Joe Thornton getting closer to coaching job!

Veteran forward Joe Thornton has not announced his retirement from his NHL playing career, however, it seems quite unlikely to see him back on the ice in the future.

Unless it is to coach a team. Rumours started to emerge when Swiss media Suedostschweiz shared images of Thornton training young prospects for HC Davos in Switzerland during a development camp. The outlet does not say that Thornton has become a coach with the club, but it surely shows that he could have the potential to take on a new career on the ice.

As Suedostschweiz points out Thornton owns a property in Switzerland where he spends most of his summers. He has always had good ties with HC Davos, where he played for the first time during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout. He went back 2012-13 when there was another lockout, and then again in 2020-21, for a few weeks while awaiting for the NHL season to get underway after the delays caused by the COVID pandemic.

The veteran forward last played in May 2022 with the Florida Panthers and spent most of last season in the front office of the San Jose Sharks. Thornton was selected first-overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Draft. San Jose traded for Thornton in Nov. 2005.

At 44, Thornton could hang up the skates without shame and focus on his next career. With the love he has for Switzerland and his former Swiss club, a job behind its bench might not be so far-fetched.

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