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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 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Dustin Brown LAK · 51 P in 72 GP Anders Lee NYI · 51 P in 82 GP Alex Tuch VGK · 52 P in 74 GP Kyle Palmieri NJD · 50 P in 74 GP Chris Kreider NYR · 52 P in 79 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

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
73 16 35 51 8 20 90 17 0.70 17.8 15:33

Contract

$5MCap hit2018-19
$98KCap dollars per point51 points in 73 games
$742KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.7 goals above replacement
$5.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$250KValueworth less cap hit

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 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

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 2018-19 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.

2018-19 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+6.7Goals above replacement140th of 699 skaters, 109th of 455 forwards
+1.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+3.6Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 455 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+1.0 64th percentileEven-strength defence+1.0 66th percentilePower play+1.1 89th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 54th percentilePenalties+0.4 55th 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

57.0Corsi for %993 attempts for, 749 against
+3.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.5Expected goals for %44.3 expected for, 35.5 against
+2.4xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.1Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
55.2Goals for %48 for, 39 against
99.6PDO9.3% shooting + 90.3% saves
106Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 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 · Marcus Sorensen · Kevin Labanc50397:3652.850.022-12
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Marcus Sorensen34177:3856.153.65-11
Joe Thornton · Joe Pavelski · Timo Meier1840:0868.974.62-1
Joe Thornton · Marcus Sorensen · Timo Meier1634:2647.143.72-0

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.

15Goalsnot counting empty-netters
9.4Expected goalsfrom 114 unblocked attempts
+5.6Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.50 expected goals per 60 minutes7th
Shot quality 8.2% chance per attempt62nd
Finishing +5.6 goals above expected89thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 426 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

051015Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 15Expected 9.4

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. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 vs COL W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:11
Apr 4, 2019 @ EDM W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:27
Apr 2, 2019 @ VAN L 2-4 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 16:49
Mar 31, 2019 vs CGY L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:55
Mar 30, 2019 vs VGK W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 4 0 14:46
Mar 28, 2019 vs CHI L 4-5 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 18:26
Mar 25, 2019 vs DET L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 17:59
Mar 22, 2019 @ ANA L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 14:46
Mar 21, 2019 @ LAK L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 16:58
Mar 18, 2019 vs VGK L 3-7 1 0 1 1 2 3 1 15:28
Mar 16, 2019 vs NSH L 2-4 1 0 1 1 2 3 1 15:16
Mar 14, 2019 vs FLA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15:09
Mar 12, 2019 @ WPG W 5-4 0 2 2 1 0 5 0 14:58
Mar 11, 2019 @ MIN W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:18
Mar 9, 2019 vs STL W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 17:52
Mar 7, 2019 vs MTL W 5-2 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 14:27
Mar 3, 2019 vs CHI W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 14:49
Mar 1, 2019 vs COL W 4-3 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 16:41
Feb 26, 2019 @ BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 17:07
Feb 24, 2019 @ DET W 5-3 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 14:04
Feb 23, 2019 @ CBJ L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 15:02
Feb 21, 2019 @ PIT W 4-0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 14:53
Feb 18, 2019 vs BOS L 5-6 (OT) 3 0 3 2 2 3 0 14:48
Feb 16, 2019 vs VAN W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:52
Feb 14, 2019 vs WSH L 1-5 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 14:28
Feb 11, 2019 @ VAN W 7-2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 15:49
Feb 9, 2019 @ EDM W 5-2 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 16:32
Feb 7, 2019 @ CGY W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 14:36
Feb 5, 2019 @ WPG W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 14:24
Feb 2, 2019 vs ARI W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 15:16
Jan 22, 2019 @ WSH W 7-6 (OT) 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 17:01
Jan 21, 2019 @ FLA L 2-6 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 15:15
Jan 19, 2019 @ TBL L 3-6 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 16:57
Jan 16, 2019 @ ARI L 3-6 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 16:47
Jan 15, 2019 vs PIT W 5-2 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 14:11
Jan 12, 2019 vs OTT W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 15:33
Jan 10, 2019 @ VGK W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 15:57
Jan 8, 2019 vs EDM W 7-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 15:37
Jan 7, 2019 vs LAK W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 17:28
Jan 5, 2019 vs TBL W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:31
Jan 2, 2019 @ COL W 5-4 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 13:59
Dec 31, 2018 @ CGY L 5-8 1 0 1 -2 2 1 0 13:43
Dec 29, 2018 @ EDM W 7-4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 16:17
Dec 27, 2018 vs ANA W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16:38
Dec 23, 2018 vs ARI L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 15:42
Dec 22, 2018 vs LAK L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:17
Dec 20, 2018 vs WPG L 3-5 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 14:17
Dec 18, 2018 @ MIN W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15:58
Dec 16, 2018 @ CHI W 7-3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 13:44
Dec 13, 2018 vs DAL W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 15:46
Dec 10, 2018 vs NJD W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:48
Dec 8, 2018 @ ARI W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:32
Dec 7, 2018 @ DAL L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 16:07
Dec 5, 2018 vs CAR W 5-1 0 3 3 3 0 0 0 13:35
Dec 2, 2018 @ MTL W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14:44
Dec 1, 2018 @ OTT L 2-6 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 14:18
Nov 28, 2018 @ TOR L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15:44
Nov 27, 2018 @ BUF L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 17:54
Nov 24, 2018 @ VGK L 0-6 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 14:20
Nov 23, 2018 vs VAN W 4-0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 14:51
Nov 20, 2018 vs EDM L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 16:46
Nov 17, 2018 vs STL W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12:49
Nov 15, 2018 vs TOR L 3-5 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 16:28
Nov 13, 2018 vs NSH W 5-4 1 0 1 2 0 4 0 14:08
Nov 11, 2018 vs CGY W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:13
Nov 9, 2018 @ STL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 15:11
Nov 8, 2018 @ DAL L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 2 0 18:16
Nov 6, 2018 vs MIN W 4-3 1 0 1 3 0 2 0 12:14
Nov 3, 2018 vs PHI W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 15:12
Nov 1, 2018 vs CBJ L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:58
Oct 30, 2018 vs NYR L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 14:19
Oct 5, 2018 @ LAK W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 14:09
Oct 3, 2018 vs ANA L 2-5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 17:42