Chris Thorburn was never going to win a team scoring title or get serious minutes on the first-unit power play during a professional career that spanned 16 years and featured stops with four different organizations.
But that didn’t stop the bruising forward from becoming one of the most well-liked teammates, most respected “foot soldiers” by management and most popular players among fans. And on Monday, the 37-year-old forward from Sault Ste Marie, Ont., officially announced his retirement.
Thorburn really couldn’t have asked for a better way to end his career. The last time he was on the ice it was just a little over a year ago to celebrate a Stanley Cup championship in Boston as a member of the St. Louis Blues. Imagine if he had managed to hang on for one more year, and then have his career come to an end because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s some guys caught in that situation and I can’t speak for them, but it’s got to be tough not knowing,” Thorburn said from his home just outside of Saginaw, Mich. “For me, very fortunate that I knew and was very comfortable with the way it all ended up and went down. Obviously, the last time I skated on an NHL ice surface I was raising the Stanley Cup so I couldn’t have asked for anything more to cap off a great career where I enjoyed every day of it.”
Thorburn played 396 of his 801 NHL career games wearing a No. 22 Jets jersey. He joked that it played a part in his decision to make his retirement official on June 22, but says the reason he waited until Monday was that he was hanging on — just in case something developed.
“What if somebody calls? So I kept in shape and kept training. I wasn’t in denial, but I didn’t want to be unprepared if someone did call and gave me an opportunity,” he said. “But it got to the point where I was just like, ‘Well, I’ll wait till the trade deadline and then I’ll announce it.’ Then the pandemic hit and there were so many more important things going on in the world, it kind of pushed it back.”
Asked to use one word when he thinks of his time in Winnipeg, Thorburn thought for a moment, and then came up with “phenomenal.” He said coming from Atlanta, where he had spent the previous four seasons, the fan support and media coverage that surrounded the Jets was an eye-opener.
“Coming to Winnipeg, you didn’t know what to expect, but that first game against Montreal — that was insane,” recalled Thorburn. “And then from there on, just the people — the relationships that I made there. My girl (Mary, who is three) being born there. But also the organization, the way it’s run. (True North chairman) Mark Chipman at the top and then all the way down.”
Thorburn’s oldest son Bennett (10) was born in Atlanta, and his youngest, Oscar, arrived three months ago after Thorburn and his wife Sara made Midland, Mich., their post-playing career home. So there have been lots of great memories along the way, and so many influential teammates that Thorburn doesn’t want to name names for fear he’ll overlook someone.
But there are a couple of the 24 goals he scored while with the Jets that stand out.
“I think it was in St. Louis. It was a backhand chip-in shot from the slot and I think we won that game 1-0. It was a game that kind of kept us in playoff contention, so it was a big goal in that sense.”
Thorburn’s memory is bang-on as that was the third-to-last game of the 2014-15 season, and the Jets would clinch a post-season berth with a single point from a 1-0 shootout loss at Colorado just two nights later.
The other goal had more of a personal connection.
“I think my favourite was the toe drag against the Buffalo Sabres on Ryan Miller. I’m going to put this out there because Ryan Miller’s a buddy of mine, I played with him in the minors. So when we were texting each other after the game and the press release got put out that it was a toe drag. Well, the thing was, it went off his pad and I was able to chip it in, but the camera never picked it up and it looked like an actual toe drag, so I just rolled with it. He texted me after and said, ‘You know that wasn’t a toe drag, get out of here.'”
Now that the decision has been made to retire, Thorburn isn’t sure what is next. But he would like to remain in the game in some capacity.
“My wife asked me about coaching but I think I’d probably wait because coaching is such a commitment, probably even more so than as a player. When the kids get older and I have that opportunity, that might be something I kind of look into, but right now with that year I spent in San Antonio (in the AHL), being an older guy and being able to mentor some of the prospects, give them advice or help them out — I really took pride in that. So if there was a position from that standpoint — working with the prospects — that’s where I kind of want to be.”
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