8. #Jumbo1000 Logo
Tweet from @SanJoseSharks: The path to 1🍎🍎🍎 #Jumbo1000 pic.twitter.com/Mly6C3Lxsf
Joe Thornton was quickly approaching his 1,000th assist milestone - a feat that only 13 other players have achieved - and a logo was needed to commemorate it. A puck-inspired logo was already used for teammate Patrick Marleau's 500th goal milestone, and an apple was far too derivative. The logo needed to be uniquely Joe Thornton.
And so, his beard with "1000" serving as the iconic racing stripe became the perfect logo.
7. That One Time in Pittsburgh
Granted, this gained notoriety due to the lack of shirt moreso than the prominence of beard, but we'd argue that it'd be highly unlikely that photo would be taken if there wasn't the beard.
6. Lookalike
Tweet from @SanJoseSharks: Whoa. pic.twitter.com/R9yqgIG7kf
This is where we insert the two Spidermen pointing at each other meme. In the 2017-18 season, a Joe Thornton doppelgänger was spotted in Vancouver - beard and all. Honestly, it was hard to tell which person should be on the ice and which one should stay in the stands.
5. Backes Beard Battle
Tweet from @SanJoseSharks: A beard so beautiful you can't not touch it. #NHL17Pavelski #SJSharks https://t.co/kuNaPv8JtW
In the 2016 playoffs - the first playoffs where the beard was The Beard - Thornton found himself in a tug-of-war with St. Louis Blues player David Backes.
Unfortunately, this was not the last time the beard would be a target for opposing players…
4. Chia Jumbo
Video: Chia Joe "Jumbo" Thornton Chia Pet Giveaway
The Sharks marketing department has not been shy about coming up with interesting promotions, and a Chia pet inspired by Joe Thornton's beard definitely qualifies as interesting.
They didn't quite figure out how to do the racing stripe, though.
3. Lost A Chunk
Tweet from @TheFlintor: Kadri literally drops a handful of Thornton's beard on the ice after the fight. Ew. pic.twitter.com/Ncgprzax0G
During the 2017-18 season, Joe Thornton fought Nazem Kadri of the Toronto Maple Leafs - his second fight of the season, but also easily the most memorable.
While scrapping, Kadri ended up pulling a rather large chunk of hair out of the beard. To which we say, "Ow."
Of course,
we made a bobblehead
out of it.
2. Barbershop Commercial
Video: Sharks For Life Commercial: Barbershop
This Emmy-winning commercial saw Joe Thornton and Brent Burns full embrace their bearded status, and spawned more than a few catchphrases that are thrown around the Sharks front office on occasion.
1. ESPN Body Issue
Could there be anything else?
