Hockey players generally pride themselves on how tough they are and how physical of a game hockey can be. Even on Sportscenter highlights, when a player gets hurt and bounces back to keep playing, we here the catchphrase "He's tough. He's a hockey player." Apparently San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton has decided hockey players no longer need that designation.
During Sunday's Game Five, the Sharks were leading 1-0 with 2:17 to go in the first period. All of a sudden Joe Thornton went down in a heap and seemed to be in serious pain. As Thornton was down on his hands and knees, Johan Franzen started to go after him as all hell was breaking loose. Why was Franzen going after a man he had apparently just hurt? Check out the video:
If I'm assessing this correctly, Thornton was slashed by Franzen but then felt the need to perform a soccer-style flop in case the ref missed it. I'm guessing Franzen was none too pleased by this development. The good news is that while Thornton was assessed with a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. While Sharks fans may desperately want to close out this series, I don't think any team wants to see their team win with shenanigans like that. Well, unless you enjoy soccer.