Joe Thornton is one of the biggest legends in modern NHL hockey. But he could do so much more than just play the game. He was an A-plus chirper as well, and this story about a hilarious exchange with Connor McDavid proves it.
Selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Thornton more than lived up to the high expectations. He played seven seasons with the Bruins, serving as captain for three of them. During the 2005-06 season, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks—and he had a decent season that year, to put it mildly.
Thornton won both the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy while splitting the campaign between Boston and San Jose, making him the only player in NHL history to win either award in a season while playing for multiple teams. He went on to play 14 more seasons with the Sharks before spending a year with the Toronto Maple Leafs and another with the Florida Panthers. By the time he retired, he was one of the greatest players of all time and one of only 14 players in NHL history to record 1,000 assists.
Joe Thornton’s legendary chirps
But Thornton’s legacy isn’t just about his playmaking ability. He was a true character on the ice—hilarious in the locker room and always ready with the perfect chirp, whether directed at opponents, teammates, or even coaches.
One time, during a game between the Sharks and Oilers, there was an incident involving superstar Connor McDavid and Tomas Hertl.
“Neither one of them had the puck,” said Mike Aldrich, former head equipment manager for the San Jose Sharks, in an interview with The Athletic.
“Zack Kassian pushed Tommy near the glass, and Tommy ended up getting the penalty. A couple of shifts later, we’re back at full strength, and there just happens to be a faceoff in the neutral zone, right in front of our bench.”
Thornton’s comment to McDavid
Thornton was sitting on the bench at that moment, and when he saw an opportunity to chirp McDavid—the best player in the world at the time—he wasn’t about to let it slip.
“Kassian is lined up with his back to our bench, and Jumbo is right in front of him,” Aldrich recalled.
“Jumbo is literally leaning over Kassian’s shoulder, yelling, ‘Hey, Connor!’ Connor wasn’t acknowledging him, so Jumbo kept yelling, ‘Hey, Connor!’ Finally, just as the puck was about to drop, Connor glanced over at him.
“Jumbo says to him, ‘When I was the best player in the world, I took care of that shit on my own. I didn’t need this middleweight to do it for me.’ Then he starts listing a couple of guys he fought when he was younger, like Mark Tinordi. ‘The best player in the world’—that’s how he referred to himself. I’m not kidding: Kassian, everyone on the ice, and our entire bench were laughing. He wasn’t being mean to Connor.”
READ MORE: Joe Thornton once gave a homeless mom of two a new home
