BOSTON -- Around 10 o'clock last night, Joe Thornton must have had himself one heck of a chuckle.

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent the former Boston Bruins franchise player to the San Jose Sharks for Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau. The transaction sent shockwaves throughout the National Hockey League, especially in this town.

The morning after, there nearly was a small riot in the Bruins' locker room when the players arrived for work. Most of the players -- mainly Andrew Raycroft and Nick Boynton -- who made their feelings known to then-general manager Mike O'Connell no longer are playing in Boston. Raycroft and Boynton were traded during the offseason.

A year later, some of the fallout still lingers at The Garden.

"It's not forgotten, but it's not really talked about that much," said Bruins forward Brad Boyes. "That stuff happens in this business. I actually forgot about it until somebody brought it up yesterday. At the time [of the trade], I remember I was shocked."

Of course, the players who came to Boston gained a lot of unwanted attention after the team's game-day skate yesterday morning at The Garden. Stuart, a defenseman, said he has moved on but understands that he'll always be looked at as one of the three players traded for Thornton, who was a fan favorite.

"If it wasn't brought up, I wouldn't even think about it anymore," said Stuart. "I'm so far removed from it now, I don't even think about it. It's like a birthday -- once a year you're reminded of it."

The Sharks were playing in Dallas last Nov. 30 as Primeau, Sturm and Stuart took warmups before the trio was informed of the trade 10 minutes before game time.

"We didn't even know who it was for," admitted Primeau. "A number of names can go through your mind, next thing we knew we were told we were going to Boston for Joe."

Primeau said he's happy in Boston and likes the changes the organization made during the offseason. Still, it's strange that No. 19 hasn't worn the Black and Gold for a year already.

"It's weird," said Primeau. "You look at the calendar and you're like, 'Wow, it's already been a year.' In my mind, it's gone by rather quickly."

A year ago . . .

A year ago yesterday, former Bruins defenseman Jonathan Girard was forced to retire from the game at the age of 25 due to injuries he suffered in a near-fatal auto accident in July 2003. The promising blueliner attempted a brave and noble comeback last season, to no avail, as his body could not handle the rigors of pro hockey.

"He's doing good," said his agent, Bob Sauve, whose son is the goalie for P-Bruins and is a good friend of Girard. "He's keeping busy."

Girard is co-owner of a soon-to-open day spa in Quebec, and also is developing a piece of land that he purchased. When asked if Girard wanted to attempt another comeback, Sauve said that wouldn't be possible.

"The one thing he knows is that he can't play," the agent said.

Boston assistant general manager Jeff Gorton said of Girard: ""From a Bruins standpoint, he had the makings of a good player and he would have fit in well."

Girard was a second-round pick of the Bruins in 1998, and played his only full NHL season in 2002-03, scoring six goals and adding 16 assists.

Mara sidelined

The Bruins were without defenseman Paul Mara last night. He suffered a leg injury against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday in Toronto. Coach Dave Lewis said Mara is unavailable, and the team won't know until today whether the defenseman will make the trip to Carolina and Montreal. With Mara out, Jason York returned to the lineup for only the second time in the last 12 games.

jmcdonal@projo.com / (401) 277-7340