Joe Thornton paves way for Devin Setoguchi's return

LOS ANGELES -- The most important assist Devin Setoguchi received from Joe Thornton didn't come during their on-ice partnership, when Setoguchi scored a career-high 31 goals in 2008-09 with the San Jose Sharks.
This was about an old friend and former teammate needing help.

Setoguchi was several months removed from a stay in a rehabilitation treatment center in Malibu, combating alcohol and substance abuse issues. The next step was trying to resurrect his hockey career. There were no NHL options available after he failed to catch on with the Toronto Maple Leafs during a training camp tryout in 2015.
So Thornton picked up the phone.
"[Setoguchi] still wanted to play," Thornton said. "I said, 'You need to go over to Switzerland and play where I played.'"
Thornton worked his long-time Swiss connection -- he twice played for HC Davos during NHL lockouts, the first time in 2004-05, when he met his wife there during that season. His phone call opened the door and Setoguchi made the most of his opportunity, finishing with 24 points in 30 games. Thornton monitored the Davos results and regularly kept in touch when Setoguchi was in Switzerland.
"He's always been a very selfless guy," Setoguchi said. "Always wants to help others and did a huge thing for me last year and helped me to get where I am."
Setoguchi's time in Switzerland paved the way for his return to the NHL. His play caught the attention of Los Angeles Kings assistant general manager Rob Blake, another teammate from that 2008-09 season in San Jose.
Perhaps Setoguchi, 29, who had played for the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames since his days in San Jose, still had remnants of his goal-scoring touch.

Blake spoke to Setoguchi and his agent John Thornton, Joe's brother. He said he also checked in with Joe Thornton to "make sure things were good," in terms of Setoguchi's summer training regime. Setoguchi was invited to Kings training camp on a tryout; against considerable odds, he played his way into a two-way, one-year contract. He has three goals and four assists in 25 games with Los Angeles.
"For him to bounce back like that is probably the feel-good story of the year," Thornton said. "To see him go through what he went through and now he's clean, I'm super, super proud of him."
The comeback road was bound to have bumps along the way, and Setoguchi has hit some lately. His last goal was Nov. 17 against the Edmonton Oilers, and Setoguchi has been a healthy scratch in six of the past eight games. He returned to the lineup Sunday in a 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
"What he's done, it's a big accomplishment," Thornton said. "And I think he's probably had his struggles every day. But he's done well."
The friendship has endured and the assist from Thornton is something he and Setoguchi will always remember.
On the ice, Thornton, 37, is 25th on the NHL's all-time points list.
"He's probably the best passer of his era," Setoguchi said. "There's no age for him. He just keeps going.
"It's incredible the things he does. He know every little trick in the book to get a shooting lane open. If you're not ready for his pass, then you're not ready for anybody's pass. He puts it right where it's supposed to be."
Off the ice, Blake said, Thornton cares a lot about his teammates … in this case, a former teammate, Bay Area neighbor in the summer and golfing buddy.
"It doesn't matter what it is," Blake said. "Joe goes above and beyond."
Blake said Thornton's generosity extends beyond the players, all the way to the trainers. Setoguchi agreed.
"No one gets to know him like the players in the dressing room and anyone who has ever played with him, you can't say a bad word about him," he said. "As much as that's a cliched saying, it's 100 percent the truth. He's one of the best guys I've ever played hockey with as a friend, as a person and a hockey player too."