Thornton has quickly proved he's no ordinary Joe

Sporting News, The, Dec 6, 1999 by Larry Wigge

He has averaged nearly a point a game since midway through last season, his second in the NHL. But the learning process never ends for a youngster like the Bruins' Joe Thornton, who carries a high draft weight on his shoulders.

Last week against Vancouver, coach Pat Burns benched Thornton for much of the first period. By the end of the day, however, he was much happier with his 6-4, 225-pound center.

"He let the guy walk right by him," Burns says. "But he baffled back and set up the tying goal. Some guys never get the message."

First pick overall in the 1997 draft and with loads of talent, Thornton finished his first NHL season with three goals and four assists and a lot of unanswered questions.

The evolution of a top prospect happens quickly only for a chosen few such as Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Others have to work at their trade.

"I thought I needed to stay in Boston after my first season, do what the Bruins wanted me to do," Thornton says. He added 15 pounds of muscle and improved his eating habits. "Honey-dipped doughnuts and pepperoni pizza were taken off my diet pretty quickly, unfortunately."

When a team invests the first pick in the draft in a player, it expects production--and the development of the blond, curly-headed kid from London, Ontario, has been worth the wait. He played in every game for the Bruins last season, scoring 16 goals and 41 points.

"You don't teach the kind of size he has," says 6-4, 240-pound Eric Lindros of the Flyers. "He's a lot stronger and a lot more confident than he was his first two years."

Thornton won't be a 100-point player in the NHL, but he will be a steady 80-point producer capable of shutting down the best centers in the league. That's what he did early in the season when he limited Lindros to just three shots and no points. He also set up linemate P.J. Axelsson to help the Bruins to a 1-1 tie on October 9.

"Give him time, and Joe will dominate games with his size and strength just like Lindros does," marvels Penguins coach Kevin Constantine. "In Thornton, the Bruins have a kid who will grow into a leader."

"No one talks to me about the pressure of living up to being No. I in the draft," Thornton says. "Maybe that's because I'm doing OK. And maybe it's because I'm 6-4, 220 pounds."

Scouts joke that it's like throwing darts at a target to see which prospects are the best. For every player selected first overall in the draft, scouts miss two or three.

"I think it's safe to say," Bums says, "that we hit a bull's-eye"

RELATED ARTICLE: Something's Bru-in

Sometimes a draft can help make a team. If so, 1997 will be long remembered by the Bruins for their first round in which they selected Joe Thornton first overall and right winger Sergei Samsonov with the eighth pick.

Both have been a big part of Boston's transformation from last overall in the 1996-97 season to contender in the 1999-2000 season. In fact, that Bruins' '97 draft could end up being the best of the 1990s for one team.

The drafts that have provided the foundation for some great teams:

Philadelphia, 1969. Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz and Don Saleski.

Montreal, 1971. Guy Lafleur and Larry Robinson.

Philadelphia, 1972. Bill Barber, Tom Bladon, Jimmy Watson and Al MacAdam.

N.Y. Islanders, 1974. Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier, Dave Langevin and Stefan Persson.

Edmonton, 1679. Kevin Lowe, Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson.

Edmonton, 1980, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri and Andy Moog.

Detroit, 1989. Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov and Vladimir Konstantinov (also selected Mike Sillinger, Dallas Drake and Bob Boughner who currently are playing regularly with other teams in the NHL).

--L..W.

RELATED ARTICLE: Feeling a draft

If early indications hold up, the first entry draft of the millennium will feature a Slovakian player chosen No. 1 overall for the first time in NHL history.

Right winger Marian Gaborik is the early favorite to be the top pick of the 2000 draft June 24 in Calgary. At 6-1,185 pounds, Gaborik has some work to do in the weight room, but he doesn't lack anything else.

"He's got all the skills," says Blues scout Peter Stastny, the only Slovakian in the Hall of Fame. "He's particularly tough to defend one-on-one."

The other player generally considered for the top draft spot is Mississauga (Ont.) center Jason Speeza.

"He reminds me of Steve Yzerman file way he controls the game," Stastny says. "Only he's much bigger."

--L.W.

RELATED ARTICLE: Prime cut

In the 31 years that the NHL has had the entry draft, few players who have been chosen first overall have made the quantum leap with success.

Figuring one step being equal to one season, hem's why Joe Thornton figures to have a bright future:

One-step program: Only five have made that first big step with success in their rookie seasons--Gilbert Perreault (1970), Denis Potvin ('73), Dale Hawerchuk ('81), Mario Lemieux ('84), Eric Lindros ('91).

Two steps to fame: Guy Lafleur (1971), Bobby Smith ('78), Wendel Clark ('85).

Three-step approach: Rick Green (1976), Rob Ramage ('79), Pierre Turgeon ('87), Mike Modano ('88), Mats Sundin ('89), Owen Nolan ('90), Thornton ('97).