Pavelski Might Attend Thornton’s Jersey Retirement, Talks Low SAP Center Crowds

It’s always special when Joe Pavelski comes back to San Jose.

Selected in the seventh round of the 2003 Draft by the San Jose Sharks, the unheralded Pavelski rose to captain of the Sharks from 2015 to 2019, leading them to their lone Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016, also becoming one of the best players of his draft class.

Already the greatest goalscorer of his draft class with 473, he’s just five points away from overtaking Eric Staal’s 1,063 for most points.

Whenever Pavelski breaks Staal’s mark, however, it’s almost certainly going to be in another uniform.

In the summer of 2019, in what has become perhaps the most reviled decision in franchise history, the San Jose Sharks, coming off a 2019 Western Conference Finals defeat, let Pavelski, then 34, sign with the Dallas Stars. Since then, the Sharks have missed the playoffs in every season, and Pavelski has kept producing and winning, leading the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final and 2023 Western Conference Finals.

The Stars are among the favorites once again to win the Stanley Cup. The San Jose Sharks? Well, you know.

The Stars were just in town on Mar. 5 to take on the Sharks, beating them in a 7-6 overtime thriller. San Jose Hockey Now caught up with Pavelski for a brief but illuminating one-on-one interview.

Read the Full Interview at NBC Sports Bay Area