Report: Sharks leaders played through brutal injuries

Another season has ended in disappointment for the San Jose Sharks players and fans. The team that went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals just one season ago was bounced by a young, upstart group from the frozen tundra of Canada’s north: the Edmonton Oilers.

The Sharks have made it an offseason ritual to analyze the reasons and excuses for their postseason failure, but it seems this year they may be afforded themselves some slack. That’s because head coach Peter DeBoer announced this morning that two of his team’s top players, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, played through extremely tough injuries in the first round of the playoffs. For Thornton, believe it or not, he played through a torn ACL and MCL in his knee. Ouch…that hurts just thinking about it. For Marleau, he’d been playing for weeks with a broken thumb.

Whatever the future holds for both Thornton and Marleau, they’re both pending UFAs, there’s no questioning their grit and determination during their years in San Jose. Despite taking their fair share of criticism for being soft of fair-weather, it’s hard to call them out when they play through such incredible pain and discomfort. Kudos to them.