DON'T HATE ON JUMBO JOE

Joe Thornton's return to Boston was perfect...for the Sharks. With four goals in the third period, San Jose rallied to beat the Bruins 5-2 last night at TD Banknorth Garden. And yes, I know that my predictions for the game were hilariously off base. One thing that stuck out--besides the officials seemingly being bullied by Todd McLellan into not calling a high sticking penalty on Dan Boyle--was the crowd's reaction to their former superstar. Thornton was booed every time he touched the puck, which simply should not have happened.

Thornton was the first overall pick by the Bruins in 1997 and played in 55 games with the big club in his first year in professional hockey. His improvement was rapid, and by 2000 he was one of the best players in the entire league. In 2002-03, Thornton put up a 36-65-101 stat line for the East's top seed, but the Bruins couldn't escape the first round of the postseason.

Joe was always the one to blame for the club's playoff failures, and that has never really been fair. It's not always the captain's fault for losses, and the cheap ownership and bad decisions of the front office cost the team more than he did. Thornton's effort was always questioned in Boston, yet in 2005-06, the year he was dealt to San Jose, Jumbo Joe's effort was exemplary, as he put up 33 points in just 23 games for the Bruins.

Blame the front office for not surrounding him with talent. Blame the owner for not giving a damn when he was here. And blame the media for driving unfair criticisms into him when things weren't going well. But don't blame Joe Thornton. He's a superstar, one of the best players in the sport, and a great teammate to boot. I know that whenever he returns to the place he called home for seven and a half seasons, I'll always cheer for Jumbo Joe.