Joe Thornton Retires After Receiving No Interest From Teams: Chara and Thornton Coaching??

With that said, both players have mentored youth in their respective organizations and led as pillars in every locker room they've been in.

Could Thornton and Chara serve as great developmental coaches in the league, or perhaps take on a defensive or assistant coaching role?

Chara and Thornton both captained the Boston Bruins, Thornton was traded to the Sharks before Chara arrived, but my goodness, the Bruins leadership group could have been insane with the likes of Krejci, Bergeron, Chara and Thornton. The potential for Thornton to guide the offense in Boston, and Chara to assist the defense would be amazing.

The pair from Canada and Slovakia respectively both played into their forties.

Here are Thornton's career statistics -

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/3670/joe-thornton

And here are the six-foot-nine Slovakian defenseman's career statistics.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/4530/zdeno-chara

Congrats on great careers to both players, and perhaps they'll still be around the league in short order, with their playing days behind them.