SJ Sharks report: Joe Thornton Signs with Toronto Maple Leafs

Former San Jose Shark Joe Thornton joins the Toronto Maple Leafs after more than 15 seasons with the Sharks. Thornton who makes his home in San Jose in the off season left for Toronto Friday to sign with the Leafs (file photo from mercurynews.com)

By Mary Walsh

Joe Thornton signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday. The contract is worth $700,000. Currently, Thornton is in Switzerland, playing with HC Davos of the Swiss National League. He expects to be ready to go when the NHL starts the new season.

Thornton’s absence will be noticeable in San Jose. Whether he wore the Captain’s C or not, Thornton was a leader in the Sharks dressing room. His play and his experience helped guide many younger players over many seasons. Fans came to consider him very much the face of the franchise, even if he was not drafted by San Jose. The Sharks team Twitter account said simply: “Going to log off for a bit. Brb. Maybe.”

Evander Kane tweeted : “Man I’m going to miss ya, but feel very fortunate to play with you and become great friends. So many fun memories in a short period of time. I’ll make sure to keep your seat next to me at the back of the plane vacant until you come back.”

Brent Burns tweeted: “Daaaamn…. going to miss a lot more then just laughing with this guy… ultimate teammate, friend and guy to learn from..@MapleLeafs got a great one coming!”

Joining the Maple Leafs is more than leaving San Jose for Thornton. A Toronto Sun headline today reads: “Greybeard Joe Thornton comes home to join Maple Leafs.” The Maple Leafs are iconic to the hockey world, but Thornton was born in London, Ontario, so Toronto means family and a return to his roots.

Thornton is the leader among active players in points with 1,509. He scored 1,055 of those with San Jose over 15 seasons. He won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2006, for his performance during season that saw him traded from Boston to San Jose.

Patrick Marleau tweeted (by way of his wife’s account):

For more than two decades, Jumbo and I have been friends, with the vast majority of those years being teammates, too. I now consider him a brother. Toronto has gained a tremendous influence, and we will miss his presence here in San Jose. Good luck in TO! -PM

Marleau has just signed a one year contract with San Jose. Three seasons ago, he signed with Toronto and played two seasons there. According to NHL.com, Marleau said at that time that it was possible Thornton would sign with Toronto as well. Marleau had a three-year contract with Toronto, a deal that San Jose was unprepared to match.

One would think that the Sharks would have been willing to offer $700,000 for one more year of Thornton. Whether they did make that offer or not, Thornton’s absence signals significant changes to come in San Jose. After recent disappointments, that is probably a good thing in the long run. Whatever the future holds, the Sharks family will miss Jumbo Joe Thornton.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: New Jersey shocks Blues ends 8 game win streak; Jets shutout Vegas 4-0; plus more

photo from stlouisdispatch.com: New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban, right, handles the puck as he is defended by St. Louis Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist, of Sweden, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, in St. Louis.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Good things come to end at some point and the St Louis Blues eight game winning streak ended at eight games and who would have thought the New Jersey Devils would have been the team to beat them 4-2 on Friday night. The Devils scored with help from Dakota Mermis his first NHL goal and defenseman Connor Carrick his first of the season.

#2 The Winnipeg Jets shutout the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 as Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves to do it. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in shutouts this season with six.

#3 The Calgary Flames edged the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 the Flames got scoring help from Johnny Gaudreau, TJ Brodie, and Mikael Backlund. The Flames Matthew Tkachuk got an assist on each of the goals.

#4 The Anaheim Ducks just got by the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1, Carter Rowneyu and Adam Hendrique both scored and goaltenders John Gibson and Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots for the Ducks.

#5 Vancouver Canucks got a three goal win over the Colorado Avalanche 6-3. Zack MacEwen scored two goals and Adam Gaudette picked up two assists at Rogers Centre on Friday night

Join Matt on the NHL podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks getting the offense leading to three straight wins

photo from sfgate.com: Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell (36) defends a shot in front of San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane (9) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks picked up their third straight win and got a three goal 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Len tells us what turned the corner for the Sharks.

#2 The Sharks got goals from Evander Kane and Antti Suomela scored in the first two periods of the game.

#3 The Sharks kept up the pressure on the Leafs in the third period and got goal scoring help from Stefan Noesen, Kane scoring his second goal, and Radim Simek.

#4 The Leafs scored three goals but the Sharks goaltender Marty Jones stopped 25 out of 27 between the pipes

#5 The Sharks host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday the Sharks are looking for their fourth straight win can they get it?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sharks Spoilers Again in 5-2 Win Over Leafs

sfgate.com photo from sfgate.com: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, left, scores a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

By Jerry Feitelberg

Playoff contenders coming into the Shark Tank have officially been put on notice: the San Jose Sharks will not be doormats for the top teams of the league as the season winds down. The Sharks scored two goals in less than a minute in the third period to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Tuesday night after embarrassing the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 Saturday night at home. The Sharks peppered Jack Campbell with 38 shots on goal Tuesday. 

Evander Kane scored twice, Antti Suomela and Stefan Noesen had a goal and an assist and Martin Jones made 25 saves to give the Sharks the victory over a Toronto squad sitting in third place in the Atlantic division five points ahead of the Florida Panthers. Auston Matthews scored his 46th goal of the year, trailing only David Pastrnak (47) of the Bruins for the league lead. The Maple Leafs superstar also added his 33rd assist on a Mitch Mariner goal.

The teams were tied 2-2 entering the third after Toronto twice erased a one-goal deficit, but the Sharks pulled ahead just over five minutes into the final period. Stefan Noesen used the Sap boards to his advantage, tracking down Suomela’s shot that whistled wide left of the Toronto net. It bounced off the end boards on the opposite post where Noesen was waiting to tuck it in for a 3-2 Sharks lead 5:48 into the third.

Evander Kane added his second goal of the game and 24th of the year just 50 seconds later. The winger skated to Leafs net minder Jack Campbell’s left and ripped the puck under his glove for a 4-2 lead. Radim Simek put in the empty netter for the final score. 

Kane opened the scoring in the first, tipping a Brent Burns point shot on the power play 6:38 into the game, but Matthews would answer back 2:48 into the second. Suomela scored his first goal of the year 66 seconds later after Noesen put the Puck on Campbell and Suomela found the rebound on the goal line for the no-angle strike. Marner scored with 2:33 left in the second to tie the game 2-2 on a great individual effort.

The Sharks fan once again play spoiler Thursday in game three of a five game homestand when they face the Minnesota Wild. The Wild currently sit one point back of Winnipeg for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and look to avenge a 2-0 loss at home to the Sharks earlier in the year. 

 

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Elvis stops 16 shots as CBJ’s shutout Wings; Leafs Tavares’ goals crucial in 5-4 win; plus more

photo from the startribune.com: The Minnesota Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek gets a wrap around goal against the Dallas Stars on Friday night at 27 seconds left in the game

NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Elvis Merzlikins is in the building the Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender stopped 16 shots for his fifth shutout of the season blanking the Detroit Red Wings 2-0

#2 The Toronto Maple Leafs got scoring help from John Tavares who scored twice. The second coming in the overtime stanza at 4:53. The Leafs Austin Matthews picked up a goal his 40th goal of the season in the Leafs 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

#3 Carter Hutton of the Buffalo Sabers got in from of 37 shots and faced 21 shots in the third period as the Sabers edged the New York Rangers 3-2

#4 The Minnesota Wild Joel Eriksson Ek got a wrap around goal with just 27 seconds left in the game it was Ek’s second goal of the game in the Wild’s 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars

#5 Will the San Jose Sharks be able to move Brenden Dillion. NHL teams are measuring his trade value how valuable is he to a team and what will the Sharks expect for him?

Matt Harrington does the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Will Hertl’s All Star success inspire downtrodden Sharks in second half; Why Ovechkin and Crosby stayed away from All Star game; plus more

mercurynews.com photo: Tomas Hertl (48) of the Pacific Division representing the San Jose Sharks waves to the fans at the Enterprise Center in St Louis

On the NHL podcast with Daniel:

#1 When someone like Pacific Division’s Tomas Hertl comes from out of nowhere and hits four goals in the NHL All Star could that inspire an already down San Jose Sharks team coming into the second half of the season?

#2 Taking a look at the three on three format of the All Star game is that still an exciting attraction or does it take away from the tradition of hockey and should the NHL go back to the five on five in the All Star game.

#3 Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Mark Fluery of the Vegas Knights all were missing from the All Star game, Crosby just came off an long injury and Ovechkin opted to take the All Star break off.

#4 Daniel talk about some of the top teams in the NHL who are vying for the playoffs like the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lighting, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference and in the Western Conference St Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Edmonton Oilers.

#5 Daniel address some of the top three goal scorers in the NHL this season, from the Boston Bruins David Pastrnik 37, from the Capitals Alex Ovechikin 34, and Austin Matthews from the Toronto Maple Leafs with 34.

Daniel does the NHL podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: NJ’s Severson puts goal in wrong net; Rinne allows 3 goals in Preds loss, plus more

nhl photo: New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson (28) back handed a goal into his own net as New Jersey goalie McKenzie Blackwood (29) could only watch. The goal was the game winning goal for Toronto.

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Toronto goaltender  Michael Hutchinson said that lucky bounces go your way which it did for Toronto when New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson backhanded the puck into his own net to give Toronto a 5-4 win on Friday night.

#2 Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots as the Penguins won their fifth game out of six. Pekka Rinne for the Nashville Predators allowed three goals and was pulled as the Pens beat the Preds 5-2.

#3 The St Louis Blues David Peron scored at 3:14 in overtime to give the Blues the win over Winnipeg Jets 5-4. Tyler Bozak scored twice for the Blues to help with their five goal tally.

#4 What happened to the San Jose Sharks they led after two periods 2-0 but the Los Angeles Kings came roaring back to victory with three unanswered goals two in the third period to tie the game and Jeff Carter to score the game winner in overtime.

#5 The Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron scored two goals and Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots against the Buffalo Sabers in a 3-0 shutout. For Bergeron it was his third straight game to scored two goals.

Join Matt each Saturday for the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Florida’s Acciari picks up second hat trick in 7-4 win; Caps dominate Devils 6-3; plus more

photo from nhl.nbcsports.com: Nick Acciari (55) of the Florida Panthers crashed the nets on the Dallas Stars Friday night scoring his second hat trick of the 2019-20 season.

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Noel Acciari had the hats flying as the Florida Panther scored a penalty shot that got him his second hat trick. Acciari also picked up an assist in the Panther five-goal second period in their 7-4 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

#2 Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals scored two goals and two assists Backstrom’s teammates Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson scored a goal each in the Caps win over New Jersey 6-3

#3 William Nylander and Mitchell Marner scored two goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their win over the New York Rangers 6-3. Nylander and Marner scored their second goals in the early third period.

#4 Chad Ruhwedal and Joseph Blandisi got the Penguins on the board with goals in the first period as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. The Oilers are now on a four-game skid with Friday’s loss to the Pens.

#5 The San Jose Sharks’ Brent Burns is back on ice tonight at SAP Center to face the St. Louis Blues, . Burns in 36 games has five goals and 22 points. The stats are below Burns’ usual season average.

Matt Harrington does the NHL podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Ex-players coming out to testify against Peters; Sharks have won back-to-back road games; plus more

file photo from the latimes.com: Bill Peters, ex-head coach of the Calgary Flames, was resigned on Friday, and has a number of his ex-players coming out to testify that he was abusive physically and racially.

On the NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Flames coach Bill Peters out amidst racism, abuse allegations

2 Sharks win back-to-back Pacific Division road games in LA and Arizona

3 Tavares gets 400th NHL assist, scores overtime winner for Leafs over Buffalo… Toronto 4-1-0 since coaching change

4 Caps’ Ovechkin gets three-goal game with two empty-netters

Catch Daniel for all NHL podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com; Daniel is also a Stanford Cardinal beat writer

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Keefe gets win in 1st game at helm for Leafs; Sharks top Isles in OT; plus more

photo from sports.yahoo.com: Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe proud to be a Leaf, gets his first win as head coach.

On the NHL podcast with Daniel:

1 Big shakeup in Toronto: Babcock out as Maple Leafs coach; Keefe gets win in first game in charge

2 Logan Couture scores in OT, Sharks cool off red-hot Islanders

3 Flames will ignore social media and not trade Johnny Gaudreau

4 Ex-Shark Joe Pavelski sparks shootout win for Dallas over the Blackhawks

5 NHLPA files a grievance to challenge Jets’ suspension of Dustin Byfuglien

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com