SAN JOSE — Joe Thornton was close.
In the aftermath of the Sharks’ second round playoff exit last season, Thornton said if the team had been able to advance to the Western Conference final, then there was a good chance that he would’ve been able to return from a second devastating knee injury in as many years and play once again.
He’s here now, and the Sharks want to make sure this opportunity — for themselves, the city and for Thornton — isn’t wasted.
“Everybody’s trying to get him over that mountain, if you will,” Thornton’s linemate, Kevin Labanc, said, “and make sure he’s holding that Cup at the end of the playoffs.