jonathan cheechoo

[sdh 0]

I'm surprised more people in the media don't talk about jonathan cheechoo. If you look at the top 20 goal scorers (and cheechoo is 4th), he is easily the least mentioned player up there. What do you guys think?

[McCabe24 0]

Most people are in bed by the time San Jose games start, Thornton is getting most of the credit for his great season and it is somewhat warranted. Maybe Cheechoo will get some respect if he can perform in the playoffs with people watching, the Sharks have to get there first though.

[DarkStar50 679]

The guy can finish, obviously and from what I see he doesn't mind paying the price to score. He like to score down deep, "in the guts of the slot" as Razor Reaugh would say. He deserves some more recognition.

[Shagel 0]

He played in my home town for the Belleville bulls..the coach at that time which is my mentor/ agent or what ever you wanna call it says Justin Papineau had way more skill and talent. Cheechoos atitude put him over the top " he got yelled at or something but he grinned the whole time and went out the next shift or game and did something great"- his coach in OHL. He is a great player and his combination with thornton is excellent. Good to see someone who went through soo much just to own a pair of skates

[Eazy_b97 1]

Looking at the list there are alot of guys that could use more recognition.

Gionta, Zetterberg, Jokinen (as a goal scorer), Smyth, Cole, and to a lesser extent Vinny and Crosby. These are guys I know are good players, but I wouldn't have thought would be top 20 in goals. Cheechoo will pick up recognition as he goes. I remember last season he almost reached the 30 goal mark, so people are taking notice. His Hat Trick the other night really helped.

[stevoc 0]

I think he is also under rated. I like watching cheechoo play. The guy has spirit.

[kkancho 6]

He has a great shot and he works hard to get in a good shooting position so he can release the puck as soon as he receives a pass. He also gets his nose dirty and goes to the front of the net to slam in the rebounds/deflect shots unlike Kovalchuk who just stands around at the slot waiting for someone to pass to him. If you look at his stats starting from December 1, the guy's only 6 goals away from getting a goal a game (33 goals in 39 games) which gives him the most goals in the league in that time period. At first I thought it was just a big fluke but he's been keeping it up for over 3 months now. He would've been amazing playing alongside Thornton for team Canada :( oh well.

[Chadd 916]

Good player but Thornton makes him great

[Cheechoo 0]

Looking at the list there are alot of guys that could use more recognition.

Gionta, Zetterberg, Jokinen (as a goal scorer), Smyth, Cole, and to a lesser extent Vinny and Crosby. These are guys I know are good players, but I wouldn't have thought would be top 20 in goals. Cheechoo will pick up recognition as he goes. I remember last season he almost reached the 30 goal mark, so people are taking notice. His Hat Trick the other night really helped.

That was his fourth hat-trick of the season!

I agree that all the players you mention don't get enough recognition. The media, and therefore the casual fan base, just zero in on players that made a name for themselves years ago, even though a lot of them are has-been's by now.

[DarkStar50 679]

Good player but Thornton makes him great

Thornton's a good player but Cheechoo makes him great! :lol:

[badsk8ter 0]

I'm tired of hearing how "the only reason he's scoring goals is because of Thornton" crap. I watched his hat trick the other night and all three goals were all him and his effort. His second one, the defender had his stick pinned when he had a chance to knock it in off his forehand and he worked himself free and got the puck on his stick on the backhand side and threw it over the goalies leg pad. The third goal he gave it up to Thornston on the side, skated around the net into the slot area and picked up the rebound to bury it. Thornton got the assist on both but on both goals they were off of shots. If Cheechoo doesn't do the work and get himself in the position to find the puck and score, Thornton doesn't get the assist. They're both great players but Cheechoo does seem to be getting the short end of the praise.

[stevoc 0]

...Cheechoo does seem to be getting the short end of the praise.

that's because he's not a house hold name. :P

[Cheechoo 0]

I've liked Cheechoo ever since he came into the league, but more for his attitude and tenacity than his skills. Other than getting open and shooting, he's really not that great. I don't think there is another player in the NHL who falls down as much, but then again, there aren't many that get back up as quick as he does either. You rarely see him beat someone one-on-one.

As for the Cheechoo-Thornton debate, I think it's obvious they both benefit from the other. Cheechoo had very few goals this season before Joe arrived. On the other hand, as badsk8ter said, Thorton would not be racking up the assists and fighting for the points lead if he did not have Cheechoo as a finisher. How many assists did he have in the Olympics?

Cheechoo is entertaining, but I would not call him great.

[cabreezy 0]

IMO being able, or inable to beat someone one-on-one doesn't decide whether or not you're a great player.

[stix04 0]

Cheechoo is just like Glen Murray. Murray was withering away when he came to the Bruins the 2nd time, and they paired him with Thornton. Murray became known as one of the best finishers around the league, why? Because he could get open and had a cannon. Cheechoo sounds the same (haven't seen much of him). But Joe definitely deserves credit for Cheechoos uprising since the Thornton trade.

[Adam91 0]

Cheechoo without Thornton = above average goal scorer, below average skater with a great shot who can find holes in traffic. I think of him as a poor mans Brett Hull or something along those lines.

Cheechoo with Thornton = one of the best pure goal scorers in the league, when he finds holes in the play Thornton finds him and its in the net.

I think the reason Cheechoo isn't talk about is because most people who don't live on the westcoast and aren't diehard hockey fans don't no who he is. San Jose plays in the pacific time zone and when you think of the other best pure goal scorers in the game ( Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Jagr, Hedjuk) they all a certain flash to their game the makes they noticeable on the ice unlike Cheechoo

[#96 0]

I am just about to start playing ice hockey again after like 10 years off, and I can guarentee that if you put me out there with Joe Thornton, I could probably score 10 or 15 goals.

I hate to make a baseball analogy, but I can further say that any Mgr. would probably having winning seasons with the lineup Joe Torre has enjoyed. Nothing against Big Poppa, but he was in the right place at the right time.

So my point is, Cheech is a good. Good hands, strong skater, deserves every bit of the 40+ he's got...but most of that has to do with what Joe Thornton is doing for him. Look at Murray without him. Murray was nasty, now...does he even still play? You see what I mean?

[sdh 0]

I watch all the sharks games. There is no doubt Thorton has contributed to Cheechoo's success, but as someone else mentioned Cheechoo is often scoring goals entirely on his own.

The guy seems to be having a breakout year.

#96, maybe they should have sent you to the Olympics to play on Thorton's line! :P

[Patrick67 1]

Funny nobody has blamed the mandatory visors for ruining Team Canada's game...

[hip check 0]

I think in the last play-offs Cheechoo started to break out. He had a few big goals, always worked hard and began to get noticed. The year off hurt his recognition, but he's back and better than ever.

Heatley playing with Spezza and Alfredsson is maybe the closest current comparison to Cheechoo and Thornton, though Heatley may have more sheer talent.

[Cavs019 708]

Heatley put up 89 points in Atlanta by himself in the old NHL, so i'm going to say no to that one.