Sharks Joe Thornton On His GM: “Doug just needs to shut his mouth.”

“He cares about the game so much. The reason we took the ‘C’ off him … Joe carries the weight of the team on his shoulders, and he’s got such a big heart that when stress comes on him, he lashes out at people,” Wilson said, “and it kind of impacts them.

“The pressure and stress, I felt, was getting to Joe,” the general manager said. “And I sat him down and said we need other players to step up and share this. He got it. He didn’t like it, but he got it and he understood it.”

“I think Doug just needs to shut his mouth,” Thornton said after his team’s morning practice. “I think that’s the bottom line.”

Thornton added: “All I’ve got to say is I’ve been here every day working hard. I haven’t taken a sabbatical. He just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth.”

Coach Todd McLellan tried to downplay the problem after hearing Thornton’s reaction

“We have 14 games left and we’ve got our game going right now in the right direction. I think the guys are committed to playing and winning,” McLellan said after hearing Thornton’s reaction.

“As far as Jumbo goes, I’ve been around him every day this year and he’s been excellent with the young players, the old players, the coaching staff,” the coach said. “I think he can continue to do that and play well and play for each other and get us into the playoffs.”