Sharks' Couture shares favorite memory from playing with Jumbo
Sharks' Couture shares favorite memory from playing with Jumbo originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor's note: Part 2 of Jason Demers' interview with Logan Couture will debut on “Sharks Pregame Live” Wednesday, Jan 31. on NBC Sports California
There is a specific Joe Thornton memory that is top of mind for Sharks captain Logan Couture – and what a memory it is.
Couture recently sat down with former Sharks teammate and current NBC Sports California analyst Jason Demers to talk about Jumbo, who will have his No.19 jersey retired by San Jose next season at SAP Center.
When asked what Thornton memory first came to mind, Couture reflected on the postgame locker-room aftermath following then-rookie Tomas Hertl’s four-goal game in 2013, which saw Thornton tell reporters that he’d have his “[rooster] out, stroking it” if he ever scored four goals.
Thornton’s comments came after Hertl received criticism from then-Washington Capitals' coach Adam Oates for the way he capped his hat-trick-plus-one performance.
“Right away, I don’t know why I thought of this, but when Tommy Hertl scored the four goals, we go to Vancouver,” Couture told Demers. “He tells the reporter if he scores four goals what he would do."
Two years after Thornton’s eye-popping comment, the Sharks' bench was forced to brace for what they thought was going to be Thornton honoring his word.
“And then two years later, maybe, he gets a hat trick against Boston at home, with about seven minutes left in the game, to tie it up," Couture added. "And everyone on the bench is looking at each other like, ‘If he scores another one, he might actually do it. He’s the one guy in this league that would do it.’ ”
Having shared 11 of Thornton’s 15 seasons with San Jose together, Couture has a surplus of stories of his former captain and a trained eye on what made him such a leader on the ice.
“There are so many stories with that guy, " Couture continued. “Speaking about playing through injuries, that’s one guy that would play through so much [and] didn’t complain at all.”
Couture has played his entire career with the Sharks and served as an influential player in the franchise’s most successful era, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016 alongside Thornton.
