Thornton 'wanted a shot' at Cup, would have accepted trade from Sharks

PHILADELPHIA --Joe Thornton was willing to leave the San Jose Sharks for a chance to win the Stanley Cup, but instead was in their lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.

"I wanted a shot," Thornton said before the 4-2 loss. "I've been hunting this thing down for 22 years and I wanted another shot at it, and I wanted to get something (for the Sharks) in return. But it just didn't work out. Back to the grind. That's how it is."
The 40-year-old center has a no-trade clause in the one-year contract he agreed to Sept. 6, so he controlled what would happen with his future.
"[Joe] was very involved in the process and was willing to explore it," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said Monday. "Ultimately it didn't come to fruition."
Thornton said he is not sure why it didn't happen prior to the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday.
"I really don't know (why). Obviously the teams went in different directions," Thornton said. "That's obviously what happened because I'm still here and a still Shark, which I'm happy to be. I wanted another shot at the Cup, I'm getting a little older. It's not my last hurrah, I still think I've got years left, but as you get older you realize you only have so many shots at this thing. Would have been nice to at least have a chance.
"Obviously I was willing to go somewhere and try to win my first Stanley Cup. I've been dreaming about that forever, since I can remember."

Thornton's teammates were split in their emotions. They're happy to have a veteran leader remain in the locker room after defenseman Brenden Dillon (Washington Capitals) and forwards Patrick Marleau (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Barclay Goodrow (Tampa Bay Lightning) were traded. But they also would love to see Thornton reach his goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
"It's definitely nice to see him stay here," forward Timo Meier said. "We all want him to win a Stanley Cup. Either way, if he would have went to some other team we would have wished him nothing but the best. But having him here he's definitely going to help all the younger guys coming in with all his experience, what he's been through. It's definitely going to help us moving forward. He's a big piece of our team, he's a leader. We're extremely fortunate that he's with us and it's going to help us."
Coach Bob Boughner felt similarly for Thornton but knows the center's value to a young roster.
"When you start to see one of his best buddies (Marleau) go, and you see some of the other action around the League, and [Goodrow], another unbelievable individual, you start thinking 'What if?'" Boughner said. "I'm sure he juggled those scenarios around in his head the last week or two. It's a perfect situation in that it would have been a good thing for him (to get traded), but right away he's a guy that puts it behind him.
"He's full of energy today ... he's helping the young guys. Selfishly I'm happy about that. As much as he means on the ice right now he means more off the ice. I'm happy he stayed."
Thornton has played 1,629 NHL games, second-most behind Marleau (1,715) without winning a Stanley Cup.

Thornton, who has 27 points (four goals, 23 assists) in 63 games this season.
"I've got to teach these young guys as much as I can," he said. "They've got 20 games to show they can stay here for next year. So I've got a lot of jobs to do still."