And it’s Doug Wilson for the win.
The San Jose Sharks general manager has deigned to criticise the team’s star Joe Thornton. And the way Thornton replied proved Wilson’s point.
On Thursday, in a forum with season-ticket holders, Wilson explained why Thornton had been demoted in the off-season to assistant captain, after having been captain for four seasons.
“He cares about the game so much. The reason we took the ‘C’ off him ... Joe carries the weight of the team on his shoulders and he’s got such a big heart that when stress comes on him, he lashes out at people and it kind of impacts them,” Wilson said, as per a report in the San Jose Mercury News.
“The pressure and stress, I felt, was getting to Joe. And I sat him down and said we need other players to step up and share this. He got it. He didn’t like it, but he got it and he understood it,” Wilson added.
A day later, Thornton showed some of the fire he rarely displays in, say, the play-offs. And, as Wilson had noted, he reacted to the pressure of criticism by lashing out at someone else.
“I think Doug just needs to shut his mouth,” Thornton told the Mercury News. “All I’ve got to say is I’ve been here every day working hard. I haven’t taken a sabbatical. He just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth.”
In the end this could be a good thing. Wilson’s words may well be remembered as the spark that lit the fuse that finally exploded the Sharks, a team that, in the Thornton era, has reliably disappointed in the post-season.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
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