But any good will Thornton may have held for his former team obviously doesn't extend to the regular season.
Thornton set up San Jose's first goal just 1:12 into play with a steal and pass to Joe Pavelski, helping the Sharks take a 4-2 victory over the Bruins.
The Sharks are now 4-1-1 against the Bruins since acquiring Thornton in that infamous blockbuster deal back in 2005. Thornton has 2-2-4 totals in those games and is a perfect 4-0-0 in his returns to Boston.
"I don't know, it just seems every time we play here, they're a real talented team, defense first," Thornton said. "And I think when you've got good defensive teams going toe-to-toe, it seems to be a good game, and they've got some good offensive players as well. It just always seems to be one-goal games and pretty exciting games, too."
Despite his club's regular-season success against Boston, Thornton wants to see the Sharks adopt more of the Bruins' philosophy in their quest to enjoy the kind of postseason success the Bruins achieved last year.
"They are a defensive-first mentality team, and I think we've turned into that in the past eight, nine months," Thornton said. "And we realize [with] good defense, we're going to have a better chance to win it. You saw last year with them, they just had real good defensive play, and they won with some good goaltending. That's our plan this year."
Thornton appreciates the Bruins' style of play, and Bruins fans showed they still appreciate what he did here in Boston. During the first TV timeout of the game, a message congratulating Thornton on playing his 1,000th career game in New Jersey on Friday was shown on the jumbotron and the Garden faithful erupted in a heart-felt salute.
"It's great," Thornton said of the tribute. "Obviously, this is where it all started. They gave me my chance, and I love coming back to this city. I've still got so many friends, they're still part of my life."
Thornton directly assisted on Pavelski's first goal. His assist on the game-winner in the third was a little more distant, as he helped inspire Sharks teammate and Essex, Mass., native Benn Ferriero during his days with the Bruins.
"I mean I grew up in Boston," said Ferreiro, who broke a 2-2 tie with a rebound past Tim Thomas at 8:48 of the third. "I was a Joe Thornton fan growing up when I was younger and through college NESN is the big sports network around here. We see them every night they play at home, every night they play on the road. So I've seen a lot, but I'm just happy to get out here and play."
