Joe Thornton Expresses Displeasure With GM Doug Wilson

The San Jose Sharks have not had the season many fans in northern California had hoped for. The Sharks are currently on the outside looking in as the regular season winds down. San Jose is four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the wildcard in the Western Conference with just 13 games to play.

This week controversy reared its ugly head in San Jose when Doug Wilson the club’s general manager told Sharks season ticket holders that the team stripped the captaincy from Joe Thornton because the stress and pressure had become too much for him.

Thornton did not mince his words with his response by saying he thinks Doug should just shut his mouth. He added that all he had to say was he comes to practice and play every day and works hard. He has not been on a sabbatical. Thornton added that Wilson needed to stop lying and keep his mouth shut.

On Thursday, when discussing why the “C” that represents captain had been taken from Thornton, the GM told close to 350 of the team’s season ticket holders that Thornton cared so much about the game. The reason the captaincy was taken from him is he carries the entire weight of the team on his shoulders due to such a big heart that when he is hit by stress and pressure he lashes out at those around him and it impacts them.

The stress and pressure was getting to Thornton, so Wilson said he sat down with him and said the team needed other players to step forward and share in the pressure. Wilson said Thornton understood it, but did not like it.

When Wilson was contacted about Thornton’s comments he played them down by saying, “If this player has an issue, he knows where to find me and I will be happy to talk with him about the situation.”

Wilson added that he was asked a specific question during a function with season ticket holders and he wanted to be accountable to them by telling them the truth.

This past summer the Sharks stripped the captaincy from Thornton after the club lost in the playoff in the first round after blowing a series lead of 3-0. That was just the fourth time in NHL history a team had lost a 7-game series after leading 3-0.

This is not the best time of the season to be upsetting one of your best players. The Sharks are battling for a spot in the Western Conference and lost Saturday to the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2. On Tuesday, they play next against Winnipeg, which is a critical game since they trail the Jets by four points in the wildcard race.