Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl spoke about the San Jose Sharks retiring Joe Thornton’s number.
Hertl played seven seasons with the future Hall of Famer and started his career on his wing. The centerman told Golden Knight’s reporters what Saturday means to him.
Quotes provided by Paul Delos Santos.
“I was really lucky because my actual career, first game, I started with him. He was my center, so I got lucky I could start with a player like him. I’m just really happy for him because it was not just playing with him, but what he gave me,” Hertl said. “Just being around the room, he’s one of the best guys, and I always love to be in the same room with him because he loves to joke around.”
Hertl admired Thornton’s work ethic and, of course, his passing.
“He’s a darling. He works so hard. All his life, he’s worked so hard, but that’s why he had such a great career, and he’s a great teammate,” Hertl said. “He helped me, especially early in my career. He passed me a lot of goals and stuff, so I’m just really happy for him. “
Hertl and Thornton were both fan favorites in San Jose for their infectious smile and terrific play on the ice. To this day, Hertl says he can’t believe he got to play with Thornton during his NHL debut.
“It was national anthem time. I looked left, and there was ‘Jumbo’ standing next to me. At that moment, I still couldn’t believe it. I’m in the NHL and playing with Joe Thornton. So that will be always a cool memory. We got a lot of laughs over the years and games, and it was just awesome,” Hertl said.
The Golden Knights forward said he’s planning on calling his former linemate sometime before Thornton’s iconic No. 19 goes into the rafters of SAP Center on Saturday.
“I should probably call him, but I will text him with the jersey coming up because he gave me so much in my career. He helped me for the first couple of years, and I learned a lot of stuff from him, too,” Hertl said.
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