Thornton, who turns 40 in July, is the first to admit he's not what he used to be. He's predominantly playing on the fourth line these days, along with time on the second power-play unit. Inside the Sharks dressing room, he's looked to for leadership, for his teaching ability and, as he showed in front of the microphone after the win, for bringing humor to the table and keeping things loose.
At the same time, he still has the ability to produce flashes of raw skill that serve as a reminder that he is 14th on the NHL's scoring list with 1,478 career points (413 goals, 1,065 assists).
Wednesday was one of those nights.
Thornton was a beast, scoring his third and fourth goals of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, then helping set up Logan Couture at 18:59 of the third period that tied the game 4-4.