Turmoil in San Jose, but......

[J0e Th0rnton]

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/turmoil-in-san-jose--but-stanley-cup-goal-remains-the-same-for-sharks-young---old-alike-205353572-nhl.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory%22

 

I really liked this article. Does not get too much into the back and forth backpeddling Wilson did, but highlights some players thoughts. They all went on a players only retreat to hang out for a bit and hammer things out.

 

ill do some coles notes

 

 

Before training camp, the San Jose Sharks retreated to Lake Tahoe. No executives. No coaches. Just players – 22 of them, pretty much the whole team. They spent two days together sleeping in cabins, hiking in the woods, going out on the water, watching football, barbecuing. They built a bonfire.

General manager Doug Wilson used the word “rebuild,” called the Sharks a “tomorrow team” and revealed players told him they felt more like co-workers than teammates. Coach Todd McLellan took the ‘C’ from Joe Thornton and an ‘A’ from Patrick Marleau, leaving the captaincy open entering camp.

It might not be as bad as it looks. The Sharks were one of the best teams in the league in the regular season, and a 3-0 lead isn’t what it used to be. Wilson doesn’t want to lower expectations; he wants to keep winning as he transitions to a younger roster. Players deny there is a rift in the dressing room, and McLellan has said the opening of the captaincy is not an indictment of Thornton and Marleau. It is a challenge to others players to assume more leadership. If they can speak up after the season to the GM, they can speak up during the season to each other.

“I still believe in this team, ultimately,” Thornton said. “If I didn’t, I think … You know, that’s the easy way out, just pack your bag and leave. I still believe this team can do some things.”

“I still think we have a good group of guys in here,” said Marleau, entering his 17th season in San Jose. “I’ve made a commitment here to this team, and I’d like to see it through. I have a lot of skin in the game being here so many years. I want to succeed here.”

But these guys needed to get away and have some fun. They needed to face what happened and do something about it themselves. Why did they blow that 3-0 lead? Why did guys tell Wilson what they did? How can they come together better? What kind of team do they want to be?

“It’s no different than any office,” said winger Adam Burish, who helped organize the Lake Tahoe retreat along with defenseman Jason Demers. “When you’re not around your boss anymore, you can kind of open up and be yourself. For us, that was kind of the idea. Let’s do something as a group. Let’s be together as a group. …

 

Wilson explained the rebuild to the players and openly wondered whether some veterans would want to go through it. To him, he was being up front, not trying to force out anyone. He is not in win-now, mortgage-the-future mode. He will not trade picks or young players for veterans – or sign free agents who will leapfrog young players – to try to put this team over the top. He will put younger players in positions to play and lead. How quickly tomorrow comes depends on how the team develops.

Boyle and Havlat were not given a choice, but other veterans were. Stuart wanted to play in the top four on defense, and when Wilson told him that spot was unavailable, he asked to go elsewhere and was traded to the team of his choice: the Colorado Avalanche. Hannan accepted that he would start out as the seventh defenseman and have to fight for a larger role. Antti Niemi accepted he would have to fight for the net with Alex Stalock. Thornton and Marleau accepted that they might play with younger players, too.

Thornton and Marleau are still elite players at age 35. They can help the Sharks win in the short to medium terms while helping bring along the youngsters. But if you take a longer-term view, the Sharks are building around a core of Couture, Pavelski and Vlasic, along with guys like Justin Braun and Tommy Wingels. Guys like Hertl, Nieto and Mueller are the next wave. One day, Thornton and Marleau will be gone. The Sharks want to win up to and past that day.

Which brings us to leadership. The Sharks don’t want younger players to defer to Thornton and Marleau. They want them to take more ownership, and they want more accountability for everyone. McLellan cannot be afraid to use the hammer of ice time the way Darryl Sutter has in L.A., benching captain Dustin Brown, demoting star Mike Richards to the fourth line.

 

 

 

 

There is tension, no question. On the first day of camp, Thornton was asked if Wilson’s “tomorrow team” comment gave him any extra motivation, and he said: “I have enough motivation. I don’t need somebody else telling me we can’t do it.” Marleau suggested there might be room to move Brent Burns to forward, even though Wilson and McLellan have moved Burns back to defense.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_26561655/sharks-star-joe-thornton-says-team-bonded-tahoe

 

Thornton played down the suggestion by associate coach Larry Robinson in a Montreal radio interview that indicated part of the problem might have been the way some players reacted to Thornton's sense of humor.

"I don't know, Pav, do I have a good sense of humor?" he asked teammate Joe Pavelski, who was sitting at his locker stall across the room after one of the team's unofficial skates. Pavelski smiled.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2014/09/19/as-training-camp-thornton-makes-it-clear-he-and-the-general-manager-not-exactly-seeing-eye-to-eye-on-past-and-future/

 

Naturally enough, other players were also asked about the decision to take the captaincy from Thornton as well as the assistant captaincy from Patrick Marleau.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – one of the younger players mentioned in identifying those who might take on a bigger leadership role – was asked if he expected Thornton to change because he no longer had the ‘C.’

“Nah, Joe, nothing bothers him. But he’s motivated more than ever to prove (people) wrong,” Vlasic said. “When a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ gets taken away from you, I don’t know how it feels, but maybe you’ve got something to prove. Joe’s a guy that we believe in, and we need him to be his best and he is and he will be.”

 

I don't want to hunt down every quote right now, but a lot of players got behind Thornton, backing him up

[J0e Th0rnton]

An added note.

 

Everett Silvertips  has traded for another defenseman, indicating they do not expect Mueller back.

 

Word from people watching the Sharks training camp is, he is playing really well, and is miles above the other rookies.

[yave1964]

 I would have taken the captaincy from Thornton too. Anyone who watched the Kings come back from down 3-0 and the stiffness and the fear in the teams face would/should want the captaincy stripped as well.

 

Thornton made a comment about the team having 23 captains, silly really. They need a leader. Wilson giving the guys an absolute no movement clause was a wretched horrible idea.

 

 I still think the team can step up and win, a cup is very possible with this bunch. I am shocked that Mclellan survived the debacle. Wilson is unbelievably patient.

 

 I hated Ryan Clowe. Not the broke down goes up and down his wing and busts his butt every third shift version of today with the Devils, but the sandpaper and grit 20 goal, 90 to 100 PIM a year guy who got in my crawl, i wanted someone to punch him in the face and keep punching. That is what this team lacks. They signed Torres but (A) he cannot stay healthy and (B) he is really not that type of player, more a cheap shot artist than a tough SOB like Clowe.

 

  Too much finesse not enough sandpaper. Too bad one of the contracts of Thornton or Marleau couldn't be moved out to free up the salary to address that. More and more the Thornton/Marleau combo is looking like the Sedin's, a great regular season combo who simply disappear come postseason.

[J0e Th0rnton]

 I would have taken the captaincy from Thornton too. Anyone who watched the Kings come back from down 3-0 and the stiffness and the fear in the teams face would/should want the captaincy stripped as well.

 

Thornton made a comment about the team having 23 captains, silly really. They need a leader. Wilson giving the guys an absolute no movement clause was a wretched horrible idea.

 

 I still think the team can step up and win, a cup is very possible with this bunch. I am shocked that Mclellan survived the debacle. Wilson is unbelievably patient.

 

 I hated Ryan Clowe. Not the broke down goes up and down his wing and busts his butt every third shift version of today with the Devils, but the sandpaper and grit 20 goal, 90 to 100 PIM a year guy who got in my crawl, i wanted someone to punch him in the face and keep punching. That is what this team lacks. They signed Torres but (A) he cannot stay healthy and (B) he is really not that type of player, more a cheap shot artist than a tough SOB like Clowe.

 

  Too much finesse not enough sandpaper. Too bad one of the contracts of Thornton or Marleau couldn't be moved out to free up the salary to address that. More and more the Thornton/Marleau combo is looking like the Sedin's, a great regular season combo who simply disappear come postseason.

Crowd is split on the stripping in SJ.

I saw a Joe Thornton who was stepping on the gas and giving 100%. Taking a smash to the head into the glass by 2 guys(Doughty/Williams), getting dropped and still coming up with the puck despite 2 of them trying to take it. At no point did he relax or give up and his wrist was absolutely mangled. No, his passes did not convert, but I saw Quick rob a perfect pass from Thornton shot from Pavelski or Hertl or Burns at least a dozen times in the last 3 games. And quite frankly, Thornton was being used in defensive zone situations more than offensive zone because Pavelski, Couture and Marleau could not win a faceoff to save their lives. Tilting the ice into the offensive zone and keeping it there is where Thornton shines, and quite frankly, he was even backchecking more than the rest of them. Forcing our best offensive player into defensive situations is a glaring coaching error. But one possibly necessary because everyone but Thornton was sucking at faceoffs.

 

If anyone deserves the blame, it is Niemi's horrid performance. Stalock looked amazing until the no goal that should have been waived, and then the team broke down in front of them(All of them). Hell, they are even changing the rules regarding those types of goals this season. Not once has Niemi stolen a game in his tenure in SJ, and he was heavily sheltered by terrific defense in his cup win in Chicago. The man should never leave the net to play the puck as he passes to the obvious wrong place 75% of the time and handles the puck like it was a live grenade.

 

TMac did not cut any of the forwards icetime(Except Burns in game 6), or send any sort of message he was unhappy at the time with their play(not once did he attempt to change the look of the PP). Only after the fact did he claim they stopped following the gameplan. A gameplan reliant on transition puck movement provided by Vlasic. Boyle's transition play has deteriorated so badly, and his shot hesitation leaves me thinking he definitely has post concussion problems.

 

Vlasic going down crippled defense which was already thin. Wilson did nothing to fix the hole during the season, knowing the weakness.

[ihabs1993]

Great article!

I can't see how anyone in that locker room would dislike Thornton. And for the record, he has to be one of the funniest players in the league (Remember his comment on Hertl's celly after his highlight reel goal agains the Rangers?)

If I'm Thornton, I don't want to stick around for this rebuild. It's a toxic situation with miscommunication between management and players. However, Thornton is an incredibly loyal player. If the Sharks wanted him to, he would waive his no movement clause at the trade deadline to go to a competitor. Plus the Sharks would get at least a couple picks and a prospect for him. He's an elite guy who deserves better from the team he's given his whole career too.

[OccamsRazor]

But Grosenick looks good in his 2-0 shutout of the Canes!!!!!!!!!

 

http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/recap?id=2014020260&navid=sb:recap&intcmpid=sb-highlights

 

Nice job!!!

[jammer2]

I saw a Joe Thornton who was stepping on the gas and giving 100%.

 

 To be honest, I only saw one game in the series, but I can confirm was Joe is saying....Thornton played with the heart of a lion. He was leaving it all out on the ice, every shift. No *give-up* in this guy. I've said this many times, the monumental choke was a team shaming, not an  independant indictment of Joe's leadership skills. There is only so much Joe could have done to curb the onslaught of the Kings.