Thornton joins longtime teammate Patrick Marleau as the only players to have their jerseys retired by the Sharks. It’s fitting that they are side by side as the entered the NHL as the top two picks in the 1997 draft and spent 13 seasons together in San Jose.

Toronto Mape Leafs star Auston Matthews was not inside the arena to witness the jersey retirement in person but he showed his appreciation for Thornton via a social media post on Instagram. “1 of 1! Congrats Jumbo!” Matthews captioned his Instagram Stories post that also showed an image of Thornton’s jersey getting raised to the rafters.