San Jose Sharks legend Joe Thornton might not have been a Shark at all.

Ex-Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke says he pushed hard to acquire Thornton when the Boston Bruins made him available in 2005.

"We were in hard on Joe Thornton when Boston traded him and we made what we thought was a really outstanding offer the morning he got dealt," Burke told SN650's "Starting Lineup" on Thursday.

Burke added, "We didn't know that they had already committed to the trade with San Jose. But we stepped up in Anaheim and made what I considered to be a huge offer, and a better offer than Boston got."

Thornton, who was originally selected first overall by the Bruins in 1997, was traded midseason in 2005-06 in a surprising blockbuster deal. The Sharks sent forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston in exchange for the then-26-year-old Thornton.

Despite the Bruins' sizeable return, Burke believes his offer was superior and said that Boston didn't shop Thornton enough. While Burke didn't disclose the exact details, he said he protected five players on the Ducks and the rest were on the table.

"We had a pretty good team in Anaheim, guys. It was a pretty good team," Burke said. "So if you're only protecting five, that sixth player is pretty darn good. ... We were talking a meaningful player, a first-round pick, and a couple of kids. And they made the deal with San Jose instead. I was really choked about that."

The trade paid immediate dividends for the Sharks. Thornton took home the Hart and Art Ross Trophies the same season he was traded, putting up 29 goals and 125 points in 81 games. Burke and the Ducks won the Stanley Cup the following season.

Thornton, now 40, has amassed 1,055 points in 1,104 games with San Jose.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban is teaming up with the NHL to deliver some lighter content during the league's hiatus.

Subban announced Thursday that he'll be hosting a trivia game show featuring players, celebrities, and fans, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale.

"I'm sure it could be some fun stuff and it's also great to create some content that brings some joy to people, gives people some things to laugh about because there's a lot of things to frown about," Subban said.

"I'm happy that the league is making an initiative to put smiles on people's faces and give fans some content to look forward to and have some fun with. Hopefully, this game show can do that, and I'm looking forward to it."

This isn't the first time Subban has been the face of an NHL show. In 2019, the defender hosted "P.K. Subban's All-Star Special" during All-Star Weekend.

While announcing the game show on Thursday, Subban also took a moment to commend those that are working in health care during the coronavirus pandemic.

"You've got to give crazy props to the doctors and nurses and all the people that have put in crazy hours, that have those masks on, that are doing work all day. … I couldn't imagine having one of those on for a 14-, 15-, 16-hour shift," he said.

"Shout out to all those people that are putting in the time and continuing to make us healthy and safe. It's just tough. It's just a tough time. It's crazy."

The NHL is hoping to launch the trivia game show in the next two weeks.

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Hockey players are getting creative with their home workouts and practice routines, and New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome shared a difficult one of his own Thursday.

Strome has been enjoying the best season of his career in his second campaign with the Rangers, tallying 18 goals and 41 assists before the league halted play. He's spent a lot of his time on the ice with teammate Artemi Panarin, who's amassed 32 goals and a team-leading 95 points.

It wasn't long until Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall took a jab at Strome's routine, jokingly asking if playing with the dynamic Panarin left little need for a more diverse regimen.

Hall, who is set to hit free agency this summer, may need to rethink his options if that's all he'll need to practice with the Rangers.

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Sidney Crosby was among several players to share his thoughts on the paused season in video conference calls Thursday, and for his part, the Pittsburgh Penguins star hopes to play as much as possible.

"You try to get in as many games as you can. I wouldn't mind starting right at the playoffs," Crosby said, according to Pens Inside Scoop's Sam Kasan. "But there are a lot of guys in different situations. The more games you can play, the better (the) integrity of it."

On a separate call, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin admitted he would hope to go straight to the postseason, although Anders Lee, who was on the same call, sits right outside of a playoff spot with the New York Islanders.

"For us it is better for playoffs to start right now. We don't want to play extra games," Ovechkin said, according to the Washington Post's Samantha Pell. "I would rather play playoffs right away. Sorry, guys."

Philadelphia Flyers forward Giroux was on a similar page as Crosby in hoping to get in more regular-season games.

"It would be good to get a few games before playoffs," Giroux said. "Especially for teams fighting for a spot. Whatever is most fair for everyone.”

The Capitals occupy the first spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers the second spot, and the Penguins the third. If the league does decide to go straight into the playoffs, it would potentially set up a first-round matchup between the Flyers and Penguins.

Over the coming days, every team will have a player represent it on a media conference call, according to The Hockey News' Matt Larkin.

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Delaware North, the company that owns and operates Boston's TD Garden, will be laying off several dozen full-time Bruins and arena employees and indefinitely reducing the pay of many others, the organization announced Wednesday.

Effective April 1, 68 full-time salaried associates will be placed on temporary leave with one week of paid leave and eight weeks of full benefits coverage. As of the same date, 82 other full-time salaried associates will receive indefinite salary reductions.

The changes are due to the "unprecedented impact" of the coronavirus pandemic on the organization's operations, Deleware North said in a statement.

"As relayed to our associates today, none of these decisions were reached without difficult and painful deliberations," read the company's statement. "These measures are intended to be temporary with associate employment and compensation returning once our business resumes to its normal state from this unprecedented stoppage."

The Bruins were the last NHL team to announce a plan to compensate their arena workers with the rest of the 2019-20 season in limbo.

The owners of the New Jersey Devils announced Monday they were planning to ask full-time employees to accept pay reductions and work four-day weeks. They backtracked and apologized Tuesday, scrapping the idea in the wake of public backlash.

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With the NHL throwing around myriad options regarding a return to action this season, teams are starting to get really creative.

At least one NHL club has submitted a proposal featuring a tournament in which lottery teams would play for the first overall pick of the draft, according to The Athletic's Craig Custance.

The idea may seem radical, and arguably unfair to teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and other bottom-dwelling clubs. But Custance suggests the tournament could work if its format left room to increase those teams' odds of winning.

"Without knowing the exact details of the proposal, there would have to be some assurances for the teams at the bottom of the standings that their odds of winning a lottery tournament resemble their odds of winning the lottery drawing now," Custance wrote.

"That would mean home games for Ottawa and Detroit, with a fairly easy path to the championship. And likewise, a bubble team would have to go on an all-time run of games to win the lottery."

The proposal could allow all teams to continue playing if the season were to resume, rather than limiting the action to teams that entered the hiatus in playoff spots, Custance notes. It could also prompt fans to tune back in were it to take place over the summer months.

"Radical times call for radical measures," one NHL source told Custance.

With the NHL on an indefinite hiatus and the status of the 2019-20 season uncertain, commissioner Gary Bettman has confirmed all options are being considered.

"In terms of where we go from here, we're modeling all sorts of options and everything is on the table," Bettman said, according to The Hockey News. "But we're going to have to be flexible and react to things that are beyond our control."

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As self-isolation and social distancing continue, San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture is looking for a new way to engage with fans.

The Sharks captain is starting a book club.

"I know everyone wishes we were playing hockey, but right now we need to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy," Couture wrote. "With this added free time on my hands, I often find myself getting lost in a good book. I'm really into psychological and legal thrillers, as well as murder-mysteries."

The first book Couture will be reading is "The Rule of Law" by John Lescroart. The 18th book of Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series, it follows an attorney who has to defend his assistant, who is being charged as an accessory to murder.

"If this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to read along. Once I finish the book, I'll be back to give you my official book review," Couture wrote. He'll also share a list of some of his favorite books.

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The KHL has canceled the remainder of the Gagarin Cup playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced Wednesday.

The outbreak forced a pause after the first round when two of the eight remaining teams, Finland's Jokerit Helsinki and Kazakhstan-based Barys Nur-Sultan, withdrew due to travel restrictions.

The KHL originally announced it would take a week's pause to re-format the second round for the six remaining teams before deciding to suspend the playoffs until April 10.

It's not the first hockey league to completely forgo its playoffs. The CHL announced Monday that it has canceled all of its leagues' playoffs and the Memorial Cup.

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New Jersey Devils veteran Kyle Palmieri is optimistic about his team's future thanks to a handful of young, dynamic players.

"I think there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic," Palmieri said, according to NJ Advance Media's Randy Miller. "We have guys that haven’t even arrived in Jersey professionally yet that show a lot of promise."

After finding themselves near the bottom of the standings this season, the Devils began to look toward the future. After parting ways with Taylor Hall, Andy Greene, Wayne Simmonds, and Blake Coleman this season, the Devils find themselves with a pool of prospects and draft picks.

The list of prospects in the Devils' system with NHL potential is lengthy. It includes defensemen Ty Smith, Kevin Bahl, and Daniil Misyul. It also includes newly acquired winger Nolan Foote, who the Devils pried away from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Coleman trade.

Palmieri is also aware of the potential of last year's No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes, who was slotted into the lineup all season long.

"You look at the little flashes and the skill and the way he thinks and sees the game, and you can definitely see as he matures and gets used to the NHL level that he’s going to just keep getting better and better by the day," Palmieri said.

Hughes put together an underwhelming rookie campaign where he mustered up seven goals and 21 points in 61 games. Despite the lack of scoring, the 18-year-old showed immense potential as a future star in the league.

Palmieri added: "We're building and we're young, and guys are going to keep getting better year by year."

The 29-year-old forward has been a part of the Devils since the 2015-16 season. He's scored at least 24 goals in every campaign in New Jersey and is leading the Devils this season with 25 goals in 65 games. He is set to hit free agency at the end of the 2020-21 season.

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With most sports on an indefinite hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams and athletes are promoting social distancing. Clubs are temporarily updating their logos to reflect the practice, and athletes are offering fans their advice and emphasizing the importance of taking proper measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Let's take a look at what has been done so far.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes' alternate logo is a hurricane warning flag, with the shape of North Carolina formed in the space in between the two flags.

The Hurricanes shared an altered version of the logo Tuesday.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox updated their historic logo of two overlapping red socks.

Inter Miami CF

David Beckham's MLS club made its debut March 1 and has now introduced a subtle change to its crest. The original logo has two white herons with two of their legs intertwined.

The club's new temporary logo moves the herons to either side of the shield so that they are not touching.

Nike

Though the logo remains the same, the message Nike is sending resonates with sports fans around the world. Many Nike athletes, including Tiger Woods and Cristiano Ronaldo, shared this message on their social media platforms.

Stephen Curry

Nearly 10 days ago, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry posted a video urging fans to flatten the curve by practicing proper hygiene and social distancing.

Roberto Luongo

Normally known for his lighthearted humor, former Florida Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo got serious with his plea for people to stay home, self-isolate as much as possible, and take social distancing seriously.

Chris Paul

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul reminded everyone that it's important to stay home and urged people to act selflessly. He also commended healthcare workers for their efforts during this time and expressed his appreciation for teachers.

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