How Sharks great Thornton, NHL icon Jagr almost became teammates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Joe Thornton and Jaromir Jagr playing on the same hockey team?
It could’ve happened.
Jagr asked the not-yet-officially retired Thornton in the summer of 2023 to join his Kladno team in Czechia, a source told San Jose Hockey Now.
It would’ve been a pairing for the ages … literally. Jagr, 51, was playing his 36th year of pro hockey, six years removed from his last NHL shift with the Calgary Flames. Thornton, 44, was just one year removed from his final NHL shift with the Florida Panthers.
Thornton, still itching to play hockey, ultimately declined the offer.
But what would a Thornton-Jagr partnership have looked like on the ice?
Two of the greatest players of their generation playing together, at any age, would’ve been a sight.
Jagr scored 1,921 points, second in NHL history only to Wayne Gretzky. Thornton had 1,539 points, 14th in league history.
And just for fun, how about Jagr-Thornton … in their prime?
Who better than Pete DeBoer, who coached Jagr in New Jersey from 2013 to 2014 and Thornton in San Jose from 2015 to 2019, to answer the question?
DeBoer also shared his biggest coaching mistake with Jumbo in San Jose.
“Oh my god, they would have had the puck the whole night, the two of them, between the size of them and the way they both like to hang on to the puck and how competitive they both were, a lot of similarities there,” DeBoer said of the 6-foot-4 Thornton and the 6-foot-3 Jagr.
As DeBoer alluded to, Jagr and Thornton were renowned for their puck protection skills. Together, they’d be playing “Keep Away” from the rest of the NHL.
Jagr and Thornton, of course, would still need a linemate.
DeBoer turned to a familiar face
“I would have liked to try Joe Pavelski, a finisher like that,” DeBoer said.
In Jagr and Thornton’s generation, there might not have been anybody more savvy in front of the net than four-time 35-goal scorer Pavelski.
“That’s probably a natural fit,” DeBoer said. “A guy like Pav would have been fantastic there.”
DeBoer used a similarly constructed line in the 2016 playoffs to great effect, Thornton centering Pavelski and skilled big body Tomas Hertl, and this trio…