ANAHEIM -- Joe Thornton will never be mistaken for a bodybuilder.
Some look at him and see more surfer than setup man.
Talking to him does nothing to dispel the notion he's a big kid having fun -- and getting paid for it.
But make no mistake.
Thornton is an ironman.
Tonight's will be his 354th straight game with the San Jose Sharks.
The franchise record began back in November 2005 when he was picked up from the Boston Bruins in a blockbuster trade.
None of the ailments since have derailed the 6-foot-4 centre who has often been called soft. Not a broken toe, not a nasty case of strep throat. Not the constant criticism that comes his way every spring when the Sharks inevitably disappoint in the playoffs.
So easy-going by nature, Thornton didn't even flinch when a San Jose Mercury News columnist wondered how an athlete notorious for superstition would react when the subject was approached.
"Go ahead," he told writer Mark Purdy.
"You won't jinx me."
Seems nothing can derail the 30-year-old's spectacular season. Flanked by newcomer Dany Heatley and veteran Patrick Marleau, the man in the middle is third in the NHL with 63 points.
Marleau, who was stripped of the captaincy in the off-season, leads the league with 32 goals, and the controversial Heatley is nipping at his heels in sixth with 27 tallies. Thornton can go left or right with his passes and know there's a sniper there to finish it off.
Good thing he's proficient on both sides of his relatively straight stick while dishing out a league-best 50 assists.
"I think the last five or six years my blade has been the same," Thornton told the Sharks website.
"I like to pass with the backhand or the forehand. I had to work hard over the years putting in the time at practice."
His efforts in the Sharks teal jersey have him tied for second in the franchise record books -- along with Owen Nolan -- with 451 points.
There's a good chance he'll surpass Nolan tonight against the Flames.
Odds are it'll be an assist that pushes him past.
"He might be the best passer in the game, and he is comfortable in any situation," head coach Todd McLellan told Sharks reporters.
"You presume he will find the hole anywhere."
He usually does.
And with a smile on his face.
STEVE.MACFARLANE@SUNMEDIA.CA
THREE STARS
AS CHOSEN BY SUN MEDIA
DAN SEXTON
Netted a goal early and set up the winner in the third period.
CURTIS GLENCROSS
A goal and an assist for the winger, who played on the top line.
COREY PERRY
Rewarded with tying goal when he snapped shot past Curtis McElhinney.
