All six-foot-four and 223 pounds of Joe Thornton, a massive centre with the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks, swung by the grand opening of the very first Pro Hockey Life store in Mississauga. Thornton, who won the 2005-06 Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring with 29 goals and 96 assists for 125 points, was all smiles as he signed autographs for the throng of people who showed up to see him.
Thornton, a native of London, Ontario, also represented his country by donning the Team Canada jersey at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Throughout his career, which began as a first overall draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 1997, the forward has scored 240 goals and 516 assists in 754 games while amassing 775 penalty minutes.
The new 20,000-sq.-ft. store, located in the Heartland Centre, is the second Ontario location. It carries more than 7,000 hockey sticks, over 2,500 pairs of skates and every NHL team jersey, both home and away.
"This great location means that customers in (the GTA) will now have the opportunity to explore our megastore and benefit from our unparalleled selection of hockey equipment, apparel and accessories," said Scott Jackson, the chief operating officer of Pro Hockey Life. "(The store) will provide the region’s hockey enthusiasts an opportunity to interact with our Pro Hockey Life specialists, and benefit from their knowledge and passion for hockey thus assuring the best hockey shopping experience around."
For more information, visit www.hockeylife.com.
cclay@mississauuga.net
