Years ago I was fortunate to get to know and talk to Joe Thornton. Big Joe is a lot of things...but above all else he is real and very much "is what he is." The guy shows up in San Jose for the morning skate the day of playoff games in flip flops. He is always relaxed and the Northern California life fits him perfectly. He is easy to talk to and that easy-going nature of things makes him able to balance life and hockey better than most...

But it took a while to get here.

Early in his career, Joe was trashed in Boston for not using his size and playing a perimeter game. When you are as strong as he is and as big as he is AND playing for the BIG BAD BRUINS you better go to the net and make your presence known. Joe didn't and he was moved to San Jose....

So guess what?

In San Jose it turned out that Joe is NOT a mucker... However, Joe turned out to be one of the best perimeter player of the last twenty years...

When I got to know Joe, ten years ago, I asked him if he could ever see himself playing for another team...I asked Marleau as well, and Patrick was way more direct about not wanting to play anywhere but San Jose.. But Joe answered like Joe...saying "I love it but I could maybe see myself in Detroit or Toronto someday...I grew up being a fan of both.."

Flash forward a decade to this morning when a source told me the Leafs are strongly considering Joe Thornton...I think this could really happen...more to come..

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