© John Hefti-Imagn ImagesToday, the NHL announced the first six players named to the NHL Quarter-Century Team.
To be considered, players had to make their NHL debut before 2000.
San Jose Sharks legend Joe Thornton made the list, alongside Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic, and Jarome Iginla.
Thornton is widely viewed as one of the top players of the 2000s and easily the greatest Shark of all time. So it feels right to see him included among some of the best to ever play the game.
He played 1,714 games in the NHL and put up 430 goals, 1,109 assists, and 1,539 points. In the playoffs, he added 23 goals, 73 assists, and 96 points in 130 games.
While he never won the Stanley Cup, he did get close. He made the Final once in 2016 and appeared in four Western Conference Finals.
In 2005-06, he won the Hart Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy—making history as the first player to win both in the same season he was traded.
When the NHL made the announcement, they included a quote from his former coach Pete DeBoer, who summed things up perfectly.
"You'll never meet a better teammate or person. He's one of my favorite people. But it's more than that. We need fun figures in our game. Our sport, in my opinion, lacks that. And it's hard to find a bigger personality than Jumbo."
Looking back at the early 2000s, there aren’t many players more deserving than the six named. It’s great to see Thornton still getting the recognition he earned over his 24-year career.
