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San Jose Sharks Blogger •
Last Friday, I took part in a company-wide meeting announcing the layoffs of approximately 15 people and the introduction of an extensive furlough program. Our CEO founded the company 20 years ago, building it from the ground up and establishing a solid reputation within the industry. He’d never had to lay anybody off, and furloughs had never been part of the business plan… until Friday.
Nobody was pleased to hear the news, but everybody was impressed by the way our CEO handled it. He announced the news personally, explaining the reasons behind it, and opened the meeting up to questions. He faced difficult, emotional questions, from people who were worried about their families and futures. At one point silence fell over the room, and the CEO stated, “This might be uncomfortable for you, asking these questions. But it’s not uncomfortable for me.” After nearly an hour, the questions stopped. Everything was on the table. It wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t fun, but it helped everybody move forward during a difficult time.
Joe Thornton faced difficult questions after San Jose’s 4-1 loss in Game 6. Questions about his play, his leadership, his career and his future. However, rather than standing there and welcoming every one with honesty and clarity, he skipped out the back door… again. Thornton refused to speak with the media after Game 6, repeating the same cowardly option he took after the Game 4 loss on Thursday night. Nobody needs another reason why Thornton should be shipped out as soon as possible, but he’s given you one, he simply refused to be a leader.
If Thornton is on the Sharks roster in October, I won’t blame fans for staying home and tuning out. If his dismal effort is the one San Jose wants moving forward, if his embarrassing showing is acceptable for a franchise with Cup aspirations, the team deserves another four years of playoff failure. Thornton makes more money in one season than our entire company makes in annual revenue, yet he can’t stick around to answer five minutes of uncomfortable questions? This situation alone sums up his entire sorry career.
It turns out Boston Bruins fans were right all along. They’ve poked their head in from time to time, commenting on Thornton and reminding everybody he’s a playoff chump. For the most part we’ve ignored it, passing it off as a biased group that harbors a grudge against their former captain. We can’t ignore it any more. Doug Wilson can’t ignore it any more. We also can’t pass off Harry Sinden’s criticism as delusion. Turns out he was right on the mark.
Thornton’s playoff numbers are disappointing, but they only tell a small portion of the story. Just watch him on the ice. Watch how he goes through the motions. Watch the body language and the lack of confidence. Sure he dropped the gloves on Monday night but it was a ridiculous attempt at manufactured emotion, from a player who can’t bring it when the games matter most, and it played right into Anaheim’s hands.
We've heard the same old excuses for years now, seen the same "aww shucks" attitude that infuriates those who actually care about the game's results. This was the year will overcame skill, the year of the blue-collar heartbeat and the new attitude and the blah blah blah. You can only sell magic beans three or four times before the people become outraged. Thornton has surely played his way off the Canadian olympic team and into a well-deserved reputation as the biggest playoff choker in the league. Nobody else even comes close.
There’s an easy fix to the problem: You have to trade Thornton before he can contaminate another Sharks season. Sure he has a no-trade clause and he’s comfortable in the Bay Area. Players with NTCs can always be moved. Always. Thornton isn’t the only one who deserves blame for the Sharks’ play, but the fact he bailed on the media afterward tells you exactly what kind of leader he is… or isn’t.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
Nobody was pleased to hear the news, but everybody was impressed by the way our CEO handled it. He announced the news personally, explaining the reasons behind it, and opened the meeting up to questions. He faced difficult, emotional questions, from people who were worried about their families and futures. At one point silence fell over the room, and the CEO stated, “This might be uncomfortable for you, asking these questions. But it’s not uncomfortable for me.” After nearly an hour, the questions stopped. Everything was on the table. It wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t fun, but it helped everybody move forward during a difficult time.
Joe Thornton faced difficult questions after San Jose’s 4-1 loss in Game 6. Questions about his play, his leadership, his career and his future. However, rather than standing there and welcoming every one with honesty and clarity, he skipped out the back door… again. Thornton refused to speak with the media after Game 6, repeating the same cowardly option he took after the Game 4 loss on Thursday night. Nobody needs another reason why Thornton should be shipped out as soon as possible, but he’s given you one, he simply refused to be a leader.
If Thornton is on the Sharks roster in October, I won’t blame fans for staying home and tuning out. If his dismal effort is the one San Jose wants moving forward, if his embarrassing showing is acceptable for a franchise with Cup aspirations, the team deserves another four years of playoff failure. Thornton makes more money in one season than our entire company makes in annual revenue, yet he can’t stick around to answer five minutes of uncomfortable questions? This situation alone sums up his entire sorry career.
It turns out Boston Bruins fans were right all along. They’ve poked their head in from time to time, commenting on Thornton and reminding everybody he’s a playoff chump. For the most part we’ve ignored it, passing it off as a biased group that harbors a grudge against their former captain. We can’t ignore it any more. Doug Wilson can’t ignore it any more. We also can’t pass off Harry Sinden’s criticism as delusion. Turns out he was right on the mark.
Thornton’s playoff numbers are disappointing, but they only tell a small portion of the story. Just watch him on the ice. Watch how he goes through the motions. Watch the body language and the lack of confidence. Sure he dropped the gloves on Monday night but it was a ridiculous attempt at manufactured emotion, from a player who can’t bring it when the games matter most, and it played right into Anaheim’s hands.
We've heard the same old excuses for years now, seen the same "aww shucks" attitude that infuriates those who actually care about the game's results. This was the year will overcame skill, the year of the blue-collar heartbeat and the new attitude and the blah blah blah. You can only sell magic beans three or four times before the people become outraged. Thornton has surely played his way off the Canadian olympic team and into a well-deserved reputation as the biggest playoff choker in the league. Nobody else even comes close.
There’s an easy fix to the problem: You have to trade Thornton before he can contaminate another Sharks season. Sure he has a no-trade clause and he’s comfortable in the Bay Area. Players with NTCs can always be moved. Always. Thornton isn’t the only one who deserves blame for the Sharks’ play, but the fact he bailed on the media afterward tells you exactly what kind of leader he is… or isn’t.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
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