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Joe Thornton becomes 13th NHL player to reach 1,000 assists (Video)

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Getty Images

Joe Thornton waited until the waning moments of San Jose’s 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets to reach a milestone.

Playing in his 900th game with the Sharks, Thornton became the 13th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-assist mark. He did so with a secondary helper on Joe Pavelski’s empty-netter, which would stand as the game-winner.

Here’s the list of who’s ahead of Jumbo right now:

Wayne Gretzky – 1,963
Ron Francis – 1,249
Mark Messier – 1,193
Ray Bourque – 1,169
Jaromir Jagr – 1,142
Paul Coffey – 1,135
Adam Oates – 1,079
Steve Yzerman – 1,063
Gordie Howe – 1,049
Marcel Dionne – 1,040
Mario Lemieux – 1,033
Joe Sakic – 1,016
Joe Thornton – 1,000

After the 37-year-old Thornton, the closest active NHL players are Henrik Sedin (774) and Jarome Iginla (672). In his 19-year career, Thornton has posted two 90-assist seasons and eight where he hit at least 60 helpers, including last season.

It’s quite remarkable to go back to Thornton’s rookie year with the Boston Bruins when he went pointless in his first 21 NHL games and didn’t record his first assist until game No. 33, Jan. 25, 1998, setting up an Anson Carter goal.

According to Elias Sports, Patrick Marleau has been the biggest beneficiary of Thornton, scoring 120 times with a Jumbo assist, followed by Joe Pavelski (113), Jonathan Cheechoo (89), Glen Murray (70), and Brent Burns (50).

So, congrats, Jumbo, on 1,000 assists. We still wait for your first ever four-goal game.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!