Joe Thornton made headlines earlier this month when he signed a new one-year, $8 million contract to remain with the San Jose Sharks. Though it was noteworthy that the 38-year-old decided to stay in San Jose for a 13th season, the real story was that he signed his contract while out on his tractor mowing his yard.
Client Joe Thornton, who turns 38 today, signing new 1 year contract with a total value of $8 million. Happy Birthday Jumbo! @SanJoseSharks pic.twitter.com/MzDU8ovEgp
— Top Shelf Sports Management Inc (@Topshelf_TSSM) July 3, 2017
You don’t see too many athletes signing contracts while they’re out mowing. Thornton marches to the beat of his own drum (if you need proof, consider his appearance in ESPN’s Body Issue), so his signing photo seems rather fitting.
However, it’s still ripe for mocking.
Defenseman Mark Pysyk signed a new three-year deal with the Florida Panthers and he tried his best Thornton impression to announce the news.
Very excited to be back with @FlaPanthers for 3 more years! Still got some work to do to get a real ride on mower. #jumbojoe #legend pic.twitter.com/gPfaCd0RYN
— Mark Pysyk (@mpysyk03) July 6, 2017
That’s a fantastic parody. The NHL may not feature the huge contracts we’ve recently seen in the NBA, but what other sport has guys signing while sitting on lawn mowers?
As great as Pysyk’s photo is, it left the door open for some other players to give him a hard time for his poor lawn care.
Pysyk’s teammate, defenseman Alex Petrovic, pointed out some burn spots in the yard which may need some fertilizer.
https://twitter.com/AP3392/status/883062450417016832
Meanwhile, Jason Demers – a current teammate of Pysyk and a former teammate of Thornton – noted the shoddy landscaping.
Maybe a landscaper too
— jason demers (@jasondemers5) July 6, 2017
Can this Thornton-Pysyk joke start a new trend where hockey players sign contracts in interesting places? Can it be an unofficial competition to see who can come up with the most unique way of signing a deal? Let’s hope so.
Pysyk’s joke was pretty good, but his teammates may have burned him worse than the spots in his front yard.
