Ducks in a row
Go Ducks Quack Quack
1: I understand that, you have said it about 5 times now. But that still doesn't make him more valuable or even close to the best forward for that post season. I never said he wasn't important, it's you constantly belittling Thornton for not being the "best player" during his deepest runs, then giving Getzlaf more credit for 07 where he wasn't their best player....Far from it actually. If Thornton was on a 2nd line with a lot of ice time, little defensive responsibilities, and getting matched with the opposing teams weaker defensive units, I'm sure he would excel just like Getzlaf did.
2: Playoff team =/= contenders. Getzlaf came into a Ducks team that was capable of reaching they WCF, then the following year, they win the cup. The Sharks may have been in a position to be contenders in 04, but they were hardly good enough to even make it that far. Getzlaf came into a much better team and much better situation than Thornton with much less responsibility. He wasn't the go to guy, which is why I called him complimentary,
3: Then I don't know what to tell you. Thornton has the stats, hardware, and impact that buries Getzlaf, but for you, Getzlaf has had the better career because he happened to be on a stanley cup winning team where he led them in points....but was far from their best player. It's confusing.
4: Getzlaf wasn't an elite centerman when he won the cup, he wasn't even the number one center.....your not making any sense. He was also not exactly their top forward during the international tournaments either. Your basically saying a cup is a cup regardless of his value, yet you dismiss Thornton based on his value. Again, confusing.
5: So Getzlaf being the better player 1 more time than Thornton certainly makes his career better? Can you nit pick any more? That's a very weak reason and you know that, especially considering that Thornton has led the Sharks farther more times as their number 1 center than Getzlaf.....because that's how valuable he was.
6: That's nice, Thornton still has Getzlaf beat in production no matter how you spin it. His 2016 season in general is one of his best seasons of his career....all while Getzlaf struggled. 09-17, Thornton sits 5th in points and 1st in assists....so sure, Getzlaf could have some better seasons, but he is younger than Thornton, but when Thornton was his age, he was putting up even better seasons, and more consistently.
7: That doesn't suddenly just make the overall team around him not that great.....that 08 Ducks team was scary, and it was mainly because of their blue line.
8: Well it's not his fault he was sheltered on a stacked team as a number 2 center with a great supporting cast, then groomed to be a number 1 center with great wingers. Thornton made a career turning scabs into stars, he has also been THE main guy in SJ and Boston. It's a team effort and Getzlaf was lucky to come into an elite team and get a cup so early.
9: The 2006 team? What? Do you understand how weak that team was? Do you know who Thorntons wingers were? Their defense? Just stop. The Sharks didn't get a solid team depth wise until 2010. Thornton was the Sharks before that, and yes that includes 2009.
10: He still hasn't won a cup, just like Thornton. He still hasn't led them to the finals. He still hasn't delivered. Just like Thornton. This isn't about who did well getting bounced out of the playoffs, it's just a shame management couldn't get a better team around Thornton a lot sooner like they did Getzlaf.
11: That's one year....why are you so focused on single seasons where Thornton didn't do well, yet totally ignore years like 2011, 2007, 2008, etc.....
12: My point is his regular season resume far exceeds Getzlafs playoff resume. And it isn't close. Getzlaf won a cup over 10 years ago as a solid player, but nothing that screams conn smythe....and he hasn't done anything since, but you give him credit for being productive....but so has Thornton. Just because he hasn't been as proactive compared to the regular season doesn't suddenly mean he hasn't had a better career. He sits 5th in points and 5th in assists among active playoff scorers....but that's not good enough? Once again, not his fault he wasn't put on a stacked team in his second year in the league.
13: I'm so confused...Thornton was the main center in Boston and SJ. He had great seasons internationally and in the NHL during his time in Boston, he was one of the best centers in the league. He then broke out in San Jose and went on a tear. Thornton was consistently one of the best centers and IMO the best playmaker in the game....can we say the same thing about Getzlaf? Getzlaf has been better in the playoffs because he broke into the league with a great team....Thornton didn't. Getzlad wasn't relied on to lead his team, Thornton was. When Getzlaf got that responsibility, he hasn't won a cup or even made the finals. Getzlaf has a great international resume, but that has a lot to do with his age...besides he had one great Olympic run(2010) and was nothing to really note in 2014. His WCH showing in 2015 wasn't exactly elite either....so those are 2 times where he won gold, but wasn't exactly a significant player....
14: You see 5 gold medals and a cup, but in reality....it's a bunch of team achievements where half of them he wasn't the most valuable.
1: And your not giving him the credit for what he was which was the best forward in 2007. Thornton was the best for 1 of those deep runs but not the others. Getzlaf was the Ducks best player more times from a deep run and was above point per game 2 from such runs something Thronton has never ever done even once.
2: Sharks were contenders during the cap era they just didn't win. Before they at least made the playoffs its not like Thronton made a team that hadn't made the playoffs in a long time turn into a constant playoff team. With having 2 hall of fame defenseman on our team it is hard for any of our forwards to be the go to guy I guess all our forwards were complimentary then using your logic.
3: Why do you keep bringing up that I am saying just because he won a cup? He won 1 more gold medal as well. He was better in the Olympics. He has been a better playoff performer. Its not just because of 1 cup and that's it.
4: So he played in all situations and given the most amount of ice time by over 2 mins and was our leading producer and he wasn't our #1C of course he wasn't the top forward for Canada but he was better in the Olympics then Thornton who wasn't their top forward either.
5: He had a better career because of a combination of things not just any 1 single things why is that so hard to understand? Sharks made it deeper more times with Thornton not being their best player in the playoffs. Getzlaf has needed to be the Ducks best for the team to go deep since our hall of famers have been gone otherwise we wouldn't of gone as deep as we have.
6: In the playoffs Thornton has never been above a point per game and he has 5 more total points while playing 39 more total games. He hasn't been a better playoff performer. In the regular season Thornton has been better I don't need to keep being told that when I have said he has been.
7: Our blueline was great sure but our forward depth just wasn't the same when we played the Sharks in the playoffs and our goaltending was different too. Also Beauchemin wasn't the same after coming back from injury that cost him so many games. That Sharks team was a good team they just failed in the playoffs maybe if Thronton was better the result could of been different.
8: Getzlaf helped to make Perry be as good as he became and he wasn't that elite winger in 2007 and Getzlaf had a Penner who was producing like a 3rd liner dragging the line down. So Marleau was a scrub? Lets not act like Thornton had nothing but trash to play with.
9: They beat a good Predators team in round 1 and took a 2-0 series lead against the Oilers in round 2 if they didn't blow that seires lead they could of possibly beaten the Ducks and then the Hurricanes. Don't act Sharks had no chance at all if Thornton played and produced like you would expect from someone with his size and skill coming of a Art Ross regular season.
10: Getzlaf has been above a point per game leading his team to deep runs while Thronton has never been above a point per game in a playoffs. Sometimes your team doesn't go as deep even if you had been a better player.
11: He had some fine playoffs he just never dominated in them like you would expect. Why am I praising someone for just being fine a number of times?
12: And I have admitted he had been better during the regular season can we finally get off of talking about that? I give Getzlaf credit for being better in the playoffs which he has his production and overall play has been better then Thornton in his playoff career and considering how much better Thornton has been in the regular season that surprised me. Getzlaf wasn't just better in the playoffs but also in the Olympics as well and has 1 more gold.
13: This past playoffs for Getzlaf with a inexperience playoff goalie no longer with a elite Perry injury riddle team was lead to the western conference finals with Getzlaf being above a point per game (something Thronton never did in a playoffs) I would take how good Getzlaf was this past playoffs over how good Thornton has ever been in a single playoffs I would only take the team success the Sharks had in 2016 over the Ducks team success in 2017. The 2014 Canada team didn't score a lot Getzlaf had the same amount of goals and points as Crosby and Toews so I guess Crosby and Toews didn't mean much either to helping Canada win gold I guess.
14: I see being part of teams that won more as well as being better overall in the playoffs and Olympics. I will take being a elite center before who has been better in playoff career and Olympics with a cup and 1 more Olympic gold as a career over better regular seasons.
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