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Joe Thornton fired up after Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews honors Hall of Fame induction
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- Joe Thornton fired up after Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews honors Hall of Fame induction
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The post Joe Thornton fired up after Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews honors Hall of Fame induction appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame Class is officially set. All new inductees were honored before the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, before the Toronto Maple Leafs ' tilt against the Carolina Hurricanes . One of them is former Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton .
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Thornton, a former first overall draft pick of the Boston Bruins who spent the majority of his career playing for the San Jose Sharks , loved seeing his former Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews arrive at the venue wearing his old Maple Leafs jersey.
"What a guy! Oh he looks good, he looks good!" Thornton explained during a live television interview. "And I got a nice little present from Aus, he's a sweetheart."
Last season, Matthews invited Thornton to be his guest on the Maple Leafs' Mentors Trip, showing how close they are as former teammates and friends.
"I thought, he's not just my mentor. I feel like he's almost everybody's mentor here," Matthews said at the time via NHL.com. "We're close. We talk all the time. And I thought it was just a cool opportunity to bring him along."
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Matthews and the Maple Leafs were defeated by the Hurricanes, a 5-4 final score. This season has been a bit of an adjustment for Matthews without his longtime teammate and friend Mitch Marner , who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights .
Joe Thornton Spent A Brief Portion Of His Hall Of Fame Career With The Maple Leafs
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Thornton, who was selected first overall by the Bruins in the 1997 NHL Draft, would play the bulk of his career with the San Jose Sharks. He was traded to the Sharks nearly 20 years ago in a blockbuster move that sent forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau, and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston in return.
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Thornton won numerous personal accolades during his time with the Sharks, which included taking home both the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophies in 2006. Despite San Jose's regular season success, they only reached the Western Conference Final a handful of occasions during Thornton's tenure, which included a lone appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
Thornton finished his career as one of only 14 players to have registered over 1,000 assists.
Related: Craig Berube hits Maple Leafs with reality check after collapse vs. Hurricanes
