"Joe Thornton today signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension that amounts to a $200,000 annual pay cut in the prime of his career. And he did it with a smile on his face, saying he wanted to do what was necessary to keep a winning team together in pursuit of the Stanley Cup. "With the salary cap structure, back in the old days you could have gotten $12 million," said Thornton, who would have become a free agent next summer. "But nowadays you have to think of the team and what's best for the team. The Sharks and myself made a deal that's best for the team." With today's announcement, the Sharks now have their core skaters - Thornton, Patrick Marleaui, Dany Heatley, Joe Pavelski and Danny Boyle - signed through the end of the 2013-14 season. Last June, Marleau and Pavelski also signed contract extensions below what they may have commanded on the open market." http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks-headlines/ci_16356828
