Postmedia continues its annual profiles of the new Hockey Hall of Fame class as induction night approaches Nov. 10, with centre Joe Thornton.<\/p>\n
HALL CALL EXPLAINED<\/p>\n
Six players and two builders were nominated this year, each receiving a 75% vote or higher from the 18 members of the selection committee in a secret ballot. A maximum of six players (four male and two female) can be chosen and two builders unless someone is named from the referee\/linesman category.<\/p>\n
WHY JOE IS IN<\/p>\n
Thornton owns Olympic gold with Canada in 2010, with two World Cup titles 12 years apart, icing on the cake for the St. Thomas, Ont., native who set a slew of impressive NHL marks. He remains 14th in NHL points with 1,539<\/a>, seventh in assists at 1,109, both accomplished in 1,714 games, ranking him sixth. He\u2019s the last winner of the Hart Trophy while a member of different teams, a mid-season swap from Boston to San Jose in 2005-06, leading the league in scoring that year.<\/p>\n IN HIS OWN WORDS<\/p>\n \u2018Jumbo Joe\u2019 was at a rare loss for words Saturday when people started throwing around his longevity stats \u2013 last active NHLer from the 1990s, last to compete with or against Wayne Gretzky (going back to Gordie Howe in 1945-46) and last to score at Maple Leaf Gardens<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTo play against guys you grew up watching was just incredible,\u201d Thornton said on media day at the Great Hall where his bearded portrait will soon be displayed.<\/p>\n When his Hall call first came in June, Thornton was also choked up, complicated by being in the middle of an airport security pat down in Arizona.<\/p>\n \u201cMy phone goes off, I can see it\u2019s Toronto, my luggage is in secondary (bag check), but I say \u2018screw it, I\u2019m talking to (Hall chairman Lanny McDonald). I started crying and the airport people are wondering what\u2019s wrong with this guy?\u201d<\/p>\n Now Thornton is himself a touchstone, having let young Sharks stay with his family and in his brief time in Toronto, taking Auston Matthews<\/a> and Mitch Marner under his wing, before retiring in San Jose where he\u2019s kept an eye on Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cI had great mentors such as Johnny Bucyk,\u201d Thornton said of the Original Six Bruin, who eased his path as the first overall pick in 1997.<\/p>\n Thornton didn\u2019t win a Stanley Cup, though he and fellow 2025 inductee Duncan Keith were on those great Canadian Olympic teams before best-on-best was shelved.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe was older than me, but made young guys comfortable at the athletes\u2019 village,\u201d Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 defenceman Keith recalled. \u201cHe was such a personable guy. You have an appreciation of his size, skill and being so strong on the pucks. Finding teammates, making them better players all around.\u201d<\/p>\n Keith got to know Thornton when several older NHLers chose to hold summer skates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in a small little rink and just mesmerized by these guys that were maybe three or four years older than me. And then 10 years later, having the chance to play with and against him \u2026 I knew how good of a player he was, but it wasn\u2019t until I got to play with him at the Olympics you realize just what a great teammate he is, how he made me feel as a younger player.<\/p>\n \u201cI was kind of intimidated being around guys I idolized like Scott Neidermeyer and Chris Pronger, but Joe was definitely above and beyond making players feel welcome. I think that made me play better.\u201d<\/p>\n During the COVID lockdown, and in a city where the Leafs always face high expectations, Thornton\u2019s parental influence was welcome.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was laid back \u2013 but he really wanted to win,\u201d winger William Nylander said. \u201cHe was still super-competitive and it was perfect to have a guy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n In later years, Thornton received as much press for his wit and whiskers as his raft of records.<\/p>\n He and San Jose teammate Brent Burns had stopped shaving in the Sharks\u2019 long 2016 playoff run right through the World Cup later that year. Thornton called it his \u201clifestyle beard\u201d while ESPN The Magazine posed the duo naked in its Body Issue photo spread<\/a>, their facial hair strategically placed as they faced off on a ball hockey rink. A couple of foes, notably current Calgary Flame Nazem Kadri, yanked out some of Thornton\u2019s whiskers during a fight.<\/p>\n In 2006, Thornton became the first and only player to be traded in-season and still win the Hart, 33 points in 23 games for Boston, 92 in 58 for the Sharks (swapped for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau).<\/p>\n \u201cFor an hour (after the trade), I was like, \u2018damn it\u2019,\u201d Thornton said. \u201cAfter that, it was \u2018I\u2019m going to play hockey on the West Coast, this is good, no?\u201d<\/p>\n