Matthews didn’t just wear any Thornton jersey; he chose a rare Thornton Maple Leafs jersey. Thornton played one season with Toronto in 2020, spending the year as Matthews’s teammate.
The two got close that year, and Matthews invited Thornton to be his guest during the Maple Leafs Mentor’s Trip in January.
“I thought, he’s not just my mentor. I feel like he’s almost everybody’s mentor here,” Matthews said at the time. “We’re close. We talk all the time. And I thought it was just a cool opportunity to bring him along.”
Thornton, a four-time All-Star, played 24 years in the NHL, 15 of those with the San Jose Sharks. He spent the first eight seasons with the Boston Bruins after the team drafted him first overall in the 1997 NHL Draft.
He signed with the Maple Leafs in 2020, then finished his career with the Florida Panthers. He retired in October 2023 with 1,539 points in 1,714 games played in his career.
He joins the Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony takes place on Monday in Toronto.
