Scott Christopher Thornton (born January 9, 1971) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

winger who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. Scott and former Sharks teammate Joe Thornton are first cousins.

Playing career

Thornton was drafted in the first round (third overall) by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He played thirty-three games for the team his rookie season, accumulating one goal and three assists. He also played left wing for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

and

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

. He was signed by San Jose as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on July 1, 2000. In his first season with San Jose, he had a career year, scoring twenty goals playing alongside gritty centre Mike Ricci. He signed a two-year contract $3.42 million contract extension in the 2003–04 season. The first season of the extension coincided with the 2004–05 NHL lockout, and after the second year, Thornton became an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

when the Sharks declined to pick up the one-year team option in his contract. On July 1, 2006, he signed a 2-year, $3 million contract with the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

. During the 2006–07 season, Thornton was placed on injured reserve due to a wrist injury and missed 23 games as a result. Thornton announced his retirement on July 28, 2008.

Personal

Since retirement Thornton currently resides in

Collingwood, Ontario Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay. Collingwood is well known as a tourist destination, for its skiing in the winter, and limestone caves along the Nia ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* 1971 births Living people Battle of the Blades participants Belleville Bulls players Canadian ice hockey centres Cape Breton Oilers players Dallas Stars players Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from Ontario Los Angeles Kings players Montreal Canadiens players National Hockey League first-round draft picks Newmarket Saints players San Jose Sharks players Södertälje SK players Sportspeople from London, Ontario Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Maple Leafs players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden {{Canada-icehockey-centre-1970s-stub