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A Complete Lack of Respect

March 22, 2007, 5:25 PM ET [ Comments]

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Allow me to take a moment to address a serious injustice this season. I'm talking about Joe Thornton's lack of respect from the national media. Sure, he's not putting up the same numbers he did last season, but Big Joe deserves some mention for the Hart Trophy. He leapfrogged Lecavalier for second place in the scoring race, he hasn't missed a single game this season, and his consistency has been incredible. Add that to the amount of toughness and leadership he's shown this season, and it's an absolute injustice of the first degree. Of course I'd like to see him shoot more (he didn't have one last night) but Thornton's the best playmaker in the league, and everyone he plays with becomes a sniper overnight.

I recently saw an article listing the top 10 MVP candidates (by respected hockey writer Damien Cox) and Thornton wasn't among them. To be fair, he did mention Thornton, but only to note he wasn't worthy of MVP discussion. Instead, marginal MVP candidates like Kariya, Briere, Lidstrom and St. Louis were listed. The argument for MVP always splits into two theories. Is the MVP awarded to the best overall player, or the player most valuable to his team? Under either criterion, Thornton would have to be near the top of the ballot.

First of all, we have to eliminate goalies from the discussion. I know they're important, but they have the Vezina. Besides, it's impossible to measure a goalie's value against anyone else, because they're always the most valuable (or detrimental) members of the team. That means Brodeur (who's aided by that terrible Devils system) and Luongo are off the ballot.

Next, we have to eliminate any players who are playing on a line with another MVP candidate. Their stats are automatically inflated, and they can't be that valuable to the team if they're surrounded by superstar talent. That eliminates Lecavalier, St. Louis, Heatley and Hossa.

Lidstrom can't be anywhere near the ballot. I understand he's a great defenseman, but for a blueliner to be the MVP they have to absolutely dominant, and Lidstrom isn't head-and-shoulders above the rest.

Kariya's selection came from so far out of left field it smelled like peanuts and crackerjack. He's out because the MVP has to average at least a point per game. I think everyone would agree that's a standard the best player in the league should be able to meet. I honestly don't know what Cox was thinking with that one.

That leaves us with three players who have a legitimate shot at the Hart: Crosby, Thornton and Daniel Briere. I'd say Crosby has it locked up already. He's an outstanding talent, the new face of the NHL, the current scoring leader, the sexy pick, and he's leading the Pens to the playoffs. I like Briere because he's the best player on a great Sabres team that's incredibly fun to watch. He's also overcome long odds his entire career. Everyone said he was too small to be an impact player and Brier could have become another Hnat Domenichelli, fading into oblivion, but he's evolved into one of the league's best players.

I'm not saying Thornton deserves the MVP over Crosby, but he should get a boatload of MVP votes. Maybe the lack of respect comes from his talented linemates or Marleau's presence. Maybe it's because he plays out here on the west coast and falls victim to that omni-present east coast bias. With games starting well after dark on the east coast, I'm sure most of the voters don't see the big guy play very often. Whatever the case, it's an injustice he isn't among the front-runners for the Hart.

***

Well Shark fans, George Michael once said "you've gotta have faith." He might be socially and culturally irrelevant today, but the Sharks are only four points back of the Ducks. They could be two back by the end of the night if the Coyotes can find a way to pull a rabbit out of a hat. If you're not on the bandwagon there are eight games remaining and plenty of time to hop aboard.

Having said that, last night's game was another example of how far the Sharks have come in a few months, playing consistently all over the ice and slamming the door on a team that was overmatched. The December Sharks might have let up when the Hawks evened the score, shutting off the attack and hoping for a power play opportunity or a lucky bounce. The March Sharks are just flying, especially that top line of Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo. All three are immensely skilled and playing their best hockey of the season. I love the way Goc has played recently, and he looked like the best player on the ice several times last night. Marleau is still a little hesitant coming off his injury, and a couple guys look invisible out there (Bernier, Clowe) but it was a nice team effort.

Great to see Nabby and the defense bounce back from a shaky game against Colorado. Havlat was flying last night, but the defense clamped down on him and prevented the speedy winger from doing much damage. Amazingly, Rivet is looking better each game and Carle was dynamite on the power play last night. Also, Vlasic and Hannan are both +9 in their last 6 games, an incredible turnaround from those dark February days.

***

Just wanted to throw my two cents in here concerning the Orr-Fedoruk fight last night. I was watching the game with my wife when it happened, and she immediately called for an end to fighting in the NHL, questioning why something like that had to happen. I didn't know how to respond for a moment, because I was shocked by the incident. I responded with the same old statements I've trotted out a thousand times, "hockey's a part of fighting," "they're just doing their job," "sometimes guys get hurt." I've been defending hockey fight since I could first string sentences together. However, it was really hard to justify fighting's existence watching Fedoruk lying there unconscious.

Today, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Players and bigger and stronger than they've ever been, and they're trained to fight and hurt people. Back in the day hockey players were amateur fighters, and most didn't have the strength or skill to knock a guy out. We've seen more concussions and broken orbital bones in the past couple seasons than I can remember going back 20 years, and it's really, really scary when you see a guy hurt like that. Ultimately, guys like Fedoruk know the risk involved when they drop the gloves. As hockey moves forward, I'm not sure if that risk will eventually outweigh fighting's "necessity."

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