{"id":134819,"date":"2024-11-25T22:56:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T22:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/25\/nhls-joe-thornton-welcomed-homeless-woman-and-kids-to-live-with-him\/"},"modified":"2024-11-25T22:56:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T22:56:07","slug":"nhls-joe-thornton-welcomed-homeless-woman-and-kids-to-live-with-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/25\/nhls-joe-thornton-welcomed-homeless-woman-and-kids-to-live-with-him\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL’s Joe Thornton Welcomed Homeless Woman and Kids to Live With Him"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Following a 24-year career in the NHL, Joe Thornton<\/strong>\u2019s former teammates shared what made him so special off the ice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thornton, 45, had his jersey retired by the San Jose Sharks \u2014 who Thornton played 15 seasons for from 2005 to 2020 \u2014 on Saturday, November 23, which featured tributes from many of his closest friends and peers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In particular, Douglas Murray<\/strong> \u2014 who played eight seasons together with Thornton in San Jose \u2014 told a surprising story about his former teammate\u2019s generosity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got a phone call three years into my career,\u201d Murray, 44, recalled in a video message<\/a>. \u201cI was asked to come and help move a family. I drive to the address and they\u2019re moving into a two-bedroom apartment in San Jose. And I\u2019m like, \u2018Who\u2019s living here? We traded for a player or something?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>These Hot NHL Dads Have the Cutest Cheering Sections in Their Kids<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tIf there was a Stanley Cup for parenting, surely these NHL all-stars would win it all. Washington Capitals athlete Alex Ovechkin, for his part, shares sons Ilya and Sergei with his wife, Nastasiya Ovechkina. Alex and Nastasiya\u2019s boys have frequently been in the stands, but they aren\u2019t pushing their kids to follow in Dad\u2019s footsteps. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Murray continued, \u201cNo, it\u2019s a mom with two kids. She was homeless and she needed a place to stay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, Murray remembered Thornton saying, \u201cYou can\u2019t tell anybody about this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s been such a long time ago, so now I\u2019m going to break the trust and tell everybody about this,\u201d Murray said. \u201cThere it was. Nobody knew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Murray became emotional as he recounted the gesture by Thornton all these years later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHomeless mom, two kids,\u201d Murray added, while fighting back tears. \u201cNobody ever knew. That\u2019s who they are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thornton and his wife, Tabea Pfendsack<\/strong>, have been married since 2009 and share daughter Ayla<\/strong>, 14, and son River<\/strong>, 11.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The entire Thornton family was on hand for the poignant, sometimes raucous, ceremony inside San Jose\u2019s SAP Center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it was time for Thornton to take the microphone, the hockey star \u2014 who also spent time with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers before announcing his retirement in October 2023 \u2014 the St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada native couldn\u2019t help but marvel at his surroundings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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