Saturday, November 4, 2023 will be a memorable one for former Soo Greyhounds forward Joe Thornton as he will have his number 19 raised to the rafters. Thornton will be present for the pre-game ceremony and game vs the Windsor Spitfires and it should be a sellout for the club.
How did Jumbo Joe end up wearing number 19? Sam Cistaro sat down with Thornton as part of a documentary that he is producing titled Hound Power. “My first year I wore number 11,
someone was wearing 19 at the time but in my second year I got number 19. My middle brother was a huge fan of Stevie Yzerman and he forced his likes on what I should like so that was kind of an honour of my brother, a hero of mine and his hero was Stevie Y, so that’s why I chose number 19.”
Thornton played just two seasons in The Soo, winning the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year honours during his first campaign. In Thornton’s second season he racked up 41 goals and 81 assists for 122 points, finishing second in scoring that year. He was drafted first overall in the 1997 NHL Draft and left for the big leagues as they chose to keep him instead of sending him back to the Greyhounds for a third season.
Thornton fondly remembers his time in Northern Ontario even if it was brief. “What I knew about Sault Ste. Marie? I knew absolutely nothing. I knew Southwestern Ontario and that was it. You know St. Thomas where I grew up and the cities that I would go play minor hockey but outside a 2.5 hr radius I had no idea what was out there. So, I had no idea about Sault Ste. Marie. But then I arrived and holy moly! This is big town! And off the water there. All I knew is that I was a long way from home, but I knew it was a special town that I moved to” said Thornton with a huge smile on his face.
Cistaro has been working on his documentary for a few years now and has interviewed such other greats including Wayne Gretzky, his late father Walter Gretzky, Adam Foote and Craig Hartsburg, who both have also had their numbers retired, as well as 40 other players, coaches, general managers, members of the media and its local, vocal fan base.
You can catch Cistaro this Friday on CBC Radio as he was interviewed about what Thornton meant to the community. You can also check out some teaser clips on HoundPower50.com and
Facebook/HoundPower50. A full documentary is planned to be released in the future pending on finding private sponsors or obtaining a title sponsor.
“This has been a great experience for me, meeting all of these former greats that have called The Soo home for a few cold winters. This will be a one stop shop of the Soo Greyhounds’ history. Stories we have all heard, from the people that were there (and some that you haven’t heard” stated Cistaro.
Welcome back Joe!
