NHL Video (rookie Joe Thornton)

[SJVP408]

A buddy of mine pointed me to this video. It features GM vs agent discussions and Joe Thornton's rookie season and the impression he made on the BOS brass when they first drafted him (not very impressed). I found both aspects pretty interesting. It's from the 98 season so it's pretty old, but still was very intriguing to me. It's a long video (43 minutes).

 

[caliraftdude]

The summer footage of the cup was the coolest part of the first half of his video. The guys bringing it fishing was killing me. I think Shanny said it well when he stated that it distinguishes the NHL that they can take the cup home and share it with friends, family and fans.

That was a young Mats Sundin too... pretty cool to see all these guys again.

The revelations of "big Joe" didn't surprise me (around 36-37 minutes). It seems like he's continued those habits of underestimating the incline of the mountains in front of him to this day.

 

[SJVP408]

The summer footage of the cup was the coolest part of the first half of his video. The guys bringing it fishing was killing me. I think Shanny said it well when he stated that it distinguishes the NHL that they can take the cup home and share it with friends, family and fans.

That was a young Mats Sundin too... pretty cool to see all these guys again.

The revelations of "big Joe" didn't surprise me (around 36-37 minutes). It seems like he's continued those habits of underestimating the incline of the mountains in front of him to this day.

Haha the footage of the Cup with a life vest around it was hilarious.

What I really enjoyed was the back and forth between agent and GM and how they use comparables to help their own cause. The rep on Jumbo was seen from day 1 it seemed like. The lack of intensity. Took him over a decade to find that next gear, but even then, we all know the real Joe. The laid back Joe.

 

[filosofy29]

Nice find sjvp. Yup, watching that video, I see some things that Thornton has improved upon, but also some glaring similarities to his current play.

Areas where I've noticed he's improved:

• He's more competitive in puck battles along the wall. (though he still picks and chooses games he tries hard and games he loafs.....but in the video, he downright avoids contact like the plague)
• He takes faceoffs more seriously now (though he still seems to get kicked out of important d-zone draws more than I'd like). Did you see how lackadaisical his faceoffs were in the vid? My God man, you're vying for a job in training camp and that's the intensity you bring?

Areas where I see the same things then as I do today

• Still doesn't go to the net (a "must have" in the NHL in the video).....just happy to be a playmaker.
• Still lacks intensity game in and game out. He's getting better in the playoffs, but still not even close to where it should be.
• Still seems too afraid to stick his neck out there and try as hard as he can. He just seems to seize up when he has a chance to be a difference maker. Samsonov was cocky and confident and trying to make plays, Joe was unassuming and deferring. He looked like a player just going through the motions out there.

These are reasons why I keep harping on needing to get rid of Joe AND Patty (easier said than done I know.....the NMC's and the casual fanbase would freak out if this happened). Younger players defer to these guys and when you're making around $7M you need to have these types of intangibles. If you get rid of one, you'll still have that 400lb Gorilla in the room. I highly doubt Logan's going to get in either of their faces after a bad game or a bad shift.

Thanks for the video again.