COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Thornton said Friday it was special to get a text from Adam Oates after the Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime the night before.
Thornton assisted on Brent Burns’ goal with 2:58 left in overtime, giving the Sharks a 3-2 victory on Thursday in their second game of a five-game road trip. The assist was the 1,080th of Thornton’s career, moving him past Oates into seventh place on the NHL’s all-time assist list.
“I watched him growing up,” Thornton said of Oates. “He was just one of the best, obviously, ever. I got to know him over the years and just an incredible guy, too.