I first met Joe Thornton in 1997. He hadn’t been drafted by the Bruins yet, but was in town visiting his future hockey home. He was 17 years old, and caught his first Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Sitting next to Bruins General Manager Mike O’Connell, Thornton leaned way over the upper deck railing to catch a foul ball.

He missed, and O’Connell’s face turned white as he grabbed a handful of the young star’s shirt sleeve, hoping to keep the top pick close at hand.

Eight years later, Thornton is as far away as an NHL hockey player can go, shipped off to San Jose by O’Connell. The GM’s future with the Bruins is now hanging by a thread after trading away his captain for the third time in seven years.

While Thornton is unquestionably one of the top players in the game, he never fully developed into the Hall of Fame-caliber power forward that fans in Bruins Country expected. They wanted the next Cam Neely; they got a big, hulking forward who fell short of expectations. Two years ago, when Neely’s number was retired, the former Bruins great spoke of the great tradition in Boston. He spoke of a legacy of toughness sent down through the likes of Bobby Orr, Johnny Bucyk, and Wayne Cashman. He paused for a moment, and one of Causeway Street’s Gallery Gods took the opportunity to jump in.

“You listening, Joe?” the heckler called.

We’ll never know if he was. The Bruins received three players in return, none as talented as the now defunct captain. That said, this trade could work if Brad Stuart can be a true No. 1 defenseman, and allow Brian Leetch and Nick Boynton to rest five more minutes a night.

Keep in mind that the Bruins will have some $2-to-$3 million in extra salary-cap room after the trade. More than a few people close to the team think there could be more trades coming. Keep your eye on Thornton’s classmate from the 1997 draft, Sergei Samsonov, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring. There’s a good chance the Black and Gold will play the rest of the year without a captain. Truth is, the “C” probably never should’ve gone to Jumbo Joe in the first place. He wasn’t cut out to be a captain – at least not yet – lacking the emotional fire to lead a team on the ice or in the dressing room.

In fact, the Bruins haven’t had a strong captain since No. 77 went packing in search of a championship. Ray Bourque personified the qualities needed to be a good NHL captain. Jason Allison did not, and Joe Thornton never quite grew into the role. For now, O’Connell knows that if the B’s fall back into their old habits, he may not be in charge for long.

However, if Thursday is a sign of things to come, O’Connell’s trade could go down in the annals as the hockey version of the Nomar Garciappara trade. The Red Sox gave up the best player in that deal and we know what happened after that.

Lewiston native Tom Caron works for NESN.