Joe Thornton is considered by many to be the perfect teammate. Not only was he a great player and an exemplary leader—he was also genuinely funny. Rob Blake has shared a memory that perfectly captures everything you need to know about “Jumbo Joe.”
Drafted first overall in 1997 by the Boston Bruins, Joe Thornton quickly made an impact in the NHL. In the 2002–03 season, Thornton was named captain of the Bruins, and that same year he scored over 100 points for the first time in his career.
READ MORE: Joe Thornton once offered in-game advice to his opponents
Joe Thornton trade to Sharks
On November 30, 2005, Thornton was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he would go on to become an icon—not only in San Jose, but across the entire hockey world. An elite playmaker—Thornton ranks seventh all-time in assists—and a strong leader, he quickly became a favorite among his Sharks teammates. Thornton was also notoriously funny, and there are countless stories from former teammates about his shenanigans.
Wanted the team to bond
One of the most unusual pranks Thornton ever pulled was, according to him, meant to bring the team closer together. As a guest on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, former teammate Rob Blake recalled the prank. Blake was traded to the Sharks in 2008, and despite having nearly 20 years of NHL experience at that point, he had never seen anything like what Thornton did.
The Sharks were going through a rough patch, losing a lot of games, and Thornton decided the players needed to bond.
No bathroom doors
“I was 40 years old in San Jose, near the end of my career. I remember coming in early to have a coffee, and I walk in and there are no stall doors. Douglas Murray walks in and I’m like, ‘What are they doing?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t know what happened.’ Then Joe comes in and says, ‘Yeah boys, we gotta get closer together.’ So maintenance put the doors back up. Then I come in the next game, they’re down again. Joe had a drill and would take them out, and it went on for a week straight. We didn’t have anything in there. I’m 40, and then you’ve got guys like Torrey Mitchell who are 20 years old. I’m like, ‘Hey guys, how ya doin?’ But that’s the stuff Joe did, and you’d just laugh,” Blake said on the podcast.
You can watch the hilarious memory below.
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