700 games down: Reflecting on Chris Thorburn’s career

Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers marked the 700th NHL game in the career of Chris Thorburn. His career began with 2 games with Buffalo in 2005-06, continued with 39 games the next season with Buffalo and then, at age 24, he joined the franchise with which he is now the career leader in games played. Let’s take a deeper look at the career of Chris Thorburn.

Drafted 50th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, the right winger from Sault St. Marie, Ontario played his first professional games with the Rochester Americans in 2003. After playing two seasons in the AHL, he got two games in Buffalo, registering 1 assist and 7 penalty minutes, 5 of which came when he lost his first big league fight to Cody McCormick of the Colorado Avalanche.

Thorburn was waived by Buffalo and picked up by Pittsburgh, where he scored his first NHL goal, notching 3 goals and 2 assists in 39 games with the big club in 2006-07. Hockeyfights.com credits Thorburn with 9 fights that season, including what they consider to be his first win, over Chris Adams of the Caronlina Hurricanes on October 14, 2006. After one season with the Pens, he was dealt to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round pick during the 2007 Draft.

Some people aren’t keen to the fact that the Winnipeg Jets history comes from the Atlanta Thrashers but that’s just the way it is and Chris Thorburn sits atop the games played list for this franchise at 659 (and counting). Behind him on the list are Toby Enstrom at 635 and Bryan Little at 614 so, considering that Thorburn is 33 years old and an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, #22 might not hold that spot for too, too long. He has become somewhat of a polarizing figure over the last couple of seasons as the team has gotten younger and more skillful and Thorburn has continued to take up a roster spot. But he continues to do what he can to contribute to this team, bagging a goal and four fights this season, including three in the last week or so. Most notably in there is probably his attempt to teach Kyle Clifford a lesson after he ran Kyle Connor into the boards headfirst. 

In addition to dropping the gloves on a fairly regular basis, ‘SCORE’burn has added 50 NHL goals (the 50th being a big goal early in the third period of a tight game the other night against the Blackhawks) and 74 assists for a total of 124 points. He has been assessed 843 penalty minutes (767 with the Thrashers/Jets, which is also the most in the franchise’s history). Here’s what Coach Paul Maurice had to say when Thorburn hit that milestone back in February of 2015: “Chris is a part of the fabric of this team. He’s a talker; he’s got a friendship with almost everyone in the room.” When asked if the string of three games in a row with a fight adds to the grind of the NHL season Thorburn said “I wish I could score more goals, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team be successful.”

He began the season in the pressbox, was a healthy scratch for the Heritage Classic, and there’s no doubt that the end is near. But there is also no doubt that Chris Thorburn has put his heart and soul into this team and has gone out there and given it his all when he’s been asked. As we debate his current usefulness, let’s not forget all that he has done in his ten years with this club.