Whether you remember him fondly as “Donkey,” “Don-score,” or “The Don Father,” Joonas Donskoi is one of those Sharks players you recall as spending too little time with the San Jose Sharks. This Flashback Friday is dedicated to Donskoi, who decided to hang up his skates earlier this week.
In a post on Instagram, Donskoi said that multiple concussions over his career showed him that it was time to retire.
“It is extremely hard to let go of something you have put your whole life into, but at this point I know it’s the right decision for my own well being and future. I got to live my dream of being an NHL player, which I’m extremely blessed and grateful for. I think I was able to reach my own potential, which was always my biggest goal,” wrote Donskoi.
How Doskoi arrived in San Jose
Donskoi wasn’t a player that the Sharks drafted, so he wasn’t a guy that fans were keeping an eye on. His arrival with the team seemed sudden.
In 2010, he was drafted 99th overall by the Florida Panthers. But he never found a path to the NHL with the Panthers organization, so the team relinquished his rights. Donskoi signed an entry-level deal with the Sharks in May 2015 and burst into training camp that September as a 23-year-old ready to prove something.
He did. Donskoi made the team out of training camp and in his first NHL game on Oct. 7, 2015, he scored his first NHL goal against Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings.
While Joe Pavelski got all the hype from the announcers, it was later determined that Donskoi was the last to touch the puck before it went into the net. In total, Donskoi appeared in 283 regular-season games for the Sharks. He scored 122 points (45 G, 77 A) over four seasons.
He also appeared in 50 playoff games for San Jose, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Donskoi highlights
Donskoi was the kind of player that knew how to make things happen. He had puck-handling skill, speed and determination, all of which he showcased in this goal from 2018.
Donskoi also had the ability to score quickly and in bunches. On Dec. 21, 2016, Donskoi scored two against the Calgary Flames in the span of two minutes.
He didn’t lose that ability simply because he changed teams. On March 31, 2021, he scored a hat trick in the first eight minutes of a game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Don-score was a delight to watch no matter what color jersey he was wearing.
Donskoi in the playoffs
But perhaps the greatest delight for Sharks fans was watching him in the playoffs. When Donskoi was on the ice for the Sharks, he was an impact player.
In Game 4 of the 2018 Western Conference Quarterfinal series with the Vegas Golden Knights, Donskoi scored one of those goals that can deflate an opposing team.
With the seconds ticking down in the first period, Donskoi picked up the puck in his own zone. He skated through the Vegas forwards and then used the defense as a screen to score. The Sharks went up 2-0 in the game and went on to win the game 4-0.
But, of course, his biggest impact for team teal was what he did in 2016. Donskoi had 12 points (6 G, 6 A) in 24 games and he wasn’t afraid to score in big games.
He tallied in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, scoring one of San Jose’s five goals on the night. The win secured San Jose’s spot in the Stanley Cup Finals, the franchise’s one and only appearance.
You cannot talk about Donskoi unless you talk about what he did in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Donskoi scored what would become the biggest goal of his career.
And again, just because we can, in Finnish.
From all Sharks fans, thanks for the great memories Joonas Donskoi.
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