Joseph Eric Thornton
born July 2, 1979, in London, Ontario, Canada
Proud Son of Wayne (Thunder) and Mary Thornton, lifelong residents of Lynnhurst and St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Joe has 2 brothers Alex and John.
Joe is a professional ice hockey centre with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by and played seven seasons for the Boston Bruins before being traded to San Jose. His on-ice vision, strength on the puck, deft passing ability, and power forward style of play have led to him becoming one of the league's premier top line centres. For the 2005–2006 season Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy for being the NHL's Most Valuable Player.
Boston Bruins (1997 – 2005)
Drafted 1st overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft at the age of 17 by the Boston Bruins, Thornton played six seasons for the Bruins, his best season coming in 2002–03 when he scored 101 points.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Thornton played for Hockey Club Davos on a line with fellow young Canadian star Rick Nash and Niklas Hagman, winning the Swiss ice hockey championship.

San Jose Sharks (2005 - present)

2005–2006 season
After Thornton voiced his unhappiness with his contract in Boston in 2005, many teams reportedly sent offers to the Bruins. However, Thornton re-signed with the team on Aug 11, 2005, for a 3 year deal worth US$20.0 million. On Nov 30, 2005, Thornton was traded to the San Jose Sharks in a blockbuster four player deal, which sent forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenceman Brad Stuart to Boston. Thornton was the team's leading scorer at the time by a substantial margin and many felt that Bruins GM Mike O'Connell had dealt away one of the few players who was truly showing an exemplary effort. On January 10, 2006, Thornton returned to Boston as a member of the Sharks, but was ejected for checking Bruins' defenceman Hal Gill from behind at 5:13 of the first period.
Continued in July 6 08 message: