SAN JOSE >> There was no question that Patrick Marleau had to be the first San Jose Sharks player to have his number retired by the organization.

There also isn’t much debate about who should be next in line.

“I have to assume Joe is probably coming up around the corner,” former Sharks forward Ryane Clowe said Friday of Joe Thornton. “The problem is, he’s going to try to keep playing maybe. He’ll never give it up.”

Marleau and Thornton, who wore 12 and 19, respectively, during their 13 years as Sharks teammates, shared the ice together again Friday as the organization hosted an alumni game before a capacity crowd at 4,100-seat Tech CU Arena. Marleau’s number will be raised to the rafters today at SAP Center.

“I just associate (Thornton) with Patty and them coming in together and what they’ve done, it’s incredible,” Clowe said. “Just for the fans, what a treat, knowing you were going to see them every night. There’s a lot of load management nowadays in a lot of different sports and that was never the case with them. So, I think Joe will follow suit.”

Thornton’s and Marleau’s careers, naturally, are inextricably linked. They were selected first and second overall, respectively, in the 1997 NHL Draft, and besides their time together with the Sharks, they also helped Team Canada win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

While Marleau is the Sharks’ franchise leader in goals (522), points (1,111) and games played (1,607), Thornton, over his 15 years in San Jose, is first with 804 assists, second with 1,055 points and third with 1,104 games.

Asked who he wants to see have his number retired next, Marleau said, “It’s not my choice. But you can probably guess who I’m thinking of.”

Thornton, 43, still hasn’t officially retired, but he’s amassed a resume that should make him an easy selection for the Hockey Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible, and a spot in the rafters at SAP Center.

Thornton is 12th in NHL history with 1,539 points, which includes 1,109 assists – seventh-most all-time. He was a first or second-team All-NHL selection four times in his 24-year career, including three times with the Sharks. After the 2005-06 season, his first in San Jose, Thornton won the Hart Trophy as the NHL player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, and the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 125 points.

Thornton is sixth all-time with 1,714 games played, just 65 games short of the 1,779 games that Marleau played from 1997 to 2021. Thornton had 10 points in 34 games for the Florida Panthers last season, but without a new contract, has been around members of the Sharks’ office at times this year, helping general manager Mike Grier in an unofficial capacity as he figures out the next step of his career.

Thornton on Friday didn’t want to say what might be next for him, saying simply, “I’m playing in the alumni game tonight, so I’m looking forward to it.”