San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton became the 13th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assists when he had a helper on Joe Pavelski's empty-net goal to seal a 3-2 victory Monday night over the Winnipeg Jets.
"I've been lucky enough to stay healthy all these years and play with a lot of good scorers. For a passer, that's probably the key, to have [players like] Jonathan Cheechoo, Glen Murray, Joe Pavelski, [Patrick] Marleau," Thornton said.
"The list goes on and on, the guys who I have been able to play with over the years who can put the puck in the back of the net.