San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton notched his 1,041st career helper Sunday to stand alone at 10th on the NHL's all-time assist leaderboard.
The 39-year-old helped Tim Heed score in the opening frame against the Arizona Coyotes, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne.
| Rank | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 1963 |
| 2 | Ron Francis | 1249 |
| 3 | Mark Messier | 1193 |
| 4 | Ray Bourque | 1169 |
| 5 | Jaromir Jagr | 1155 |
| 6 | Paul Coffey | 1135 |
| 7 | Adam Oates | 1079 |
| 8 | Steve Yzerman | 1063 |
| 9 | Gordie Howe | 1049 |
| 10 | Joe Thornton | 1041 |
Thornton began the 2017-18 season sitting in 13th place behind six-time Art Ross Trophy winner Mario Lemieux. On Nov. 23rd versus the Vancouver Canucks, he passed Lemieux for 11th place.
The four-time All-Star and 21-year NHL veteran is eight points shy of tying Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe. He currently has five goals and 11 assists so far this season.