Ten years ago today, the Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks in a shocking move by then Bruins GM Mike O’Connell. To reflect on the trade here is an edited repost from a previous Bruins Daily article prior to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
On November 30th, 2005, many Bruins fans and media members criticized then Boston General Manager Mike O’Connell when he traded former No. 1 pick and star player Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart.
Yes, the Thornton trade did set the team back during the rest of the 2005-06 season as the Black and Gold finished 13th in the Eastern Conference with 74 points.