SAN JOSE – As a kid growing up in Switzerland, Timo Meier got a chance to see NHL star Joe Thornton in person during each of the last two lockouts. The Sharks center played in the town of Davos in 2004-05 and again in 2012, which is about a one hour and 40 minute drive from Herisau, where Meier grew up.
The 20-year-old Meier was just eight years old that first time he saw Thornton competing, but he remembered it.
“You could definitely see the difference between him and the other guys in the Swiss league,” Meier said.