Joe Thornton officially passed Adam Oates on the NHL’s all-time scoring list in the most fitting way possible: With an assist.
No, Thornton’s secondary setup on Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s odd overtime-winner against the Coyotes on Saturday won’t be confused with the tape-to-tape passes that made Thornton and Oates famous. A milestone is a milestone, however.
After all, it was point no. 1421 of his career, and moved Thornton into sole possession of 17th in league history. This season alone, Thornton has passed Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Dale Hawerchuk, and Doug Gilmour on the all-time scoring list, as well as Oates.