Joe Thornton earns 1,000th NHL assist as San Sharks down Winnipeg Jets 3-2
WINNIPEG — There’s an irony that Joe Thornton, best known for dishing out assists on the ice, ended his night with a puck being handed back to him.
Thornton picked up his 1,000 career assist when he got a helper in the San Jose Sharks’ 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Joe Pavelski had scored an empty-net goal with 26 seconds left for a 3-1 lead, with Marc-Edouard Vlasic picking up the first assist and Thornton the second.
Tomas Hertl hustled to pick up the souvenir puck for Thornton, a veteran of 19 NHL seasons, so that he’d have a keepsake from the milestone point.
“What can I say? It’s pretty cool to get there,” said the 37-year-old Thornton. “I’ve been waiting a while now, but to get it over with it’s kind of nice, but good game for the guys overall tonight. It was a good win.”