Joe Thornton signs three-year contract extension with the San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference, with some of the league’s most talented offensive players on their roster. In attempt
to ensure that the team remains a contender for years to come, the Sharks have announced that centre Joe Thornton has signed a three-year contract extension valued at $21 million.
During a press conference to announce the signing, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson had nothing but words of praise to describe Thornton’s excellent play.
"Joe stepped up and made a tremendous commitment to this franchise, his teammates and the fans in San Jose," Wilson said.
"We are very pleased that we now have another key piece of this team's core under contract for the next four seasons."
Wilson added that Thorton "...is among the top players in the game, and along with several other core members of our team, we feel he is just entering the prime of his career."
The man affectionately known as 'Jumbo Joe' because of his 6ft 4in stature, was recently named as the Sharks’ new captain. This came after the retirement of veteran defenceman Rob Blake,
who held the honour last season.
Thorton was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2010-11 season, but the new contract extension will keep him in San Jose until 2014.
Thornton, who is among the NHL’s elite power forwards, was the first San Jose Shark to win the Hart Trophy after scoring a career-high 125 points to lead the NHL scoring race in the 2006-07
season. Last season, he scored 89 points (20 goals, 69 assists) in 79 games. He also played a starring role for Team Canada, with whom he won a gold medal at the Olympics.
With totals of 285 goals and 646 assists, the 31-year-old native of London, Ontario has scored a total of 931 points in his 13-year NHL career.
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