the Sharks' captain. Pavelski shared how an inspirational message from Thornton provided him with invaluable confidence while taking over the tremendous responsibilities of such a hallowed role.

"I get named the captaincy there, there's a special moment in my career where I step into an elevator right after that day, and Jumbo walks in," Pavelski said. "As good of a friend as he is, you don't know how it's going to go. I think there's a little uncertainty.

He looks at me, and he's like, 'I got all the belief in the world in you. Let's go do this together.'

That's just the kind of person Thornton is. No matter the situation, his trademarked life and mile-wide smile could be counted on to light up a room. Sharks fans had the pleasure of regularly watching Thornton provide countless memories for the better part of two decades. Now, a piece of him always remains at SAP Center.

But don't get it mistaken, wherever his travels take him, San Jose always will be his home.

"San Jose is his city, and the Sharks are his team," Pavelski said.

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