Blades of Glory
Troll Captain
As a Sharks fan, I think Joe Thornton is the perfect example of this. To most people, Thornton's 2005-06 season was easily his greatest performance, with his numbers of 29-96-125, including 92 points in only 58 games with the Sharks and assists on 44 of the 56 goals scored by Jonathan Cheechoo, who unbelievably won the Rocket Richard. Thornton won the Hart and Art Ross, was a First-Team All-Star, and his raw offensive numbers were among the most eye-popping in recent NHL history. But even as a Sharks fan, I personally don't consider 2005-06 to be Thornton's best season. Nor 2006-07, when he racked up 92 assists and 114 points en route to being the runner-up to Sidney Crosby for the Art Ross.
If I had to pick the greatest season of Joe Thornton's career, it is almost undoubtedly 2007-08. That year was when offensive numbers started to normalize again, following the incredibly high-scoring 2 years after the lockout. Defenses had adjusted to the new rules. Thornton did not put up the incredible numbers he had the previous two seasons, but he still led the league in assists and finished 5th in points despite playing in the far-lower scoring Western Conference. The 2007-08 Sharks finished with 49 wins and 108 points and the #2 seed, but people often forget how bad that team was until Brian Campbell showed up. Thornton led the team in goals, assists, and points. He had more assists than anyone else had points, and outscored the Sharks' second-highest scorer by 44 points. Jonathan Cheechoo had fallen off a cliff, and Patrick Marleau was inexplicably bad. Their defense was such a mess that Sandis Ozolinsh played 39 games.
A week prior to the trade deadline, the Sharks were 31-21-8, 9 points behind Pacific leader Dallas, 17 points behind #1 seed Detroit, and 4 points out of 9th place. The only reason they were in position to acquire Brian Campbell, who single-handedly changed the course of their season, was because of Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov. That season, Thornton's two wingers combined for less points than he scored alone. He played over 21 minutes per game, a full 3 minutes more than any other forward on the team, and only 10-20 seconds less than their two best defensemen. Thornton and Nabokov put that team on their back every single night, and it resulted in both of them finishing top-7 in Hart voting. I personally consider his 2007-08 season to be his best ever. It does not compare to a few other seasons in terms of production, but he managed to finish 5th in NHL scoring when his team's second-highest scorer ranked 80th, while also finishing 6th in Hart voting and being a Second Team All-Star. Now, this is my personal opinion, so it's not necessarily right or wrong.
Who are some other players that might fit this bill?
If I had to pick the greatest season of Joe Thornton's career, it is almost undoubtedly 2007-08. That year was when offensive numbers started to normalize again, following the incredibly high-scoring 2 years after the lockout. Defenses had adjusted to the new rules. Thornton did not put up the incredible numbers he had the previous two seasons, but he still led the league in assists and finished 5th in points despite playing in the far-lower scoring Western Conference. The 2007-08 Sharks finished with 49 wins and 108 points and the #2 seed, but people often forget how bad that team was until Brian Campbell showed up. Thornton led the team in goals, assists, and points. He had more assists than anyone else had points, and outscored the Sharks' second-highest scorer by 44 points. Jonathan Cheechoo had fallen off a cliff, and Patrick Marleau was inexplicably bad. Their defense was such a mess that Sandis Ozolinsh played 39 games.
A week prior to the trade deadline, the Sharks were 31-21-8, 9 points behind Pacific leader Dallas, 17 points behind #1 seed Detroit, and 4 points out of 9th place. The only reason they were in position to acquire Brian Campbell, who single-handedly changed the course of their season, was because of Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov. That season, Thornton's two wingers combined for less points than he scored alone. He played over 21 minutes per game, a full 3 minutes more than any other forward on the team, and only 10-20 seconds less than their two best defensemen. Thornton and Nabokov put that team on their back every single night, and it resulted in both of them finishing top-7 in Hart voting. I personally consider his 2007-08 season to be his best ever. It does not compare to a few other seasons in terms of production, but he managed to finish 5th in NHL scoring when his team's second-highest scorer ranked 80th, while also finishing 6th in Hart voting and being a Second Team All-Star. Now, this is my personal opinion, so it's not necessarily right or wrong.
Who are some other players that might fit this bill?
