Joe Thornton: Be Bland, Be Boring, Be A Leader!

Michael Holley of the Boston Globe correctly points out that Joe Thornton's retirement threat cannot be taken seriously. But Holley goes on to offer some rather curious advice to the Bruins' captain.

According to Holley, it is not Thornton's place to evaluate NHL officiating: "Almost anyone can tell you that the game is not as fluid as it should be. That same person can tell you that a player calling out the lords of the game is certainly not the way to fix it."

Why not? The only other people offering honest opinions about the refereeing are sports writers. Does anyone believe the league is going to listen to them?

Holley goes on to suggest that if Thornton wants to be a real team leader, fulfilling his obligations as captain, he should refrain from saying anything interesting at all:

"Thornton has a different style than Bourque, but it wouldn't hurt the fairly new captain to watch tapes of Bourque being interviewed. Everybody loved Raymond, but his words were safe. He was polite and focused. He was professional. He was, at times, intentionally boring."

Useful advice, if Thornton were some kind of loose cannon, using the media to bait opponents or act like a clown. But all the guy did was offer an honest opinion about one of the more troubling aspects of the game: the inconsistencies and vagaries of NHL officiating. The more players who speak out on this one, the better.