Craig Berube thrilled as Joe Thornton returns to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Joe Thornton's unofficial return To Toronto

A surefire Hall of Famer, Thornton has 1,539 career NHL points in 1,714 games played, with 430 goals and 1,109 assists.

Thornton is sixth all-time among NHLers in games played, 65 games back of longtime Sharks teammate Patrick Marleau for first.

No, Thornton isn't returning to the NHL to chase Marleau's record. Thornton is back in Toronto in a mentorship role, brought along by Leafs captain Auston Matthews as a "mentor" for a two-game road trip.

Matthews has Thornton accompanying him, having been there for the team's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, along with Leafs legends Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour.

Thornton, previously one of the league's best players in his prime with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and HC Davos in Switzerland, joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, uniting with the Leafs "core-four" as a veteran in the locker room.

Thornton had five goals and 20 points in 44 games in his lone season in Toronto, retiring a year later with the Florida Panthers for an incredible 24 season career in the National Hockey League.

Joe Thornton at 45 has more than certainly hung up his skates for good, but that doesn't keep him away from the game of hockey looking to foster the next generation of NHL superstars.

Although Thornton isn't considered a "Leafs legend" as he would be a Sharks legend, and to somewhat of a lesser extent a Bruins legend, his impact in Toronto is still clearly felt in the players who played alongside him. And it shows the respect the team, including captain Auston Matthews, has for him.

An Art Ross, Hart and Olympic gold medalist, it's quite easy to have admiration for Joe Thornton's legacy in hockey, something that a player like Matthews respects.

But just as much on the ice, it's the off-ice friendship that has earned Thornton's admiration from the Leafs captain.