Sharks re-sign Joe Thornton (1 year, $2 million)

[nik-]

whatever the Flames are perennials of, I wish it would stop growing.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by nik-

whatever the Flames are perennials of, I wish it would stop growing.

I don’t know why people keep referencing the Flames in this thread. It really has nothing to do with the underwhelming existence of the consistently over-rated SJ Sharks. As to the (surprisingly) contentious point of their “perennial” losing, one only needs to answer two questions...

Q1: Have the Sharks ever won a championship?
Q2: Do the Sharks appear poised to win a championship any time in the near future?

The answer to both questions is “No.”


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[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don’t know why people keep referencing the Flames in this thread. It really has nothing to do with the underwhelming existence of the consistently over-rated SJ Sharks. As to the (surprisingly) contentious point of their “perennial” losing, one only needs to answer two questions...

Q1: Have the Sharks ever won a championship?
Q2: Do the Sharks appear poised to win a championship any time in the near future?

The answer to both questions is “No.”


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And yet they have many more Pacific Division banners than we do.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by rubecube

And yet they have many more Pacific Division banners than we do.

Whoopee.


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[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by dino7c

He could have gotten a bit more but he isn't just playing for the love of the game

Surprised so many Flames fans like this guy after saying things like

"We own this town" to Flames players and losing his #### when Bennett has the audacity to make a legal hit against one of their players.

Well if I wasn't good friends with his brother Alex I would probably not care. He is a really great guy as a person, he really can't stand Calgary though lol. He is a pretty funny guy too.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by rubecube

And yet they have many more Pacific Division banners than we do.

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Whoopee.


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Precisely what I said!

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Locke

Precisely what I said!

The Sharks haven’t won a Division title for eight years, and don’t appear likely to win many more in the near future.

As I mentioned in the other thread: my issue was not with the disappointment of Flames fans in the season, but rather with the insistence on rewriting the history of the spectacular 2018-19 regular season because of a disappointing playoffs.

Regardless of all that, the SJ Sharks still suck.


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[dino7c]

Lets be real the Sharks should have lost in the first round if not for a terrible call and are certainly on the decline.

They had some good regular season success but could never get it done. They are headed the way of the Kings/Ducks but without the rings

for some reason they are incredibly cocky about it

Their geography is tough to compete with though and that gives them a boost in the player personal department...all the more reason they should have been able to win one

[It's a great day 4 hockey]

Here's a what made me a Joe Thornton fan. I was fortunate enough to go to the 2004 World Cup of hockey championship game. After the Team Canada win I figured the team would celebrate at Wanye Gretzky's restaurant. I was right.

Instead of being part of the pack I decided to enjoy the moment from a distance and take it all in. A small mob of people crowded around the back of the restaurant as the stars of the game got out of their limos. Dressed to the nines not one took the time to even toss a smile in the fans direction as they quickly entered.

After a couple of minutes my attention was drawn to a person kitty corner from the restaurant. It was Big Joe. He was wearing shorts, sandals, a Team Canada jersey, and a ball cap. He was taking in the moment, hiding in plain sight. When a couple of fans walking by realized who he was Big Joe shook hands with the guy, hugged the girl, and signed the guy's jersey. He chatted with them for a couple of minutes before the couple continued on. He took another minute to himself before crossing the street walking up the crowd of twenty or so people that were still at the restaurant's back door and gave out high fives and autographs before heading in.

From that day forward I've always wanted him to be a Flame.

[MissTeeks]

Start faster season.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I mean, he scored 51 points for them last year while playing about 15 minutes per night. 2 million bucks for that sort of production is a steal.

[powderjunkie]

Those perennial losers have been swept in a series twice in their history. The first time was their 4th season of existence - it happened in the 2nd round to the Cup finalist Red Wings. Then again in 2010 to the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. Only once in their history did they lose the first round in 5 games (2012).

Sports are all relative...of course there are 29 losers every year, but at least a few of their fanbases got to enjoy meaningful games in May and June.

Other than Detroit (at least until recently), the Sharks are probably the only team that hasn't endured an extended period of total suckage. The Sharks have never had a 4 year run as bad as the Flames last 4 years (which are far from our worst four years).

Mike Ricci was once actually a handsome man. He traded that in for the game he loved. Our passion for red laundry lead to embarrassing chants, though I probably found them funny when I was 18.

Of course it's just a message board and none of this matters, but IMO hating on JT and the Sharks for only being very, very good is just silly.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

...Other than Detroit (at least until recently), the Sharks are probably the only team that hasn't endured an extended period of total suckage. The Sharks have never had a 4 year run as bad as the Flames last 4 years (which are far from our worst four years)...

Their time is nigh. SJ is well and deep into the back half of their competitive window. Things for them will get progressively worse with each passing year; not better.

Of course it's just a message board and none of this matters, but IMO hating on JT and the Sharks for only being very, very good is just silly.

It’s not silly (well, maybe it’s a little silly). It’s a rivalry. The Sharks are in the way, and the Flames will run them over. Thornton will soon retire a very happy man without a ring, and the dream of a Stanley Cup in SJ will be but a sad, distant and painful memory.


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[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Their time is nigh. SJ is well and deep into the back half of their competitive window. Things for them will get progressively worse with each passing year; not better.

I'm not going to disagree that the Sharks appear to be trending downward, but to be fair that was exactly what we were saying four years ago.

[Strange Brew]

Hate on the Sharks all you want if that's your personal thing. I get it.

But since the 2004/05 lockout they have played 151 playoff games by my count. They have given their fans a whole lot to cheer about, admittedly without winning a championship. They are one of the most successful franchises in the league IMO and are doing something right.

And I kind of like Thornton.

[Robbob]

I was surprised that out of his 51 points only 15 were on the pp. That is his strength because his skating will be an issue. SJ will be an interesting team this year between the loss of some players and aging core.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Their time is nigh. SJ is well and deep into the back half of their competitive window. Things for them will get progressively worse with each passing year; not better.




It’s not silly (well, maybe it’s a little silly). It’s a rivalry. The Sharks are in the way, and the Flames will run them over. Thornton will soon retire a very happy man without a ring, and the dream of a Stanley Cup in SJ will be but a sad, distant and painful memory.


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They're not just on the back nine, they are playing the 18th hole.

Their forwards that got over 40 points last year:
Hertl (25)
Couture (30)
Meier (22)
Pavelski
Kane (28)
Labanc (23)
Thornton (40)

Look at their Cs: Pavelski will be missed, Couture is 30 and has lots of miles (playoffs every year of his career). Thornton is Thornton. That leaves Hertl, who is better as a winger, and a whole lot of not much.

Kane is 28 , and power forwards tend to drop off at a younger age. Labanc, Donskoi, and Sorenson are middle 6 guys. Then not much else.

So going forward, you're looking at Hertl and Meier as your best forwards (beyond this year). They're good players, but they are not 'build your team around them' players. Think about Detroit when they were fading - people said: oh they still have Larkin, Nyquist and Tatar as their new core. But guys like that aren't the foundation, they are 2nd tier. Larkin is 1st tier, sure, but theat isn't enough. On their own, as the leaders, they aren't elite enough to carry the team. Same with Hertl and Meier - with Pavelski gone, and Couture on the back 9 of his career, Hertl and Meier will be asked to carry more weight. Then we'll see that they are not top tier guys that you build around.

On D, you have:
Burns (34)
Karlsson (29)
Vlassic (32)
and a whole bunch of wait and see. Burns has managed to remain a top tier player, but at 34, with playoffs every season, the clock is ticking. For Vlassic, the clock is ticking even faster. Karlsson and Dillon are players, but they will be asked to do more and more.

I commend the Sharks for being competitive year after year. But the fridge is empty, the dip is drying up, and the party is almost over.

[SportsJunky]

Donskoi is gone.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Donskoi is gone.

right, thanks

[GioforPM]

Good post except I disagree that Hertl is better as a winger. His big jump in production came when he moved to centre IIRC.