The Jumbo elephant monument in St. Thomas, Ont. will be lit in teal Saturday night as the city honours hockey legend Joe Thornton.
Both his home city, and the city of San Jose, Calif. have declared ‘Nov. 23 as “Joe Thornton Day” as the Sharks retire his number, 19, prior to their game against the Buffalo Sabres.
“Joe Thornton Day in San Jose. It sounds pretty good, eh?” Thornton told a crowd at a press conference on Friday.
“We’re changing it to Joe Thornton Weekend, by the way,” he laughed.
The St. Thomas, Ont. native is beloved and has been embraced by the community since 2005 when he was traded to California from Boston.
Thornton ranks first in team history in many categories like assists (804) and points per game (0.96). He’s second all-time in points (1,055).
“I never thought I’d get my own day, but here we are,” said …