Joe Thornton

Joseph Eric Thornton (born July 2, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played parts of 24 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers. He also played 2 seasons with HC Davos of National League A (NLA). He is known by the nickname Jumbo Joe which is a reference to the elephant Jumbo, which died in his hometown.^[1]

Joe Thornton
Thornton with the Sharks in 2016
Born	(1979-07-02) July 2, 1979 (age 46) London, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins HC Davos San Jose Sharks Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers
National team	Canada
NHL draft	1st overall, 1997 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1997–2022

Thornton also played international ice hockey with Canada and won a gold medal with them at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.^[2]

On August 13, 2021, Thornton signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Florida Panthers.^[3] He played 34 games with them.

On October 28, 2023, Thornton announced that he was retiring from playing professional ice hockey.^[4]