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The San Jose Sharks' final preseason cut? Joe Thornton's iconic beard

stan temming
It’s been a ‘hairy’ few years for Joe Thornton. The winds of change blew right through his beard early Tuesday morning and with it came the haunting buzz of an electric razor.
It’s been a ‘hairy’ few years for Joe Thornton. The winds of change blew right through his beard early Tuesday morning and with it came the haunting buzz of an electric razor.

It doesn’t matter where you are at this very moment. Whether you’re at home on the couch or at a local coffee shop, I kindly ask you to bow your head for a moment of silence. On the second day of the tenth month in the two thousand and eighteenth year, we lost one of the moment iconic beards in sports history. Joe Thornton’s whimsical whiskers have officially been whacked.

Photos of this merciless, violent act emerged on Twitter early Tuesday morning. In the first, Thornton’s bearded brother, Brent Burns, can be seen shaving his ally’s face.

If you are upset by disturbing imagery, please do not read any further. For some, seeing this beard go is simply too emotional.

If that wasn’t enough, this photo emerged on the team’s official Twitter page Tuesday afternoon.

Late preseason roster cuts are difficult, but this kind of cut hurts so much more. How are we supposed to believe anything that came out of Thornton’s mouth during this commercial released by the San Jose Sharks last year?

For the past few seasons, the thick forest upon Jumbo Joe’s face was what made a glorious hockey player that much more of a beauty. Don’t get me wrong, the 39-year-old has been a registered beautician since the day he entered the league back in 1997. However, his bearded years made the Hart Trophy winner all the more unique. There was just something special about seeing those brilliant bristles fly up and down the ice while the former first overall pick set up teammates for pretty goals.

On the other hand, this move might be the fresh, clean slate (get it?) that Thornton and his teammates need going into the 2018-19 campaign. With the addition of Erik Karlsson on the back end and plenty of talent throughout the lineup, the Sharks are once again expected to contend for Lord Stanley’s mug.

It’s a storyline that we’ve seen many a time in San Jose. Expectations are high at the beginning of the year, the team plays well during the regular season and then things fall apart once the playoffs roll around. Entering the 21st season of his NHL career, Thornton knows that his chances of winning a Cup are running out.

If the move to ditch the beard works out and the Sharks get the job done, we might look back and realize it was the smartest move the team made during the offseason.

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