True that, +Reps for Flying V as soon as I can give it again. My family is from Philly and I am a closet Flyers fan (please don't hate). The Flyers were expected to make big strides during the 2008-2009 season but they were bounced in the first round, the following season they were bounced in the second round and then last season they were bounced in the first round. Paul Holmgren knew his team and most importantly he knew the character or lack thereof, of his top guys, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. They were given a three year window to succeed and they failed, so Holmgren pulled the trigger, brought in a bunch of young hungry blue collar type working players and handed over the leadership reigns to his young superstar Claude Giroux, who will obviously be the next captain of this team. Patrick Marleau has been given a 7 year window, that is 7 years with him at the head of this team, that is 7 years of Stanley Cup expectations that have not been met. Marleau has been stripped of his captaincy, which any hockey fan should know is extremely alarming and yet he seems to get a free pass from management and most fans at the end of every failing season. It is time for Wilson to take a page out of Holmgrens book, adios Patricia!Anyway here comes a Claude Giroux slurp fest on my part. G is my favorite hockey player, I haven't seen a guy light up the Wells Fargo Center (formerly known as the Wachovia Center) since Jeremy Roenick, the difference is G does it much more frequently and is a much better player at this point in his career than JR was when he was in Philly. The passion, the fire, the love for the game and love for the city is all there. When G lights the lamp he connects with the crowd, he turns around and makes eye contact with them and screams, he is a very engaging player. He will knock the opposing team's best player on his butt and then skate down the ice and score a goal and now it's finally being seen nationally. There are a lot of keys to G's success, one of them is the great relationship he has with Coach Laviolette. I can't say that about any player on the Sharks and Coach McLellan. Anyway, my family full of Flyer fans, for as cynical as they all are, believe that Claude Giroux will win them a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately the Flyers achilles heel is goaltending, nothing new from previous seasons, except Mr. Universe Bryzgalov has a 9 year contract!!!
No more Sharks?
Go Flyers!
But anyways, what about that -11 +/-...probably a sign he has taken many shifts off over the years in the playoffs, at least on the defensive end. How many gwgs were scored the other way when he was on the ice with a playoff +/- like that. But the key stat: 0 Stanley Cups and 0 Finals appearances in 13 playoff seasons. Wow, 13, that is alot to never sniff the finals for how many millions per year? That is one hell of a legacy.
Ok. Just 1 NHL Finals appearance is all I ask. I wouldn't call that ridiculous by any means
Alot of skill, but when the going gets rough....a real softy
I'm not necessarily upset with Thornton or Marleau for their on-ice contributions on offense (or lack thereof as the case may be). I want them both gone because I believe that leadership does actually manifest itself on the ice (especially once the playoffs roll around). Both Thornton and Marleau have had handfulls of good playoff rounds and decent playoff runs. It would be foolish or blind hate not to realize that. That said, I just don't like how guys like them duck out of interviews after playoff losses sometimes (as they both did against Anaheim.....I lost a ton of respect for Kesler this year). I don't like how losses or scoring droughts "aren't fun but they happen". I don't like it that "gee we would have liked to have won, but that's just sports" or "sometimes you don't get the bounces" when things don't go your way. That mindset does not make younger, more impressionable players to play with accountability. For example, with regards to Thornton and Marleau, I've never seen either sell out and lay down in front of a blast from the point to block a shot (in the playoffs). I've seen Marleau jump over a shot (in Dallas) and I've seen Thornton (seemingly) purposely get kicked out of high leverage faceoff situations. I don't like that lack of accountability from a guy making $3M, yet alone $7M and $6.9M. Marleau and Thornton shouldn't be criticised for their offense or lack there of it in any of the playoffs series. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie, sometimes you don't match up well against a team, sometimes you're injured.....I get it.
However, I haven't seen these two grow at all in the leadership department. They're both "just happy to be here" still and when they lose "it sucks". When Thornton is asked why he doesn't shoot, he says (paraphrased) "my dad says the same thing.....but I'm a passer". WTF? That's how you respond to a legit criticism?
I respect them both as offensive talents, I respect them both as people (as supposedly from a bunch of friends who have met them, they are upstanding people), I would wish them both well if they left.....I just want them gone, plain and simple. Rebuilds aren't the funnest things and I'd definitely be bummed that they will be bad for awhile.....but I'm tired of watching the same movie with these two at the leadership helm.
I don't think anybody has to worry about my preference coming to fruition (i.e. - trading Jumbo and Patty).....I'm sure they'll both live out their contracts as Sharks. AND, in fairness to both Jumbo and Patty, this (mine) is an outsiders opinion. I'm not Todd and Doug who have the advantage of seeing these two behind closed doors, in practices, in the locker room, on the road, etc. My opinion is definitely coming from a position of ignorance and it could be completely wrong.
EDIT: This is my humble opinion and I'm sticking to it.....right or wrong.
I'm not necessarily upset with Thornton or Marleau for their on-ice contributions on offense (or lack thereof as the case may be). I want them both gone because I believe that leadership does actually manifest itself on the ice (especially once the playoffs roll around). Both Thornton and Marleau have had handfulls of good playoff rounds and decent playoff runs. It would be foolish or blind hate not to realize that. That said, I just don't like how guys like them duck out of interviews after playoff losses sometimes (as they both did against Anaheim.....I lost a ton of respect for Kesler this year). I don't like how losses or scoring droughts "aren't fun but they happen". I don't like it that "gee we would have liked to have won, but that's just sports" or "sometimes you don't get the bounces" when things don't go your way. That mindset does not make younger, more impressionable players to play with accountability. For example, with regards to Thornton and Marleau, I've never seen either sell out and lay down in front of a blast from the point to block a shot (in the playoffs). I've seen Marleau jump over a shot (in Dallas) and I've seen Thornton (seemingly) purposely get kicked out of high leverage faceoff situations. I don't like that lack of accountability from a guy making $3M, yet alone $7M and $6.9M. Marleau and Thornton shouldn't be criticised for their offense or lack there of it in any of the playoffs series. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie, sometimes you don't match up well against a team, sometimes you're injured.....I get it.
However, I haven't seen these two grow at all in the leadership department. They're both "just happy to be here" still and when they lose "it sucks". When Thornton is asked why he doesn't shoot, he says (paraphrased) "my dad says the same thing.....but I'm a passer". WTF? That's how you respond to a legit criticism?
I respect them both as offensive talents, I respect them both as people (as supposedly from a bunch of friends who have met them, they are upstanding people), I would wish them both well if they left.....I just want them gone, plain and simple. Rebuilds aren't the funnest things and I'd definitely be bummed that they will be bad for awhile.....but I'm tired of watching the same movie with these two at the leadership helm.
I don't think anybody has to worry about my preference coming to fruition (i.e. - trading Jumbo and Patty).....I'm sure they'll both live out their contracts as Sharks. AND, in fairness to both Jumbo and Patty, this (mine) is an outsiders opinion. I'm not Todd and Doug who have the advantage of seeing these two behind closed doors, in practices, in the locker room, on the road, etc. My opinion is definitely coming from a position of ignorance and it could be completely wrong.
EDIT: This is my humble opinion and I'm sticking to it.....right or wrong.
