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What isn't being
said
Jumpstarting Thornton is a good
thing
Okay, by now just about everyone who follows hockey
has heard about the comments made by Doug Wilson and Joe Thornton last week. To
call this a war of words is to vastly overplay it, as it amounts to no more
than 2 or 3 phrases in total.
From both parties.
In fact,
that we are actually talking about this at all stinks of desperation, and is
just one more indication that the saturation coverage of the NHL is well past
the acceptable level.
However, if we ARE going to talk about this,
let's talk about the most interesting aspect:
Joe Thornton gets
frustrated.
Angry.
To the point of lashing out at others,
even.
While I feel somewhat like Emperor Palpantine as I say this, the
proper reaction from all of us should be "Good. Good!! Use your aggressive
feelings Joe!"
Why, you might ask?
The answer is actually
quite simple.
For years people have ripped on Joe Thornton for being
apathetic, uninterested, a floater, someone who just doesn't care enough to win
in the playoffs. Now, we are hearing that he cares so much he lashes out at
people. It might not be healthy, but that surely isn't the actions of someone
who is just coasting along. Rather, that is the type of emotional investment
that makes other players want to go to war with you, since they know you want
to win.
Alright, I can hear you saying "but you can't have your
captain blaming others, lashing out at them, and creating a negative locker
room atmosphere".
Fair enough.
Still, if you look back over
the body of his interactions with the media and observed locker room behavior,
there is no way you could assess Joe Thornton as anything other than a great
teammate and interview. He's funny, charming, and prone to the odd practical
joke. By all accounts everyone says he is great to have around; in fact that
very thing is what got him labeled as 'not intense enough'. So, I think it is
safe to say no one is running scared when Joe wanders in.
In reality, any outburst of frustration or anger from
him would stand out in such contrast from his usual persona that his teammates
couldn't help but take notice. It should motivate them as well, seeing their
normally happy leader reduced to this state.
For me, this is the great
take away from this little glimpse behind the curtain of the San Jose Sharks:
Joe Thornton is tired of losing. He cares. The worst tragedy that could come
out of this would be for us all to overlook that fact, as it tells us that no
matter what else is plaguing this team, it isn't that their best player is not
engaged.
Ladies and Gentlemen this means Joe Thornton is a player we
can win with, and that is something that actually deserves to be talked about.
Contact Ryan at at
ryanhall@letsgosharks.com
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