Celebrini is probably a little way off before he starts to wear a letter for the Sharks, but it seems to be a safe bet that he’ll be the team’s captain one day. When that happens, he’ll have to start to take charge of the room, holding guys accountable while also making sure the team’s culture is where it needs to be – just like Thornton did.

The San Jose Sharks put together an incredible jersey retirement ceremony for franchise legend Joe Thornton. The evening saw tons of Thornton's teammates, coaches, family, and friends to celebrate the future Hall of Famer.

"San Jose is his city and the Sharks are his team," former teammate Joe Pavelski said in his first public appearance at the Shark Tank since retiring last season in Dallas. Thornton played 1,714 regular-season games over his career, recording 1,109 assists ...

Jumbo Joe made everyone in attendance emotional. With tears flowing, he thanked every single person who had crossed paths with him. From former teammates, coaches, mentors, and his family, the future Hall of Famer made sure not to leave anyone out who had an impact on him and his career.

Thornton joins longtime teammate Patrick Marleau as the only players to have their jerseys retired by the Sharks. It’s fitting that they are side by side as the entered the NHL as the top two picks in the 1997 draft and spent 13 seasons together in San Jose.

So, on the day his No. 19 would be retired and hoisted into the arena rafters by the San Jose Sharks, why would he start now? “San Jose, give me that love!” he screamed into the microphone after strutting onto the stage.

Last night was special for the San Jose Sharks organization as they raised Joe Thornton's No. 19 banner to the rafters, but it meant even more to Macklin Celebrini.

In weekend centered around honoring the greatness of Sharks legend Joe Thornton, you couldn't help but feel like every single one of the 17,435 members of SAP Center's sellout crowd were being celebrated too.

Joe Thornton's iconic No. 19 is officially in the rafters of the SAP Center, and the greatest San Jose Sharks player of all time has now become the second player in team history to earn the honor of a retired jersey number.