The crowd was on fire, the Shark Tank was loud, the excitement was high as the Joe Thornton raced down the ice on Saturday. In a heartbeat, the tone of the Tank changed as Joe got hit by the Canuck’s Alexander Edler and fell hard into the boards. Instantly, Ryan Clowe was on top of Edler, even though the replay showed a clean hit. The crowd erupted into an angry roar, but a lot of the anger diminished as Joe, on hands and knees, dragged himself from the corner like a injured dog dragging itself from the highway. My section got very quiet, except for the few “second tier coaches” who were yelling all kinds of, um, suggestions to the Canucks and refs. The scrum settled, and all the attention went to Joe as he was being helped to his feet.
It’s a sight you never want to see as a hockey fan – your star player crawling, dragging himself painfully, out from under the skates of the other players, trying desperately to rise.
Joe, the Iron Man of the Sharks, who had not missed a single game since he first put on a Sharks sweater 379 games ago, was probably not going to make the next one. Since the next one was the next day, it didn’t seem likely, and indeed, he did not play against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
It was obvious to me that the rest of that second period on Saturday night was a tough one for the team. No matter how much they were concentrating on the game, there was no doubt that each one held a little question in his mind about Joe’s condition. The excitement settled a bit, and the crowd actually seemed less forgiving of turnovers and missed chances. The Sharks came through with a win, but how would the next game go without Joe?
Let’s just say, two days in a row, fans get pizza and smile. If you want the full details of the game, read one of those other blogs. The Sharks beat the Avalanche.
Now, I’m not going to forget Manny Malhotra got a broken nose, blocking a shot in that game against the Canucks. Way to go, Manny! But a guy can play with a broken nose. Manny still won most of the faceoffs against Colorado on Sunday.
The Sharks have long been criticized for wilting in the face of adversity. When things got tough, many times their mental game diminished, and that diminished their play. I could cite many times when the mental toughness was quite obvious and apparent to all, and yet the outcome was a cruel loss. Does Dallas ’08 ring any bells?
But the recent slump was just as clear an indication of a diminished mental game.
The difference seems to be that when the stakes are pretty high, the Sharks manage to find that mental toughness, even if it’s too little too late. Even if the result is a loss, they still manage to show some grit.
This year has been different, too. All year long, the Sharks have been hit with injuries to major players. They’ve made a habit of gritting it out at times, of squeezing wins out of badly played games, finding ways to win, or just barely missing that winning goal. This entire year has been about overcoming adversity. This entire season has been what it’s supposed to be – one big long practice for the playoffs. Here is proof that it isn’t just the star power of our team that wins games, it’s the idea that a win is earned by hard work and smart play. And it’s the idea that no matter how bad things get, that a win is still a win, and the way you get that win doesn’t change. The players may change, but the game is still the same. If anyone knows the truth of that, it’s a hockey player.
Motherpucker
