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Joe Thornton

#19 · Centre · Florida Panthers · Hockey Hall of Fame

Born Jul 2, 1979 in London, Ontario, CAN · 6'4", 220 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 1st overall in 1997 by BOS (round 1)

Trophy case

Art Ross Trophy Top Point Scorer 2005-06
Hart Memorial Trophy MVP of Regular Season 2005-06

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2011-12. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Ray Whitney PHX · 77 P in 82 GP Marian Hossa CHI · 77 P in 81 GP Anze Kopitar LAK · 76 P in 82 GP Marian Gaborik NYR · 76 P in 82 GP Patrik Elias NJD · 78 P in 81 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0501001997-98: 7 points797-981998-99: 41 points411999-00: 60 points6099-002000-01: 71 points712001-02: 68 points6801-022002-03: 101 points1012003-04: 73 points7303-042005-06: 125 points1252006-07: 114 points11406-072007-08: 96 points962008-09: 86 points8608-092009-10: 89 points892010-11: 70 points7010-112011-12: 77 points772012-13: 40 points4012-132013-14: 76 points762014-15: 65 points6514-152015-16: 82 points822016-17: 50 points5016-172017-18: 36 points362018-19: 51 points5118-192019-20: 31 points312020-21: 20 points2020-212021-22: 10 points10

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
1997-98 BOS 55 3 4 7 -6 19 33 34 0.13
1998-99 BOS 81 16 25 41 3 69 128 124 0.51
1999-00 BOS 81 23 37 60 -5 82 171 134 0.74
2000-01 BOS 72 37 34 71 -4 107 181 108 0.99
2001-02 BOS 66 22 46 68 7 127 152 60 1.03
2002-03 BOS 77 36 65 101 12 109 196 14 1.31
2003-04 BOS 77 23 50 73 18 98 187 40 0.95
2005-06 BOS 23 9 24 33 0 6 60 14 1.43 $6.667M
2005-06 SJS 58 20 72 92 31 55 135 19 1.59
2006-07 SJS 82 22 92 114 24 44 213 64 1.39 $6.667M
2007-08 SJS 82 29 67 96 18 59 178 60 1.17 $6.667M
2008-09 SJS 82 25 61 86 16 56 139 81 1.05 $7.2M
2009-10 SJS 79 20 69 89 17 54 141 113 1.13 $7.2M
2010-11 SJS 80 21 49 70 4 47 149 56 0.88 $7.2M
2011-12 SJS 82 18 59 77 17 31 156 42 0.94 $7M
2012-13 SJS 48 7 33 40 6 26 85 23 0.83 $7M
2013-14 SJS 82 11 65 76 20 32 122 54 0.93 $7M
2014-15 SJS 78 16 49 65 -4 30 131 39 0.83 $6.75M
2015-16 SJS 82 19 63 82 25 54 121 48 1.00 $6.75M
2016-17 SJS 79 7 43 50 7 51 81 52 0.63 $6.75M
2017-18 SJS 47 13 23 36 -9 38 75 32 0.77 $8M
2018-19 SJS 73 16 35 51 8 20 90 17 0.70 $5M
2019-20 SJS 70 7 24 31 -19 34 76 20 0.44 $2M
2020-21 TOR 44 5 15 20 6 14 42 32 0.45 $700K
2021-22 FLA 34 5 5 10 -10 10 26 20 0.29 $750K
24 seasons Career 1714 430 1109 1539 182 1272 3068 1300 0.90

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
1997-98 BOS 6 0 0 0 0 9 3 1 0.00
1998-99 BOS 11 3 6 9 1 4 15 17 0.82
2001-02 BOS 6 2 4 6 0 10 14 11 1.00
2002-03 BOS 5 1 2 3 -5 4 12 4 0.60
2003-04 BOS 7 0 0 0 -6 14 14 9 0.00
2005-06 SJS 11 2 7 9 -4 12 23 6 0.82
2006-07 SJS 11 1 10 11 2 10 23 15 1.00
2007-08 SJS 13 2 8 10 3 2 29 20 0.77
2008-09 SJS 6 1 4 5 -3 5 17 5 0.83
2009-10 SJS 15 3 9 12 -11 18 35 26 0.80
2010-11 SJS 18 3 14 17 -5 16 48 18 0.94
2011-12 SJS 5 2 3 5 2 2 15 5 1.00
2012-13 SJS 11 2 8 10 5 2 25 9 0.91
2013-14 SJS 7 2 1 3 -6 8 16 8 0.43
2015-16 SJS 24 3 18 21 2 10 34 30 0.88
2016-17 SJS 4 0 2 2 -1 0 4 5 0.50
2018-19 SJS 19 4 6 10 -6 6 29 5 0.53
2020-21 TOR 7 1 0 1 -3 2 4 9 0.14
2021-22 FLA 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0.00
19 seasons Playoffs 187 32 102 134 -36 134 360 203 0.72

2011-12 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 18 59 77 17 31 156 42 0.94 11.5 20:28

Contract

$7MCap hitends in 2014, then UFA
$91KCap dollars per point77 points in 82 games
$433KCap dollars per goal above replacement16.2 goals above replacement
$7.8MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$828KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 367 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2013-14, with 2 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2011-12 $7M
2012-13 $7M
2013-14 $7M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2021-22 to 2021-22 $750K
2020-21 to 2020-21 $700K
2019-20 to 2019-20 $2M
2018-19 to 2018-19 $5M
2017-18 to 2017-18 $8M
2014-15 to 2016-17 $6.75M
2012-13 to 2013-14 $7M
2011-12 to 2013-14 $7M
2008-09 to 2010-11 $7.2M
2005-06 to 2007-08 $6.667M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2011-12 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2011-12 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+16.2Goals above replacement10th of 680 skaters, 9th of 445 forwards
+2.7Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+11.5Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 445 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+5.3 90th percentileEven-strength defence+1.8 86th percentilePower play+1.5 93rd percentilePenalty kill-0.1 21st percentilePenalties+3.0 98th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-5051015202010-112012-132014-152016-172018-192020-21Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

55.7Corsi for %1328 attempts for, 1057 against
+5.6CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
58.3Expected goals for %58.6 expected for, 41.9 against
+5.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
60.7Goals for %54 for, 35 against
101.4PDO7.7% shooting + 93.7% saves
178Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 557 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Joe Thornton · Patrick Marleau · Joe Pavelski67517:3357.060.330-17
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Logan Couture22191:2157.957.47-5
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Andrew Desjardins1371:3263.165.05-1
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Torrey Mitchell655:5660.470.83-1

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

17Goalsnot counting empty-netters
18.1Expected goalsfrom 207 unblocked attempts
-1.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.65 expected goals per 60 minutes42nd
Shot quality 8.7% chance per attempt88th
Finishing -1.1 goals above expected43rdOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 410 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

051015Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 18.1Goals 17

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 7, 2012 vs LAK W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 19:45
Apr 5, 2012 @ LAK W 6-5 (SO) 1 1 2 0 7 3 1 18:30
Apr 3, 2012 @ DAL W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 16:39
Mar 31, 2012 vs DAL W 3-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 16:32
Mar 29, 2012 @ PHX L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 19:52
Mar 28, 2012 @ ANA L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 18:07
Mar 26, 2012 vs COL W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 18:29
Mar 24, 2012 vs PHX W 4-3 (SO) 0 2 2 2 2 3 0 21:18
Mar 22, 2012 vs BOS W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 17:55
Mar 20, 2012 @ LAK L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 1 20:15
Mar 19, 2012 vs ANA L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 20:51
Mar 17, 2012 vs DET W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 21:15
Mar 15, 2012 vs NSH W 2-1 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 20:28
Mar 13, 2012 @ CGY L 2-3 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 24:46
Mar 12, 2012 @ EDM W 3-2 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 19:39
Mar 10, 2012 @ PHX L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 19:14
Mar 8, 2012 @ DAL L 3-4 (SO) 0 3 3 1 0 1 2 21:25
Mar 6, 2012 vs EDM L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 22:07
Mar 3, 2012 vs STL L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 21:28
Mar 1, 2012 vs BUF L 0-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 23:51
Feb 28, 2012 vs PHI W 1-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 18:23
Feb 26, 2012 @ MIN L 3-4 1 1 2 1 0 3 1 22:47
Feb 25, 2012 @ NSH L 2-6 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 17:14
Feb 23, 2012 @ TOR W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 20:45
Feb 21, 2012 @ CBJ L 3-6 1 0 1 1 0 4 1 17:56
Feb 19, 2012 @ DET L 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 21:24
Feb 17, 2012 @ CAR L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:59
Feb 16, 2012 @ TBL L 5-6 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 4 0 23:10
Feb 13, 2012 @ WSH W 5-3 0 3 3 1 0 1 0 21:30
Feb 12, 2012 @ STL L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 21:23
Feb 10, 2012 vs CHI W 5-3 1 0 1 0 2 1 3 20:09
Feb 8, 2012 vs CGY L 3-4 0 2 2 0 0 6 1 20:57
Feb 4, 2012 @ PHX L 3-5 0 1 1 -2 0 3 1 20:53
Feb 2, 2012 vs DAL W 5-2 1 1 2 1 0 4 2 20:56
Jan 31, 2012 vs CBJ W 6-0 2 1 3 2 0 5 0 15:55
Jan 24, 2012 @ CGY W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:01
Jan 23, 2012 @ EDM L 1-2 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 24:12
Jan 21, 2012 @ VAN L 3-4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 20:06
Jan 19, 2012 vs OTT L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:33
Jan 17, 2012 vs CGY W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 25:15
Jan 15, 2012 @ CHI L 3-4 0 1 1 1 0 3 2 20:13
Jan 14, 2012 @ CBJ W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 21:32
Jan 12, 2012 @ WPG W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 17:54
Jan 10, 2012 @ MIN L 4-5 (SO) 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 22:00
Jan 7, 2012 vs WSH W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 4 2 17:29
Jan 5, 2012 vs CBJ W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 21:38
Jan 4, 2012 @ ANA W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 19:04
Jan 2, 2012 @ VAN W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 21:46
Dec 28, 2011 vs VAN L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 0 4 4 1 19:53
Dec 26, 2011 vs ANA L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 19:53
Dec 23, 2011 vs LAK W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:36
Dec 21, 2011 vs TBL W 7-2 0 2 2 0 0 5 0 16:53
Dec 17, 2011 vs EDM W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 20:37
Dec 15, 2011 vs COL W 5-4 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 21:17
Dec 13, 2011 @ COL L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 21:02
Dec 11, 2011 @ CHI L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 19:05
Dec 10, 2011 @ STL L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 22:46
Dec 8, 2011 vs DAL W 5-2 0 2 2 2 0 2 1 19:50
Dec 6, 2011 vs MIN L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 21:12
Dec 3, 2011 vs FLA L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 20:50
Dec 1, 2011 vs MTL W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 20:05
Nov 28, 2011 @ LAK L 0-2 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 23:45
Nov 26, 2011 vs VAN L 2-3 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 21:11
Nov 23, 2011 vs CHI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:12
Nov 20, 2011 @ COL W 4-1 0 3 3 2 0 0 0 21:30
Nov 19, 2011 @ DAL W 4-1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 17:22
Nov 17, 2011 vs DET W 5-2 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 18:59
Nov 12, 2011 vs PHX L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 20:53
Nov 10, 2011 vs MIN W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:37
Nov 7, 2011 vs LAK W 4-2 1 1 2 2 0 5 0 20:34
Nov 5, 2011 vs NSH L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 21:06
Nov 3, 2011 vs PIT W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 23:13
Oct 31, 2011 @ NYR L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 2 0 20:01
Oct 29, 2011 @ NYI W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 20:36
Oct 28, 2011 @ DET W 4-2 2 0 2 2 0 3 0 21:00
Oct 25, 2011 @ NSH W 3-1 0 2 2 2 0 1 0 19:30
Oct 22, 2011 @ BOS W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 18:52
Oct 21, 2011 @ NJD W 4-3 (SO) 1 1 2 2 2 4 0 24:45
Oct 17, 2011 vs ANA L 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 24:18
Oct 15, 2011 vs STL L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 23:24
Oct 14, 2011 @ ANA L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 23:01
Oct 8, 2011 vs PHX W 6-3 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 16:11