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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 2020-21. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Adam Erne DET · 20 P in 45 GP Daniel Sprong WSH · 20 P in 42 GP Travis Zajac NYI · 20 P in 46 GP Troy Terry ANA · 20 P in 48 GP Nick Foligno TOR · 20 P in 49 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

2020-21 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
44 5 15 20 6 14 42 32 0.45 11.9 13:43

Contract

$700KCap hit2020-21
$35KCap dollars per point20 points in 44 games
$487KWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$213KValueworth 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. He rated at or below a spare-part player, so there is no cost per goal to show. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 633 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 2020-21 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.

2020-21 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

-0.2Goals above replacement506th of 643 skaters, 347th of 430 forwards
0.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-1.9Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 430 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-1.5 22nd percentileEven-strength defence-0.3 38th percentilePower play+0.0 68th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 44th percentilePenalties-0.1 30th 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

55.6Corsi for %483 attempts for, 386 against
+5.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.7Expected goals for %22.6 expected for, 18.7 against
-2.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
58.1Goals for %25 for, 18 against
100.7PDO9.4% shooting + 91.3% saves
47Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 579 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 · Mitch Marner · Auston Matthews27210:5960.865.413-4
Joe Thornton · Jason Spezza · Alexander Kerfoot1277:2646.943.84-6
Joe Thornton · Jason Spezza · Adam Brooks535:5646.835.53-0
Joe Thornton · John Tavares · William Nylander827:2550.056.62-2

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.

4Goalsnot counting empty-netters
3.8Expected goalsfrom 53 unblocked attempts
+0.2Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.38 expected goals per 60 minutes2nd
Shot quality 7.2% chance per attempt24th
Finishing +0.2 goals above expected51stOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 411 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

01234Game 20Game 40Goals 4Expected 3.8

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
May 14, 2021 @ WPG L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 13:18
May 12, 2021 @ OTT L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 12:15
May 8, 2021 vs MTL W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 15:47
May 6, 2021 vs MTL W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 14:56
May 3, 2021 @ MTL L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 13:13
May 1, 2021 vs VAN W 5-1 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 12:32
Apr 29, 2021 vs VAN W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:06
Apr 28, 2021 @ MTL W 4-1 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 10:51
Apr 24, 2021 @ WPG W 4-1 1 0 1 1 4 1 0 09:05
Apr 22, 2021 @ WPG W 5-3 0 1 1 1 2 0 3 11:48
Apr 20, 2021 @ VAN L 3-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 12:47
Apr 18, 2021 @ VAN L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 12:42
Apr 15, 2021 vs WPG L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 14:42
Apr 13, 2021 vs CGY L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 13:33
Apr 12, 2021 @ MTL L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 6 13:44
Apr 10, 2021 vs OTT W 6-5 0 0 0 -1 2 2 2 11:24
Apr 7, 2021 vs MTL W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 09:16
Apr 5, 2021 @ CGY W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 13:20
Apr 4, 2021 @ CGY W 4-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:33
Apr 2, 2021 @ WPG W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:50
Mar 31, 2021 @ WPG W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10:55
Mar 29, 2021 vs EDM L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 10:35
Mar 27, 2021 vs EDM W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:41
Mar 25, 2021 @ OTT W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11:43
Mar 20, 2021 vs CGY W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 12:22
Mar 19, 2021 vs CGY L 3-4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 14:51
Mar 14, 2021 @ OTT L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 12:28
Mar 13, 2021 vs WPG L 2-5 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 13:45
Mar 11, 2021 vs WPG W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15:32
Mar 9, 2021 vs WPG L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 13:27
Mar 6, 2021 @ VAN L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 14:41
Mar 4, 2021 @ VAN L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 11:57
Mar 3, 2021 @ EDM W 6-1 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 17:01
Mar 1, 2021 @ EDM W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:48
Feb 27, 2021 @ EDM W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:31
Feb 20, 2021 @ MTL W 5-3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 14:14
Feb 18, 2021 vs OTT W 7-3 1 2 3 2 0 1 0 15:21
Feb 17, 2021 vs OTT W 2-1 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 18:15
Feb 15, 2021 vs OTT L 5-6 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 16:41
Jan 20, 2021 vs EDM L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 13:12
Jan 18, 2021 vs WPG W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:15
Jan 16, 2021 @ OTT W 3-2 1 1 2 1 0 3 1 14:05
Jan 15, 2021 @ OTT L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 2 0 1 18:09
Jan 13, 2021 vs MTL W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 17:30