Boston Bruins: A Theory On Why The Joe Thornton Anecdote Won't Go

For a multitude of reasons, Boston Bruins buffs ought to have reached a point where a few of them are asking, with genuine surprise, “Joe Thornton used to play here?”

As evidenced by the reception Thornton got on Saturday when the TD Garden jumbotron flashed a tribute video in honor of his playing 1,000 NHL games, the number of trigger-happy Boston Boo-Birds has dwindled. But make no mistake, it still has yet to reach zero.

So, why is that the case? Good question. But imagine a Congressional District where the local branch of one political party sees its preferred Presidential nominee win the election and also garners a majority in the House and/or Senate but comes up short in its own district race.

That seems to be just the operative analogy for the Bruins’ fan base and it's still-unquenched appetite for Thornton talk. For all of the success they have savored in the post-Thornton era and all of the times they have “welcomed” him back to the Garden, they have never sent him back out with any satisfaction at his expense.

It all seems silly. As of Saturday’s final siren, Thornton and the San Jose Sharks have now made four business trips to Boston since the ice-shaking trade way back in November 2005.

The Bruins don’t have any of the three players (Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm) they acquired in exchange for Thornton anymore. In fact, on the same day as the latest Bruins-Sharks showdown, Sturm went to his fourth new team this calendar year as the Vancouver Canucks exported him to the Florida Panthers.

Of those on the current roster, only Patrice Bergeron and, to a much lesser extent, Tim Thomas can remember what it was like to share a dressing room with Thornton.

There’s a new fan-favorite Thornton in Boston in the hard-nosed Shawn Thornton. There’s also a new high-ranking draft pick with the No. 19 on his back named Tyler Seguin, whose third-period equalizer upped his team-best totals to three goals and nine points in eight games on the year.

The Bruins have had one front office overhaul and two coaching changes since the deal was made. They have purged those infamous Teddy Bear third jerseys in favor of more dignified, black bear-logo alternates, which they have worn against Thornton in front of their home crowd three times now.

Barring a long-term injury or another surprise transaction, Thornton is on pace to have played more games with San Jose than with Boston by the end of this season.

Most of all, just check the scoreboard. Bruins’ Stanley Cup titles without Thornton: one, Thornton Stanley Cups without the Bruins: zero.

This should all be enough to provide closure on a bygone era and all of its remnants.

But for all that, in the wake of Saturday’s 4-2 San Jose victory, the Causeway Street congregants still have yet to see their newer heroes beat the franchise’s last No. 1 overall draft pick and former captain.

Thornton was ejected from his first visit back, an eventual 6-2 decision Jan. 10, 2006, only six weeks after the swap. Three years later, he stayed in action a tad longer and inserted his team’s first dose of insurance en route to beating his Boston hosts, 5-2.

This past February, on his third return and over five years after the trade, Thornton partook in a 2-0 matinee victory at the Garden.

And on Saturday, he set up Joe Pavelski’s icebreaker with only 72 seconds off the clock as the Sharks bolted ahead of the Bruins with early authority and never trailed in what proved a regular heart-stopper by the closing frame.

Accordingly, even while the affairs of the franchise have easily turned for the better since Thornton, the ostensible untouchable, was traded, some Boston fans are still fixated on another trivial scorecard. Thornton’s Sharks are a pristine 4-0-0 when visiting his previous workplace.

Granted, the Bruins have reaped two road wins against Thornton’s Sharks. But very few New England rooters, if any, have had the pleasure of witnessing that in person. And due to the obvious time differential, not many have so much as stayed up to follow either game on NESN or WBZ Radio.

This is the only passable explanation as to why, Stanley Cup aside, the “Jumbo Joe” sidebar is still not likely to retire from the Bruins’ fan base yet. Not until the next time the Sharks visit and the Bruins finish them off, which they had their best chance yet to do on Saturday when Milan Lucic and Seguin deleted a 2-0 deficit and briefly usurped the momentum.

But at some point, a visit from Joe Thornton is going to have to take the same effect on New England fans as a visit from Ryan Getzlaf, Taylor Hall or Patrick Kane. Perhaps a Boston triumph next time around will finally do the trick.

After all, Thornton has made it clear that there are no hard feelings even while he is perpetually hungry when battling his former team. His old fans can be forgiven if that feeling is mutual and because the results have been a little one-sided so far.