Sharks give former captain Thornton an 'A'

LOS ANGELES -- San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton had the captaincy taken away from him during the offseason after wearing the "C" on a full-time basis for four seasons, but he'll still wear a letter on his sweater in 2014-15.

The Sharks on Wednesday named four alternate captains -- Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Marleau is also a former Sharks captain; he had the "C" taken off his sweater in 2009 after wearing it for six years. Marleau is the only incumbent alternate captain.

Thornton, Pavelski and Marleau were the alternates for the Sharks' season-opener against the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks announced Vlasic will rotate in with an "A."

The Sharks are going without a captain for the first time in franchise history. They had a rotating captaincy during the 2003-04 season with Marleau, Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse and Alyn McCauley sharing the role.

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter: @drosennhl