So, Joe Thornton is pretty awesome. He’s one of the best passers the game has seen, ever, and insists on doing every interview shirtless. Not sure how those two facts go together, but they’re both true, so let’s go with that. His Angry Joe mode, though rare, makes him into the best player in the league and a great fighter (just ask Steve Ott).

However, he hasn’t had much playoff success. The word “choker” has been tossed around once or twice… per minute. Most of that comes from his time in Boston, when he was a rookie/playing with broken ribs, but that really doesn’t matter to a populace who bases their entire opinion on a single (post) season (see: Datsyuk, Pavel). He’s averaged almost a PPG pace since coming to SJ in the playoffs despite the team never going past the second round, but that doesn’t matter, apparently.

Anyways, for some reason, the slightly crazy good folks over at HF Boards posted a few threads on Thornton, largely because he’s been dominating this year and pretty much a lock for Team Canada, to some posters’ chagrin. And then the three or so threads dedicated to him exploded, until we were left with this sight:

Is Joe Thornton the new Rich Peverley? Doubt it, if only because the denizens at HF Boards need their whipping boy, but still.

Note: Most of these threads have been deleted already, and any poster who creates another pointless Joe Thornton thread will be banned for at least 30 days, maybe even permanently. Just the man trying to keep Joe Thornton down, but I’d do as they say. Because really, where else can you propose Kaberle, Hagman, and Toskala for Bobby Ryan, Giguere, a 1st and a prospect and be completely serious?