Couldn’t help it - that’s Niemi buried under
Joe Thornton during last season’s playoffs.

If true this signing just boggles my mind. Niemi came to be on the market because an arbitrator ruled that Niemi should be granted a contract worth $2.75M by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks were only offering $1.5M. If signed by San Jose at $2M, that’s only $500,000 more than what the Blackhawks were offering. Getting Niemi for that price speaks volumes on so many levels. Is the goalie market so flooded that Niemi couldn’t get $2.75M and/or a multi-year deal with another team? Is this just another validation that the Sharks are one of the desired franchises in the NHL? Is Niemi taking less money to try and make another run for The Cup?

The most curious statement about this move might be around the team’s confidence in Thomas Greiss. Remember that last season the Sharks were rumored to be in the hunt for Josas Gustavsson, last season’s top goal tending prospect out of Sweden. Gustavsson eventually signed with Toronto and the timing left the Sharks with no viable options to back up Evgeni Nabokov. If the Sharks go into this season with Greiss back with the Worcester Sharks that would pretty much validate the idea that the Sharks bet and lost on Gustavsson and just took their chances with the net minders they had.

I don’t know about anyone else but I feel pretty good about our goal tending, Niemi backed up by Antero Niittymaki - anyone else have any opinions on that tandem?

Bookmark Me!

From ESPN.com:

“Evgeni Nabokov confirmed to ESPN.com on Wednesday he signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg. He said playing in his native Russia and for a league that’s trying to make a name for itself is an exciting proposition.”

“Nabokov earned $6 million this year in San Jose. While he refused to discuss financial details of the new deal, Russian media reports pegged the total contract at around $24 million.”

Too bad Versus doesn’t carry KHL games….

Bookmark Me!

Throughout the years many of those teams - mostly by the Saints and Rams, were said to have been of Super Bowl caliber. The problem was that they were in the same division as the 49ers and if you couldn’t get past the 49ers, then you couldn’t get to the Super Bowl.

Before last season began many predicted which two teams would end up in the Stanley Cup Finals. Even though the Philadelphia Flyers barely made it to the playoffs on the last game of the season, and even though they went through 4 goalie changes, they were the team predicted by many to represent the East in the Finals. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how they got there - they got there - as predicted. The Chicago Blackhawks were predicted to represent the West and, well - they did, in fine fashion.

One great thing about NHL Home Ice is you get to hear unedited interviews with NHL general managers. They are actually quite dry but you get a real good sense for just how little is left to chance in the NHL. My point here is that I don’t feel like ‘fate’ and ‘luck’ play as important a part in sports as one might think. Hockey General Managers are very aware of everything that’s going on in the league and they probably make more ‘calculated moves’ than take ‘calculated risk’.

San Jose Sharks General Manager
Doug Wilson

San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in an interview last night that he had his eye on Antero Niittymaki for a month, that he was the goalie they wanted from the start. Since nothing happens by accident when it comes to a multi-million dollar industry, Wilson probably had an agreement in place with Niittymaki before July 1.

So what’s the point? Many people I spoke to are a little disappointed with the Niittymaki acquisition, and some are upset with the Niclas Wallin resigning. But if you look at the landscape of the NHL today, who do you need to beat? The Blackhawks have been dismantled as predicted, and unlike last year when you knew they were the team to beat in the West, who is the team to beat this year?

And say what you want about Wallin and the Sharks defense, we were the top seed in the West and we did get to the conference finals. If you were to look at the team today and compare it to the rest of the NHL landscape, do you think on paper any other team stands out as being that much better than the rest?

As of right now (according to nhlnumbers.com) the Sharks have $7M+ of cap space, some nice breathing room when you consider the quality (and cost) of our Top-6 forwards.

Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, says it best. In summary, he says a lot of people think you have to make the some kind of big move on July 1. He believes such thinking drives prices up and gets teams locked into unfavorable situations in the long run. I think getting Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski signed were just as important as any free agent acquisitions, and getting a known commodity in net may take the pressure off any ‘rash’ decision making.

This new 2010-2011 Sharks team might not feel like it’s good enough compared to last season but it might be good enough compared to the competition for the upcoming season. Maybe that is how Doug Wilson operates, and we won’t know the results for another 10 months.

Bookmark Me!

“The current team must extend a “qualifying offer” to a restricted free agent to retain negotiating rights to that player.

If the player rejects a qualifying offer, he remains a restricted free agent.”

Setoguchi (via nhlnumbers.com) made $765,000 plus possibly another $425,000 in bonus money last season. Setoguchi was born on New Year’s Day 1987 so he’s 23. If Devin hasn’t signed a contract by now it means that the Sharks didn’t extend him something near what Pavelski got and/or Setoguchi thinks he can make a killing on the free agent market. Whatever happened the Sharks positioned themselves to get something in return if he leaves (a condition of a ‘qualifying offer’). I’m pretty sure someone is willing to sign Setoguchi to a Pavelski-ish contract and I don’t think the Sharks have the space to match that offer. I’d be really surprised if we see him back with the team next year.

The talk around goal tender is of course Marty Turco. A one year deal would be perfect - it gives the Sharks a veteran goal tender, it gives Turco a viable option to win a Stanley Cup and it gives Thomas Griess another veteran to learn from for one more year. I’m not saying he would be the perfect goal tender for the Sharks, I just mean it would be a perfect situational signing. The final analysis wouldn’t be until the end of the season.

And with so many goalies on the market it’s really doubtful that Evgeni Nabokov could command the same salary he made last year. Speculation is that he might go to the KHL - locking down a big, guaranteed contract for one year. I’m not so sure about that. If you remember his poor performance in the Olympics, would a Russian team be willing to give him big money after participating in the embarrassment of their national team?

Other than goalie I’m excited to see what defensemen Doug Wilson acquires. I think we’re all willing to forgive the Niclas Wallin and Kent Huskins contracts if we see some blockbuster move on defense like the one we saw on offense last year.

Finally, please sign Manny Malhotra - unless I missed something he still hasn’t signed.

Bookmark Me!

The San Jose Sharks are reporting that they have signed Scott Nichol to a one-year contract - terms not disclosed. The team also signed Niclas Wallin and Andrew Desjardins (Worcester) each to one year contracts. I think many fans will breathe a sign of relief that Nichol was re-signed, he was definitely brought a lot of fight to the ice and was often more interesting to watch than ‘The Big 3′.

Here’s my thing - I liked the Wallin acquisition late last season but because he played with a sprained ankle during the playoffs it’s hard to know just what he brings during the grind. I trust (Sharks GM) Doug Wilson, and I would believe that since he played defense he’d know what to look for in a defenseman, but why would you re-sign a guy when there are other assets on the market? It’s very reminiscent of Wilson’s resigning of Kent Huskins despite Huskins never playing in a Sharks sweater due to injury.

In any case, my wish list included the resigning of Patrick Marleau (check), Joe Pavelski (check), Scott Nichol (check) and Devin Setoguchi. I’d hate to see it, but Setoguchi would get you the world in a trade…

Bookmark Me!

Trade Rumors

FC Sharks Fan, who by the way is turning into our Sharks beat reporter - scouring those dark, damp corners of the internet for news, is reporting that the Sharks might be close to securing a defenseman:

“The latest word is that Florida defenseman Keith Ballard is on the block and could be headed out to the Western Conference. (from SI)

Western Conf? It’s going to be the Sharks and we will trade Torrey Mitchell to get the deal done.”

I like Torrey Mitchell but he hasn’t been the same since the injuries. It might just be a matter of him being away from the game while recovering than any physical limitation, but if anything we’ve upgraded our offense in his absence and can afford to part ways if it means getting better on defense.

He’s Back

Dustin Byfuglien didn’t know he’d soon be in
purgatory with the Atlanta Thrashers.

The home opener is Saturday, October 16th and once again we’re organizing our group outing the welcome the boys back for another year. And once again the scheduling gods have given the Sharks a (hopefully) beatable opponent to make the day a joyous one - however there’s one problem. The gods gave the Sharks the Atlanta Thrashers (yay), but the Thrashers just acquired 3 former Chicago Blackhawks including - wait for it - Dustin Byfuglien (boo). Because I’m that kind of guy, I’m hoping for some serious payback…

Saturday Night Fever

The Sharks will play more home games on Saturday (15) than any other day of the week. I like that - gives me more chances to do the uncle thing and take my nephew to the game (no hockey on school nights). After that it seems like the pattern will be mostly Tuesdays (8) and Thursdays (9) - keep those calendars open.

Bookmark Me!

That glare could have sealed Nabokov’s fate. Over the last few years my opinion of Nabokov has been sliding. It isn’t my opinion of him as a goal tender but my opinion of him as a team mate. I’ve lived through the Barry Bonds years where the team made sacrifices because of Bonds’ ability as an athlete. I started to think Nabokov was sort of the same character. My opinion was formed around his unwillingness to sign autographs when leaving The Tank and his unwillingness to give interviews. It isn’t that Nabokov is to hockey want Barry Bonds was to baseball, but the general consensus was that if you got rid of Nabokov who would replace him? Well, that question was answered by a bunch of young goalies named Jaroslal Halak, Craig Anderson, Antti Niemmi and Michael Leighton. Who could replace Nabokov - it could be anyone.

When a fore-checker is in your zone you’re supposed to be on your toes and Nabokov has been called out as being just as responsible for that own-goal as anyone else. The glare he gave Dan Boyle gave me the impression that Nabokov might not be taking as much responsibility for the team’s play as you would hope. Last season the house keeping included getting rid of guys who didn’t put the team first. Can you imagine being in that locker room during the playoffs, everyone finally putting the team first but having your goalie not only letting in inopportune, momentum killing goals but showing actions that put blame elsewhere? Can you imagine that same team with a goalie that may not be quite as stalwart as a veteran player but a kid that always plays hard and takes responsibility when he feels like he let his team mates down?

Now the suspense turns to signing all our restricted and unrestricted free agents. The good news is that a Doug Wilson interview on Comcast Sports Net revealed that all of those free agents have been approaching him about signing contracts before the July 1 start of free agency, meaning all our guys want to be back with the team. If we’re lucky it’ll turn out to be an eventful week and we can sit back and watch other teams out bid each other to sign players.

Bookmark Me!

“Due to this situation Sharks will be going forward with a new goaltending situation next year, meaning Evgeni Nabokov, who has held down the top job since 2000, will not be back in teal.”

I guess now the question isn’t whether or not the Sharks will sign a free agent goalie (the answer is apparently ‘yes’), the question is whether or not that free agent will be the starter or the back up to Thomas Greiss.

Bookmark Me!

Today “The War Room” on XM’s NHL Home Ice discussed what, if anything, did this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs show us? The answer was that you don’t have to pay a lot for a net minder to go the distance. The emerging paradigm in the NHL is that you do not (and should not) have to make your goal tender one of the highest paid players on your team.

This means two things for the San Jose Sharks.

First if Evgeni Nabokov leaves there are plenty of other options available, and with the goal tending ‘glut’ it’s possible the Sharks could get a reliable goal tender for far less than the $6M they paid Nabokov this past season. Imagine getting a reliable goal tender like Dan Ellis for $2M (what he made in ‘09-’10) - the remaining $4M could be spent on acquiring a few defensemen.

Second, this dynamic means that Patrick Marleau is worth a lot on the open market given the lack of available quality forwards. The Sharks really need to sign him before July 1, I just hope we hear something from the team sooner rather than later.

Any thoughts on who you’d like to see in net for the Sharks next year?

*Sorry, I don’t see Toskala returning to the team.

Bookmark Me!

From PicApp

It just dawned on me that if Rob Blake decides to retire the San Jose Sharks will need a new captain. I think the popular choice is Dan Boyle, but I still think - if you don’t want to be turning over captains every few years - that the new captain of the future is Joe Pavelski. I guess I have two questions - who should be the Sharks’ captain if Rob Blake retire and does it make a difference if you change captains every few years?

For whatever reason I still haven’t seen the entire injury list from the Sharks. I always like to reserve judgment regarding playoff performance until I’ve seen just what the boys were up against. So far the only reports I’ve seen are Dany Heatley’s TORN groin, Jed Ortmeyer’s double sports hernia, Devin Setoguchi’s sports hernia and Nicklas Wallin’s sprained ankle. Let me know if you hear of any other injuries.

Bookmark Me!

Is this the Sharks core group of the future?
From bleacherreport.com

Bleacherreport.com has put together two very intriguing slide shows and just what the Sharks might look like next season. The first involves the promotion of 4 Worcester Sharks to full time duty in San Jose, and the promotion of Tomas Greiss to goal tending starter. There are some very interesting statistics in there to gnaw on and when I thought about it, nothing about the promotions seemed too unreasonable.

The second slide show is about which free agents the San Jose Sharks should let go and who they should go after. If you can get past who we should let go then who we should acquire makes a lot of sense. The only issue I have is with the last slide - I think that acquisition is way out in left field (I’ll let you read the article and decide for yourself).

Bookmark Me!

“What that sounds like from here: Marleau wants to give the Sharks a fair shot of signing him to a deal at a “hometown discount” (but not a huge one) before throwing himself on the open market. But if Marleau isn’t signed by July 1, the odds of him returning will greatly diminish. At least a couple of teams (Los Angeles? Minnesota?) are likely to throw crazy money at him.”

As far as the status of Evgeni Nabokov, apparently he and Sharks’ management are playing a game of chicken to see who blinks first. A novel theory about the future of San Jose’s goal tending is the thinking by some that you simply get to the playoffs and hope your goaltender gets hot, be it a proven veteran or an aspiring rookie. Such thinking may have been in play when the Sharks failed to secure a ‘proven’ backup this past season, and it may manifest itself further if they decide to go with Tomas Greiss as the starter next season.

Bookmark Me!

I recycled the Willy Wonka tickets yesterday.

Sharks final skate of the season
Image from NHL.com

When the season started some 8 months ago (yes Sharks fans, the season get’s considerably longer the deeper your playoff run) we had our lunch bucket full of questions. I think they’ve been answered:

Does this team have the mental fortitude to go deep in the playoffs?
Yes.

Does this team have the character to overcome adversity?
Yes.

What are we going to do at the end of the season with Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov being free agents?
Sign Marleau at all costs. Regarding Nabokov - see below.

Going into next season we now have a new set of questions:

What are we going to do about our defense?
What are we going to do about our goaltending?

The program “War Room” on NHL Home Ice had an interesting discussion the other day. They were talking about Roberto Luongo - goaltender and team captain for the Vancouver Cancucks. Many took note of Luongo’s less-than-accpetable performance during the playoffs as well as his dislike for speaking to the media despite his captaincy. Obviously Luongo was offered the captaincy as an incentive to have him re-sign with the team last year, a contract that lasts a whopping 12-years.

What does that have to do with the Sharks? Someone reported that if you look at the history of great goaltenders, with the extremely rare, almost once-in-a-lifetime exception of your Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur types, most great goaltenders only have 4-5 good years. The argument was that signing Luongo to a 12-year deal was absurd. Even if Luongo is a great goalie, at best he’d have 4 more good years in him - definitely not 12.

Nabokov took over as the Sharks’ full-time goalie in 2000. My calendar says it’s 2010.

On the other hand Nabokov’s statistics for goals against and save percentage have been pretty consistent over the length of his career - this year included. Even his playoff numbers have remained very consistent. The problem is his salary. Last year the Detroit Red Wings went to the Stanley Cup Finals spending around $2.5M for BOTH of their goalies. Nabokov made $6M this year. If Nabokov wants to stay a Shark I think he’ll need to give us a discount for another year. With Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi both restricted free agents, would you keep Nabokov or both Pavelski and Setoguchi?

Whatever General Manager Doug Wilson does, I just hope he doesn’t mortgage the future just to win next year (which I don’t think he will, he has always said he doesn’t want one, he wants a dynasty). Enjoy this year Blackhawk fans, because next year if you want to keep Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Keith Duncan you’re going to have to spend approximately $21M of an estimated $57M cap to keep those three. Combine that with the $20M you’ve committed to Marion Hossa, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet and you’ve got $16M to spend on 14 other players.

* * * *

One of my favorite post-playoff elimination activities is to read the team injury report, it usually explains a lot. For example it’s no secret that Dany Heatley has been playing with a strained groin, but just how bad was the injury? I don’t know about you but it’s hard enough for me to get out of the car with a pulled groin so I can’t imagine what it’s like to play hockey like that. If hockey was like football everything would be different. We would be like ‘Wow - give him credit for going out there and playing with that partially torn ACL!’. Instead, we’re all about ‘What is WRONG with Joe Thornton?!”.

Joe Thornton skating away says it all
Image from NHL.com

* * * *

My friend Emmanuel looks at this time of year as ‘The Dead Zone’, that time of year where ‘all we have is baseball’. I know Son of OT has a different opinion, but for me it’s all about winter - the NHL, the NFL and snowboarding with my nephew. Once hockey ends the run is over and I find myself staring at this huge emptiness. Sorry, baseball moves too slow for me, I fall asleep between pitches. Thankfully we went to the conference finals so it we’re only staring at a 4 month chasm!

Thanks boys for an entertaining season - I sure had a lot of fun and I look forward to another year of high expectations!

Next up - free agency on July 1. See anyone you like?

Bookmark Me!

The most frustrating thing about being a sports fan is differentiating between what is said publicly and what is really going on in the locker room. For so long the Sharks kept telling us “we’ll be fine, we’re ready” yet the action on the ice suggested otherwise. Comments like this suggest that maybe the mood is different - obviously the message isn’t the same.

Read more at sfgate.com

Bookmark Me!

We will just have to wait and see.

My hope is that the Sharks are just REALLY rusty after 7 days off. Although the Blackhawks are an amazing team - quick like the Chicago Avalanche but big like the Detroit Red Wings - I don’t think the Sharks have played up to their full potential just yet. I know this is the year of the ‘down 3 games to 1′ comebacks, as well as the ‘once every 35 years down 3 games to none comeback’, but I still have a bad feeling about this one. As of this writing I’m not feeling too keen about watching the game on Friday, but the beauty of sports is you find hope in the waning hours before the puck drops and - when it does drop - hope usually returns and all else is forgiven.

This is a plea to Montreal and Philadelphia fans - how did you keep the faith when your teams were staring at what appeared to be insurmountable adversity?

Jumbo Joe doesn’t look too happy during Game 2 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals
From espn.com

Bookmark Me!

This is why I’m eternally grateful to all the bloggers who have helped me sustain this site since the beginning of the 2008-2009 NHL season. I cannot speak for the other writers but, as a result of following everyone’s editorial, I’ve certainly developed a more empathetic connection to the other teams represented on The ‘Net.

If this post sounds familiar you are correct (and thanks for remembering). At the end of the season I like to acknowledge and thank all the writers for their participation over the last season, and I’m taking this opportunity to thank everyone once again.

“But wait, the season isn’t over sharksfan!”

Yes I know. But for the first time all the other teams represented by our regular bloggers have all been eliminated from the playoffs – all except one. This is new and uncharted waters, for the San Jose Sharks are the last team standing here at The ‘Net! It’s amazing when you consider how many of our bloggers represented playoff teams – canucklehead’s Vancouver Canucks, pittpen’s Pittsburgh Penguins, puckgal’s Phoenix Coyotes, colonelbagpuss’ Washington Capitals and rockandrollnobody’s Detroit Red Wings.

And if for nothing other than the vicarious relationship between bloggers, I appreciate everyone’s support moving forward. Just as I was hoping for pittpen’s Pittsburgh Penguins last year (sorry rockandrollnobody), puckgal, pittpen and canucklehead have all expressed their best wishes for the Sharks the rest of the way out.

The guys on XM Radio’s NHL Home Ice threw an interesting question out into the ether the other day – would you like the San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup just so we can finally put to rest the whole ‘playoff letdown’ discussion? I want them to win so I can get one of those fancy “Stanley Cup Champion” patches and put it on my nephew and my jerseys!

Eight wins down, eight to go.

Bookmark Me!

Given the axiom that the playoffs are different from the regular season, and given that the Sharks just beat the Red Wings 4 games to 1, I would have hoped that I felt better about facing the Blackhawks than I do. I think the problem is that since the Sharks dismissed the Red Wings most of the media that I’ve been listening to have discussed how the loss to the Sharks solidifies the theory that the Red Wings are not the championship franchise they used to. The message is that the Red Wings are not a very good team. I suppose I should be mad because in a passive-aggressive way, what they’re saying is ‘if you get beat by the Sharks then you MUST be a bad hockey team.’ Combine that message with images of that Harlem Globetrotter-esque Blackhawk high cycle and their 3 short handed goals in one game and I’m having difficulty seeing how this can turn out well for the Sharks.

Hopefully their poor performance in the regular season prompts the Sharks to prepare themselves as best they can for their next opponent.

I’m expecting to see a different kind of series than what we’ve seen so far. The Colorado Avalanche were small but quick, and the Detroit Red Wings were big and physical. The Blackhawks have a little of both, and during the regular season these two teams averaged 7 goals a game.

Whatever.

I just hope the Eastern Semis finish up today so we can find out what our schedule is. And the Canucks fan here in my office said that his people have just become Sharks fans because they want to see the Blackhawks eliminated – is that true Canucklehead and Old Timer?

Bookmark Me!

Well that didn’t happen. The Sharks not only have an unfamiliar 2-0 series lead, they have it against what some experts called ‘the team to beat’ in The West. Is it just me or are the Sharks really playing playoff hockey? If you’re not a regular follower of the Sharks and all you know about them is that they don’t do well in the playoffs, let me tell you something about what you’re seeing:

This is NOT the same old Sharks. Not even close.

Words can’t even begin to describe what we’re seeing. The best I can come up is that we’re finally seeing the convergence of two previously distinct but mutually exclusive forces - Sharks hockey and playoff hockey. They’re becoming ‘who we thought they were’ - and the result is - so far - impressive.

That’s point number one. Here’s point number two.

A big reason why the Sharks are becoming the team we thought they were is Joe Pavelski. For me what’s most impressive isn’t necessarily the way he’s playing but the way he’s playing despite all the attention.

For as long as I’ve been watching professional sports I’ve managed to come up with a theorem by which I measure the validity of a pro athlete’s ability. It’s one thing to have a moment of inspirational play. It’s another thing to turn that ‘moment’ into a streak. It’s still another thing to stay on that streak once your fans and teammates have started acknowledging your efforts. It’s yet another thing to continue producing even after the local media has latched on to you. And it’s a final challenge to continue your streak after the national media has made you into a story. That final step, the national recognition, is the number one killer of ‘players in the zone’. Either the pressure gets to the player, they try too hard to live up to the hype, or the ‘run’ that they were on finally ends. Whatever the reason, is the athlete can push through the national spotlight then I officially move them from ‘hype’ to ‘real deal’.

Now that Pavelski is a national story, and now that they’ve made a new NHL Stanley Cup Playoff commercial about him, if he continues to rise to the challenge then the future is very bright for the Sharks. If Pavelski can help the Sharks steal a game in Detroit, and the Joe Thornton/Dany Heatley/Patrick Marleau line continue to improve. then I think Sharks fans should start preparing themselves for a very exciting month of hockey.

Bookmark Me!

It now looks like this campaign has gone from great to brilliant as they’re updating the commercials to include events from this year’s playoffs. And who is one of the first entries? Joe Pavelski:

Bookmark Me!

‘Bouncebackablity’ - Remember the goal off Rob Blakes’ skate? Remember the Dan Boyle/Evgeni Nabokov auto-goal (I put Nabby in here because he’s supposed to be on his toes when the puck is near the net)? Ask any loyal Sharks fan and they will tell you those kinds of things end playoff runs. But not this time, not yet any way.

‘Non-flappability’ - Everyone knew a 3-goal lead is not enough against the Detroit Red Wings, and when they chipped away at that lead the Sharks continued to play aggressively and press forward. Ask any loyal Sharks fan and they will tell you that kind of thing would have the Sharks playing back. The Sharks would start looking nervous and lost sending a message to the Red Wings that ‘you’ve gotten into our heads and we’re not sure what to do next.’

‘Adaptability’ - The Sharks seem to be going at the Red Wings differently than they did against the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks seemed hell-bent on beating the Avalanche into submission, hitting them at every opportunity and by Game 4 you could see that tactic starting to pay off. That strategy doesn’t seem to be part of the game plan for the Red Wings primarily because it doesn’t look like it’d work (I never realized how HUGE Zetterberg is). Since the Red Wings are a bigger team the strategy is less about hitting and more about outright physical play.

Yes I know, it easy to be all of these ‘mature’ things when you’re ahead. Should the Sharks fall down 2 games at any point in these playoffs we might see a completely different animal, but for now I just want to acknowledge that in my opinion there’s definitely been growth and maturity when it comes to the battles within a game as well as between games. We’ll slay the bigger beast when we run into it.

Bookmark Me!

The Red Wings were one of the hottest teams in the NHL after the Olympic break. They went from 9th to 5th in the conference - probably the best improvement in playoff positioning of any team this year. And they didn’t just win Game 7 against the Phoenix Coyotes, they outright beat them (sorry PuckGal). They say you can’t just ‘turn it on’ when you need to, but that doesn’t seem to apply to the Red Wings. What they did to get here looks a lot like ‘turning it on’.

On NHL Live today the question was asked if it’s the Sharks’ bad luck that they draw the Red Wings again, and the response was that it’s less about luck and more about the reality of being in the Western Conference - getting past the Red Wings is a reality when you’re part of the West.

If you think about it, getting past the Sharks is also a part of that reality.

I suppose if you’re looking for a situation where the Sharks can silence the critics this would be it. It’s one thing to go deep into the playoffs, it’s another to do it via Detroit. If we’re going to go for it you might as well get as much street cred as you can along the way.

I’m lucky enough to be going to my 5th straight series home opener tonight and this time, like Bullwinkle said “this time for SURE!”, I’m hoping to finally leave a winner - up one game to none.

Here we go again…God help me…

Bookmark Me!

On the show the conversation is about the playoffs so far, focusing on the upcoming Game 7’s as well as reviewing the recent series’ winners. The caller is from California. He introduces himself as a long-time listener, first time caller. He says his question is about the upcoming Game 7 between Detroit and Phoenix. Laughlin tells the caller to go ahead with his question. The caller’s question is “Game 7 between Detroit and Phoenix, who do you think the Sharks will have a better chance against, the Red Wings or Coyotes?”.

Are you serious? Prefacing THAT as a question about “Game 7 between Detroit and Phoenix” is like forcing your ex to meet you someplace to go over your joint cell phone bill only to question him/her about who ‘does this number belong to and why were you calling them so much?’.

But wait, there’s more. It obviously caught the hosts off guard because there was a pause between the end of the question and their response. Not only that, but with the perfect timing of a slapstick comedy, right after the caller finished his question someone at Gretzky’s dropped a tray - you could hear the crash of plates right smack in the middle of the uncomfortable silence. The timing was so perfect I thought it was an actually sound effect. Let’s review:

Laughlin: “(so and so) from California how are you today?”
Caller: “Doing fine thanks, I’m a long time listener, first time caller. I have a question about Game 7 between Detroit and Phoenix.”
Laughlin: “Great (so and so), what’s your question?”
Caller: “Who do you think would be the better match up for the Sharks, the Red Wings or Coyotes?”
CRASH! BANG! cling. clang.
…
…
Laughlin: “Um……”

Sharks fans, let me put all this conversation to rest. It doesn’t matter one bit WHO the Sharks play, it’s all about HOW they play. Would it be easier to play Phoenix? Probably. We had better luck against Phoenix during the regular season and the travel would be easier. Having said that, how would you feel if the Yotes downed the Sharks in 5? If the Sharks play as the team they were built to be everything will be fine. It’s NEVER been about talent, it’s ALWAYS been about the effort.

Bookmark Me!

For the San Jose Sharks that guy would be ‘Playmaker’.

Unrulytraveller wrote ‘I’m going to start calling him Pavelski the Playmaker–just playmaker for short–because he (along with Clowe and Seto) are the ones really getting it done.’ I began telling my friends about unruly’s new nickname for Pavelski and if Game 6 is a sign of things to come it won’t be long before the new nickname becomes commonplace within my hockey circles.

Considering all that has happened in the first round it seems odd that the Sharks would end up being the first team from the West to move on. Maybe the other teams didn’t have the kind unusual shenanigans that the Sharks had to deal with, but at the end of the day almost everyone else is also taking at least 6 games to determine their series.

Unrulytraveller is also very perplexed by the lack of production by our top line, and he is not alone. There’s much to see in the next round. Were Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley neutralized because of Colorado’s speed? Did Colorado throw all their defensive efforts at the top line allowing Playmaker’s line to flourish? Will the roles be reversed against a second round opponent who might not be as quick but a little bigger? All those questions will come to pass soon enough, but the one question I have for now is, if this isn’t a fluke and our best line for the playoffs is Playmaker/Clowe/Setoguchi - are those guys good enough to match up with the rest of the west?

Enjoy the time off - I know I will. Who’s next?

Bookmark Me!

You know, things like winning games you HAVE to have but can’t really say you HAVE to have. Like winning Game 4 to tie up the series and gain back home ice. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to be 2-2 for the series. I don’t think the San Jose Sharks have been tied in a series for a few years now.

A lot has been made about the Sharks’ top line and their lack of production. The guys on NHL Home Ice pointed out before the playoffs started that the difference makers during the grind tend to be your lower lines and that someone is going to stand out as being the ‘hero’ (if you will) for your team. Because teams are going to throw their best defensive pair at your top offensive line the difference is usually that break out guy who no one expected to make a difference. Maybe Colorado’s best defensive lines just match up really well against Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. Maybe the fact that Colorado’s best defense is tied up working against the Sharks’ best offense is leaving the Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi line open to make the big plays. I wouldn’t judge the top line just yet, if the Sharks move on to further rounds the match-ups may change and it might be them that become the top producers.

In the mean time it looks like General Manager Doug Wilson’s upgrades are paying massive dividends. Scott Nichol and Many Malholtra are definitely adding energy to the team. The other difference is coming from Worcester. Last year the report was that Todd McLellan was not comfortable starting rookies, that’s why he played the team he had even though many of the Sharks were still nursing injuries. The kids from Worcester are certainly making the best of each shift they’re given and so far seem to be playing within their means. It’s all very exciting and very exhausting to watch.

And speaking of that ‘breakout guy’, I’m really leaning towards Doug Murray. Sure Nichol, Pavelski, Clowe and company are playing above and beyond, but you kind of expected that from them. Doug Murray on the other hand is quietly putting together a consistent body of work. During last night’s overtime period did you notice that Murray led two rushes into the offensive zone, the second of which included him taking on 3 Colorado skaters to open things up for Pavelski while shielding Craig Anderson from seeing the shot? Back in Game 1 the Sharks’ starting defensive pair was Boyle and Murray. Last year Murray was in the third defensive pairing. We all knew Murray was an immovable force, but maybe they saw something else in him beyond his physical presence. Remember that defenseman Niclas Wallin was brought in partly because he has 3 game-winning goals in the playoffs (and none in the regular season).

On another note, I find it interesting that NHL tickets for the Sharks are going for more than tickets for the Avalanche. Given the history of the Avalanche franchise with the NHL I would expect the opposite - but maybe we’re just hungrier to see a championship than they are.

Bookmark Me!

It seems we’ve come full circle since my last post, where I expected the San Jose Sharks to win Game 2 (which they did with me in the building thank you very much!). Two games later we’re right back where we started, down 1 game with fewer games to go.

By the way, I’m not going to talk about Dan Boyle’s auto-goal. There are no words to describe it, however I’m in the “feel bad for Boyle” camp and not the “blame Boyle” camp.

I don’t see how anyone who has watched the Sharks over the last 4 years can’t see the same thing that I’m seeing - that the Sharks are FINALLY playing serious, gritty, hard-hitting playoff hockey. I’ve always said it’s not the fact that the Sharks kept getting bounced from the playoffs, it’s that they seemed to lack the effort. The effort is there. So maybe our top guys aren’t producing (is Marleau injured again?), and maybe defense is a little suspect, but the effort - the taking one for the team - is all there and I’m thrilled. It’s just too bad they’re not being rewarded in the win column, and it’s because of this that I’m speechless. They’re putting in a lot of hard work to be down 2 games to one, I’m starting to wonder… are we cursed?

Right now my only fear is that they’ll give up, that maybe they’re thinking the old cliches about being ‘rewarded for hard work’ aren’t true and maybe it’s time to go golfing. Why do I think that? In addition to apparently not putting forth a playoff effort, the other knock against the Sharks has been the lack of mental and emotional fortitude to overcome adversity.

- Over the past two seasons the Sharks have not been able to overcome a 2-game deficit.
- In 2006 the Sharks failed to bounce back after a 3-OT loss to Edmonton and proceeded to lose 4 games in a row after going up 2 games to none.
- In 2007, after blowing a 2-goal lead and losing in overtime to the Detroit Red Wings, the Sharks lost 2 in a row to lose the series.

For whatever reason I would watch these things unfold and I would get a sinking feeling in my stomach - I knew that the Sharks were done. I got that feeling after the triple overtime loss to Edmonton and got it again after they blew the 2-goal lead to Detroit.

The good news is I don’t have that feeling this time.

I’m not exactly “mister in-touch-with-my-emotions” and I don’t proclaim to have spider-sense that tingles with premonitions, but I have watched sports my entire life and over time you get a sense for such things. It’s probably a combination of body language and subtle subtexts, but I don’t think they’re going to give up and I expect to see the same kind of effort in Game 4 as in Game 3. The real challenge is Game 5 if Game 4 is a loser.

Actually I won’t be watching Game 4, I have another function to attend so I’ll miss it. It’s for the best, I’m completely exhausted after just 3 games and I think my lifespan has been getting shorter as I stress out over every game. Even my good friend torturedkingsfan commented that he forgot how stressful the playoffs are (he’s a Kings fan so that alone tells you how long it’s been since he’s had ‘Playoff Stress Syndrome’). I will be back in the building for Game 5 and I know that no matter what happens on Tuesday, Game 5 will have some kind of critical importance.

This is exhausting, I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up….

Bookmark Me!

Growing up solely a 49er fan I always sang the praises of one-game playoff format. I always felt that those best-of-five and best-of-seven playoff series were ‘less than’ and diminished the importance of a playoff game. Like the weather in Hawaii and Los Angeles, I’ve come to realize that the “best-of” series format is actually more the norm than the one game playoff. It was very difficult for me to transition from football to hockey because I took (take) every playoff loss like it means the season is over, just as it would if we were talking football. I’m not alone - pittpen shared with me that he too went through the same kind of transition. I’m happy to report that I’m getting better – not by much though.

Over the last three seasons the San Jose Sharks have lost the home opener in all of their 4 playoff series – and I’ve been lucky enough to have been in the building each time to witness it in person. Every time they lose that first game my mind assumes we’re done for the playoffs, I need to cancel my season tickets for next year, we’re never going to turn it around, etc. Okay I admit it, not ALL of those thoughts are due to the one-game to seven-game transition, but you get the idea.

As you all know (and probably have come to expect) the Sharks dropped their first round home opener again, and I was there…again. Meh….

I’m actually a little more hopeful about it all than I would have been in seasons past. As unrulytraveller put it, “Well, the Avs got their one. Let’s hope it is all they get.” With the exception of the second period the Sharks came out and played a good game - especially that all important, tone setting first period. Remember I’ve been there for these Game One’s and I talked yesterday about how important I felt it was for the San Jose Sharks to set the tempo early. I felt like they did that. They played with some speed and aggression, and they didn’t seem to be over-thinking. They didn’t shy away or play hesitant, and the lower lines provided some decent production and energy.

To me this is HUGE progress. The Sharks have tremendous pressure and expectation on their shoulders, they historically play poorly when they have too many days off and they always try too hard at home because they want to reward the home crowd. Given all those things I felt like the Sharks were playing smart, veteran hockey which hopefully pays off over the course of the series. I don’t think they’re Stanley Cup Champion ready, but it’s a start.

By the way, I was also in the building for Game 2 against the Dallas Stars (’08) and Anaheim Ducks (’09), you know – the games where the Sharks lose again and go down 2 games to none. I’ll be there for Game 2 again tomorrow and this time I’m expecting different results.

Bookmark Me!

Don’t get me wrong - I’m beside myself now that the playoffs are here. Despite past performances I’m very hopeful about the team’s post-season prospects this year. After all that’s the nature of sports - isn’t it? Your team can disappoint you, let you down, maybe even deceive you a little - but you’re right back there a year later supporting them like no other.

Keeping in mind that I’m still the ‘hockey fan in transition’, meaning I’m still getting used to nuances of hockey, I’ve never liked the idea that - for example - last year the Sharks got a bad draw when they faced the surging Anaheim Ducks in the first round. Coming from my football background you’re not supposed to make excuses based on who you draw in the playoffs. To win the Super Bowl, you beat whoever is in front of you. I’ve come to understand that because it’s a long tournament, and it’s more about survival than almost anything else, who you draw in the Stanley Cup playoffs does have some impact on how far you MAY go.

I am very encouraged by the Western Conference seeding - thank god for that one point… Based on travel alone, the Sharks drawing the Colorado Avalanche instead of the Nashville Predators is encouraging (although recent history would dictate that playing Nashville in the first round has usually meant a second round appearance for the Sharks). I’m hopeful that the Sharks can take the Avalanche in 5.

I’m also pleased to see the Detroit Red Wings playing the Phoenix Coyotes. All year long people have been waiting for Phoenix to stumble and they have not. I think Phoenix has a very good chance against the Red Wings making for an interesting series. It’s interesting that even thought the Coyotes are the higher seed many feel like they’re the underdog in this match up. I think Phoenix can do it - I think it’s a toss up that will be decided in 6 or 7 games.

Then there’s the Chicago Blackhawks. If any team scares me it’s them. I’m hoping for a really physical series between them and Nashville. I’m pretty sure Chicago will come out the winner in this one but I’m hoping Nashville can take a little out of them in the process.

Back at home, the one thing that concerns me the most about the Sharks is the time off between Saturday (the last regular season game) and Wednesday (the start of the playoffs). The Sharks are notoriously bad when having too much time off and it’s really important to have them come out and win Game 1. The Sharks have a (deserved) reputation of not being able to overcome adversity, be it falling behind in a game or falling behind in a series.

The Sharks also need to be more aggressive. I haven’t been watching hockey for very long but I do know that in the playoffs you have to push them harder than they push you. Do we finally have the attitude needed to go deep? In playoffs past I remember the Sharks coming out flat. The crowd seems to be more aggressive than the skaters. If the Sharks come out hitting everything that moves and keep it up throughout the game then maybe they’ve turned a corner.

But what do I know. Well…I know this - it all starts tomorrow and I have my tickets to the game.

GO SHARKS!

Bookmark Me!

Converting to hockey has followed a similar path. First it was just watching San Jose Sharks games on TV. Then I started going to games. Next came the swag - specifically you know you’ve crossed the line when you get your own customized jersey. I always get my name on the back, I’ve never understood why you’d get an actual player’s name when they move around so much. A few years ago I actually watched playoff games AFTER the Sharks had been eliminated. This year I actually found myself watching games that didn’t involve the Sharks (except, of course, for the Winter Classic). Today is another milestone - I’m actually INTERESTED in a game that doesn’t involve the Sharks, and that is tonight’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and Phoenix Coyotes. I’ll actually rooting for the Canucks (sorry PuckGal). I think I’ll have to grab the last few months of Gamecenter Live to see it.

When did you know things had changed forever?

Bookmark Me!

The problem looks systemic - goaltending, defense and scoring have all collapsed. There are only 10 games left. If the Sharks want to have any momentum going into the playoffs it had to have started against the Edmonton Oilers. Luckily they’re only one point back in the Pacific and West leads, but it’s no longer about points and positioning. The situation looked bad 3 games ago and with 3 failed tries at ‘turning it around’ it’s pretty easy to see that the Sharks still lack the ability to get the job done when things are on the line. There’s no way you can tell me that the boys didn’t see the Phoenix Coyotes coming and that being the top seed in the Western Conference isn’t important. At this point in the regular season those are the most valuable assets available and if they can’t find a way to win those things in the regular season how can we expect them to defend home ice (if we still have home ice) in the playoffs?

Do you think the Sharks would be better served by turning it around right now or being humbled by limping into the playoffs in 4th, 5th or 6th place?

If I hear Joe Thornton say “we’ll be all right” one more time…..

Bookmark Me!

My article on the subject included what happened to the Sharks after dropping 5 straight. What happened to the Sharks since December 15th of this season? The Sharks managed to win 8 in a row going 24-8* up until their last win 6 games ago. The Sharks won 3 out of every 4 games over the next 32 games following their losing streak.

Here’s the thing.

There are 11 games left in the regular season. In the playoffs it takes 16 games to win the Stanley Cup. If you do the math, if the Sharks were to repeat their performance over the next 32 games, meaning win 3 out of every 4 games, the Sharks would end up with 15.75 wins within the structure of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That puts the Sharks just under the magic number of 16 to win The Cup. If you consider that games 33-37 (following the losing streak) were all losses, the Sharks could end up just one win shy of winning it all…

*Since we’re doing a comparison for playoff potential I just counted wins and losses with no differentiation for overtime losses.

Bookmark Me!

I’m still not completely sure how important the captaincy is. I keep getting mixed opinions when listening to the media and talking with fans and players. But despite it all I do think that, in any situation, a leader is someone who leads by example. When Pavelski was held out of a few shifts during last nights game against the Nashville Predators, a game where the Sharks found themselves down 4 -2, you had to figure that kind of thing wouldn’t have mattered too much. In today’s professional sports we see lots of maneuvers designed to send messages and, like the debate on just how important the captaincy is, there’s another debate over whether those kind of ‘punitive’ moves actually effect a ‘true’ professional. Pavelski’s response, a 4-point (2 goal, 2 assist) period, is exactly the kind of responsiblity you want your team leader to accept. He was publicly called out and he responded - immediately. I must say that kind of mature, emotional response is something a little different for the Sharks, and it’s about time.

Speaking of ‘it’s about time’, the Sharks are finally showing some teeth. These last three “come-from-behind-in-the-third-period” games have shown me something I don’t think any Sharks fan has seen for last 3-4 years, and that is the ability to ‘find a way to win’ and find it on a consistent basis. We’ve seen the Sharks go on monumental runs, win streaks and record setting paces, but what we’ve failed to see - especially in the playoffs, is the (do I dare say) heart to win one when all else seems lost. Perhaps the ‘do or die’ experience of the Olympics, combined with what I believe to be that turning point moment, have given the Sharks the opportunity to visit AND RETURN from that one, elusive place - the brink. Admittedly, you don’t want to find yourself down in the third all the time, but as unrullytraveler said so appropriately, “if they can keep winning and dipping into that reserve tank all the way through the playoffs and bring home the cup I am not going to complain”.

Bookmark Me!

If the San Jose Sharks go on to win a Stanley Cup you can look at last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens as a possible turning point in the season. All season long we’ve watched the Sharks do two things - amass the 2nd best record in the NHL yet still manage to not be able to play up to expectations (read: beat Detroit or Chicago). Last night the Sharks were once again not playing up to expectations and it looked like they wouldn’t be able to find that ‘extra gear’ required to turn the game around. Then Scott Nichol got boarded. The shot was cheap and there was no call. Back in October it took Scott Nichol about one week to become a fan favorite. It doesn’t take long to recognize his hard work. I’m pretty certain that he’s become a locker room favorite too - you can’t help but appreciate that kind of effort. What kind of heart does Nichol have? After obviously sustaining a shoulder injury, Nichol got up holding his injured arm with his good arm, all the while shouting at the officials about the hit - not a single hint of concern for his own injury but showing all the concern about how his team was being treated unfairly. That whole sequence set off the Sharks.

The Sharks then managed to turn the game completely around and literally ‘take’ the victory. I have not seen that kind of game-changing effort in a long time. For the first time this season, nay perhaps in a couple of seasons, the Sharks showed not only us but THEMSELVES that when they decide to do something as a group it can happen. And remember, the bar for team effort has recently been set and set high. The Olympics showed what can happen when a team puts everything on the line and last night’s post-Nichol injury effort was right up there with the Canada-USA medal game. Those last 8 or so minutes of the game showed for the first time, in my opinion, what the Sharks look like when everyone is playing up to potential. If it were up to me, the NHL odds should have shifted a little in the Sharks favor.

On a side note if you look at the recent history of modern professional sports it’s quite common to bring in top talent on a short contract to try to win championships. The NHL is a perfect example of signing ‘rental’ players to try to get that last piece of the puzzle to make a serious run at a title. That dynamic - the star player on a 1-year deal, was started by the 49ers during that 1994 season. This was not a common practice prior to that year, so one can only imagine what would have happened it the 49er experiment failed and they didn’t win that 5th Super Bowl.

Bookmark Me!

Now that my theory, that a Team USA victory would help the Sharks win the Stanley Cup, is out of play, we’ll fall back on Son of OT’s* theory. His theory is that a Team Canada win could motivate Dany Healtley, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Danny Boyle to join Ken Morrow, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman** as the only hockey players to win an Olympic gold and Stanley Cup in the same year.

If anything hopefully the fact that Canada did not cruise to gold, both in the tournament and on an individual game level, provided Thornton and Marleau with the experience helpful to winning a Stanley Cup. I mention Thornton and Marleau because they’re the two that take the most heat when the Sharks get bounced from the NHL tournament.

Not only does the NHL get back to work but the trade deadline is March 3. Did Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson trade Jody Shelley to make free up a little cap space, either to add a player should something have happened to one of our boys while playing in Vancouver, or add a final role player if everyone came back healthy? The next few days should be interesting.

*Son of OT is from Canada - enough said
**Quick search of the double-winner question resulted in those three names.

Bookmark Me!

A reporter was interviewing an average citizen about some event and the reporter mentioned some proposal recently enacted by the Obama administration. The interviewee said, very modestly, that he didn’t agree with that proposal. The reporter immediately barked back “So you’re condemning the policies of the Obama administration!”

I thought wow, that’s quite a stretch - that not agreeing with a policy equals condemnation of an entire administration’s body of work. I’m not here to discuss politics, I just thought it was amusing AND frightening the leap these guys take to create a sound bite.

It is in that spirit that I created my headline.

An article posted on NBC’s Olympic website throws out the notion that the Sharks, and their “playoff cursed” players, may be the reason for Team Canada’s loss to Team USA. The article title “Olympics choke talk swarms Sharks” implies nation-wide finger pointing and rock throwing at Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle. We all know how hockey-crazed Canada is, and we all know how important this medal is to them. But even under those circumstances my cursory search revealed no articles emanating from our “Friends to the North” pointing blame on the San Jose Sharks Olympic representatives. In fact of all the changes Team Canada has made for their game against Germany, including changing goalies and shuffling lines, the ONLY thing that remains intact is the Sharks line.

Nice try (author) Jacob Amaya - but this isn’t CNN, MSNBC or Fox News.

Bookmark Me!

So what does this mean to the Sharks fan in me? It’s a win-win situation. If this loss contributes to Team Canada failing to win the gold, it should be a nice, recent reminder for the core of the Sharks that come playoff time, take nothing for granted. If Team Canada bounces back from this and does win the gold, it’ll hopefully instill in that same Sharks core just what kind of ‘life and death’ effort it takes to win a tournament such as the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Now the problem is the extra games the core has to play - injuries continue to be the main concern.

Bookmark Me!

In my opinion, the fascinating statistic of the tournament so far:
Men’s Hockey Score (combined USA & Canada): 20-4
Women’s Hockey Score (combined USA & Canada): 72-3

USA! USA! USA!

Bookmark Me!

Worry no more, I’ve figured it out. The reason why the Sharks can’t seem to break this cycle - the ‘Year’. All of the solutions that the Sharks have tried to throw at this cycle are missing the mark. The ‘mark’ isn’t that the team didn’t have veteran leadership, proven champions, top notch talent or hard hitting grit. The ‘mark’ is that it takes a ‘Year’ to get back to the playoffs.

Perhaps with the exception of loss of life, most emotionally devastating events become less painful over time. If you think about the things that can cause us emotional pain - a bad relationship break up, someone stealing your car, your team losing in the playoffs - the pain we feel when we’re going through such things usually diminishes over time. A year later the pain is most likely no where near what it was as when the event first took place. Because it takes a year before the Sharks make it back to the playoffs, it’s possible that all the emotional discomfort from the pervious year’s loss is too diminished to provide the kind of urgency that would be present if the Sharks were given another crack at the trophy just a month later.

That is why Team Sweden needs to win the gold in Olympic hockey.

The ‘core’ of the Sharks are on Team Canada. If Team Canada does not medal in the Olympics, perhaps it’ll put enough ’sting’ in the boys to give them a renewed sense of urgency when they return from Vancouver. The timing will be perfect - approximately 5 weeks later the NHL playoffs will start and barring any catastrophic failures, the Sharks could go into the playoffs with their core out to erase the failure of a month ago.

There is the other argument, that if Team Canada wins the gold it will not only give Dan Boyle, Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau the confidence and experience of what it feels like to win it all but also motivate them to try and be two-time champions - Olympic Gold and Stanley Cup. But since I’m a guy who sees the glass half empty, I’m going to go with “Team Canada Must Lose”.

Sorry aye.

Bookmark Me!

During the summer the Sharks were rumored to be in contention for Gustavsson’s services. The Swedish net minder was supposed to be the second coming of Martin Brodeur and if the Sharks could land him, they’d have the best prospect in pro hockey backing up Evgeni Nabokov. Gustavsson signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here we are two-thirds the way into the season and Gustavsson has had two heart surgeries, has a 3.03 goals against average and a .899% save percentage. When Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke traded Vesa Toskala to the Anaheim Ducks for Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the move could be interpreted as an open admission that maybe Gustavsson isn’t quite as ready for the NHL as one would have thought.

I often get frustrated when I don’t get what I want. I was disappointed when Gustavsson signed with someone else. Here, however, is a rare opportunity to see where NOT getting what I/we wanted may have worked out for the better. If there is a down side to all this - the Anaheim Ducks signed Jonus Hiller to a 4-year extension. If Hiller really is a “Shark Killer”, this might make things difficult for the Sharks.

This might be the sign that the trade gates are about to open up. With the trade deadline just 3 days after the end of the Olympics, and with the NHL imposing a trade freeze during the Olympics, we might see more trades real soon.

Any thoughts on who you’d like to see in a Sharks sweater…or conversely who you’d like to see NOT wearing one anymore?

Bookmark Me!

One of the best marketing terms of the modern sports era is ‘parity’. Leagues sell us on the idea that ‘parity’ is great for the fans - that on any given day, any team can beat any other team - and that everyone has an equal chance at a championship. Really? I look at ‘parity’ as meaning ‘we needed to keep the players from taking all our money so we instituted a salary cap to keep what’s ours, and meanwhile preventing free spenders from buying all the talent’.

The NFL salary cap was nicknamed ‘The Eddie Debartolo Rule’. Eddie loved winning and he paid anything to acquire talent. The result was 5 Super Bowl titles and 15 years of winning - a dynasty that may never be repeated ever again in professional sports. Even Eddie himself said he lost a lot of money over those 15 years and if he had to do it all over again he might not. If you were a fan of the 49ers, you LOVED it. If you were the opposition, you hated it.

With free agency and a salary cap, players move from team to team to earn a bigger paycheck. Because so many players move around your average team is just that, average. But if all the teams are average, then the competition level rises. The execution, style, finesse and sophistication might not be there, but the competition is. This is what pro sports call ‘parity’.

Here’s the thing - while most sports leagues have about 70-80% of their teams falling into the ‘average’ category, they do have their slice of ‘elite’ teams. Elite teams are the one’s with ownership willing to do whatever it takes to win - including hiring management smart enough to ‘navigate’ the rules. The way you build an elite team is you have to prove your dedication to winning. You don’t show this dedication by ’saying’ to the fans you’re dedicated, you show it behind the scenes - where the players tell other players ‘this team is for real’. I’m pretty sure teams show their dedication to winning on much of the stuff fans don’t see. How well do they treat their players? What kind of training facilities do they have? How well do they travel? The 49ers used to give everyone their own hotel room, not just their stars - when they traveled. These are the dollars that can be spent outside of the salary cap, and it’s those dollars (I believe) that make the difference.

Once the word gets out that you’re a team dedicated to ‘the cause’ it becomes easier to attract talent, and your success snowballs - but not forever.

So what’s my point? Whenever I watch football I can literally see the ‘layers’ in the NFL. The 49ers are not in the top layer, they’re right smack in the fat, middle layer - the ‘parity’ layer. In hockey the layers are a little harder to see. In football, with only a 16 game season, you know each week the team is bringing their best effort so it becomes easier to see the competition level. In hockey some teams just have a bad night so it’s harder to judge. One thing for sure, the San Jose Sharks are in that top layer - and they’ve been there for a while. Unfortunately for them, another team in that layer is the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Sharks may have avoided another embarrassing home loss to the Blackhawks but that’s no consolation for the fact that they still lost. Throw in the loss to the (injured) Detroit Red Wings and you have a team that struggles against the elite layer. Here we sit again with the philosophical question about the Sharks - no one argues their talent, it’s their mental fortitude that’s in question. If you can’t rise up to beat the Red Wings and Blackhawks - at home no less - how can you expect to to rise up in April when the games count for real?

I’d rather have the Sharks split season series’ with the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators types if they could beat the top teams when they have to.

Apparently the Sharks haven’t figured out the Blackhawks, so if they’re going to beat them someone else is going to have to show them how. I believe teams have been more successful against the New England Patriots because the New York Giants ‘figured’ them out in the Super Bowl. Ever since then teams have mimicked what the Giants did and have had better success.

Someone has to figure out how to exploit that Blackhawk “Harlem Globetrotter-esque” High Cycle, and once they do you can bet everyone else is going to do the same thing.

But until then the question remains - do the Sharks have what it takes or are we watching our window close?

Bookmark Me!

The Sharks have an overall winning percentage of .660. However - in games where the Sharks have more than one day off in between, they’re an average .500 team. A sixteen percent difference may not seem like much, but in my football pool the difference between first place and (relatively) last place (where I sit), the difference is approximately 16%. And if you look in the conference standings, with the exception of the Detroit Red Wings, a .500 winning percentage puts you out of the playoffs.

Todd McLellan speculated that when the team is well rested they tend to over think things and make things more complicated than need be. When the team is tired they play better because they don’t think as much. Can you imagine applying that concept to your own job - that if you thought about your job less you’d do better work?! I wish that were true for me.

I hope the Sharks don’t think too much on Thursday…

Bookmark Me!

The Slump - remember that 5-game losing streak that had all of us (well, maybe it was just me) thinking all doom and gloom a month ago? I did some research around Sharks’ losing streaks and found that they are in fact, quite a rarity. The question was how the Sharks were going to respond and how that response compared to losing streaks of the past. Their last losing streak was followed by winning 18 of 20 games (.900%). Currently, the Sharks are sitting at 14 of 17 (.824%). Like I said, the Sharks are pretty consistent.

The Scoring - Two seasons ago the problem with the Sharks was a lack of secondary scoring. Opponents just had to neutralize Joe Thornton and they had a good chance of beating us. This season, although I’m very excited about the seasons Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley are having, Joe Thronton was once again the driving force behind all our scoring. That has suddenly changed. As discussed on Comcast Sports Net California’s Post Game show following last night’s Sharks-Kings game, swapping Many Malhotra (to second line) and Ryan Clowe (to third line) has resulted in VERY dramatic results - 18 goals in the last three games.

The Olympics - With the Olympic break rapidly approaching you have to wonder if the break will help or hurt the Sharks. It’s like the bye week in football, there’s never been a definitive answer as to how it affects a team, except that it affects different teams differently. After the last Olympic break in 2006 the Sharks were 9-5-2 for the month of March (plus one last game in February). NHL Home Ice speculated that right now, teams are just trying to use the break as motivation to positions themselves as best they can in the standings knowing that no one knows what’s going to happen when play resumes.

The Trade - Finally Ray Ratto speculated that, with Ryan Clowe finally coming alive (13 goals, 22 assists - now 5th on the team in points despite the very slow start), he’s now trade bait should the Sharks want to beef up their blue line. Personally I’d rather keep Clowe - I’m tired of trading players. I think the Sharks have traded enough over the years - another trade isn’t the difference between the 1st round and the Stanley Cup Championship. What do you think?

Bookmark Me!

After failing to achieve gold in a sport where everyone agrees the United States has an unfair advantage, a theory arose. That theory was that, if you wanted to come as close to a guarantee as is possible in sports, the smarter thing to do would be to instead send one NBA team to the Olympics. An NBA team would have an advantage over an All-Star team because that team would have the benefit of having played together. The players would know each other’s tendencies, understand their system and would know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It would be a true test of the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Now we turn to Olympic hockey. The big problem with sending NHL players to the Olympic games is the disruption to the NHL season. How will the 2-week Olympic break affect team cohesion? Will teams need some time to get back into a rhythm after the break, how long will that ‘resyncing’ take and will some teams recover faster than others?

Now take the San Jose Sharks. Canada has selected the top line for the Sharks, Dany Heatley-Joe Thornton-Patrick Marleau, to represent their country at this year’s games. Canada has also selected Mike Babcock, coach of the Detroit Red Wings, to coach Team Canada. The question becomes: will Babcock do right by his country or by his team?

If Babcock keep the Sharks together the advantage to Team Canada could be huge - that line has the potential to do in hockey what Dream Team II could not do in basketball. But keeping that line together could also mean that, when they return to the NHL, Thornton, Heatley and Marleau may not suffer from too much ‘rust’. No rust could give the Sharks the advantage after the season restart. If Babcock breaks up that line, Team Canada may take a slight competitive hit but could set back the Sharks when the season resumes.

Is any of this relevant, or is hockey too different from basketball?

Bookmark Me!

Top Line - Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are producing as promised, so much so that the line will be intact for Team Canada during the 2010 Olympics.  That’s no small feat - we’re talking Team Canada…for the Olympics…IN Canada.  That’s great for Canada, but for San Jose - where silver cups are preferred over gold medals, is that line’s success a good or bad thing?  Two seasons ago, when Thornton led the team in scoring, the playoff strategy against us was neutralize Joe and the Sharks won’t score.  That strategy worked.  Here we are again with all our pucks in one basket.  The question is, do we have enough secondary scoring to keep us alive during the campaign?

Broadcast Blues - During the winter I travel to Lake Tahoe.  Through some effort I had found places hotels that carried Fox Sports Net and would patronize these fine establishments to partake of the Sharks hockey after a long day on the slopes.  Last year Fox Sports Net became Comcast Sports Net - no big deal because although the name was different, the coverage was the same.  Then this year Comcast Sports Net split into two networks - Comcast Sports Net Bay Area and Comcast Sports Net California.  The Sharks are on CSNCA (and the Golden State Warriors are on CNSBA).  The problem - those places that carried CSN now carry CNSBA.  Apparently CSNCA, and the Sharks, are absent from the basic cable packages that used to carry them just a season earlier.  Frustrated at my inability to get a Sharks game, and deterred because I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of continually finding places that carry games, I decided to break down and get NHL Gamecenter Live.  But guess what, you can’t watch Sharks games in the Lake Tahoe area on Gamecenter Live.  Why?  Because Lake Tahoe is considered part of the Sharks’ television territory so they black it out on the internet (for those of you who aren’t aware, you can ‘generally’ determine a person’s location by your internet connection address).  It seems like one hand isn’t aware of what the other hand is doing.  Does the NHL know that the cable carrier in the greater Lake Tahoe area has removed the Sharks from basic cable?  Is it better to make the fans you do have pay extra for your product, or give it away for free in the hopes of adding more fans?

Crossing Lines - During the Christmas break the NHL Network was showing Classic Games.  At one point they were showing an early 90’s Kings/Rangers game from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas - an outdoor game.  They also showed last year’s Winter Classic from Chicago.  I just passed over these games - moved on, nothing to see here.  Then one time they were running last January’s regular season game between the Sharks and Red Wings at The Tank.  I was at that game, and it was a classic.  I watched it.  I watched a rerun of sports.  I watched a rerun of a Sharks game.  I had never done that before.  And even though I knew the Sharks won that game, I found myself cheering when the Sharks scored.  I’ve crossed a line somewhere, and I don’t know when it happened.

How Things Change - The Sharks have a big test this afternoon, they’re playing the second of back-to-back games, this one on the road, and less than 24 hours since the start of their last game.  And here’s the big test - it’s against the Phoenix Coyotes.  That’s right, I said it, the Coyotes.  I’m curious - what does it say about Wayne Gretzky’s coaching ability that a team, with more distractions this year than probably any team has had to deal with in the modern era, can become just that much better just by changing coaches?

2010 is tomorrow, that put’s us some 3 months away from the playoffs….

Happy New Year - and thanks for reading penaltykill.net!

Bookmark Me!

Because I’m working on my new and improved optimist attitude I continued my research and found the following nuggets. Immediately following the Losing Streak of 2008 the Sharks embarked on their ‘other’ monumental run of recent history. After the loss to the Devils, the Sharks won 11 in a row and 18 of 20 before ending the season with two losses in games that had no meaning. The 2003-2004 season was average at best, but in the playoffs the Sharks did manage to get to the conference finals but lost Calgary Flames.

Only time will tell what effect the Streak of ‘09 will have.

Bookmark Me!

After thanking me for my email, she said she’d write about the Sharks all the time if they let her. Then she followed up with this nugget:

“Since Ratto is a columnist and I’m not, it’s a little unfair to compare us….he’s supposed to have an opionion and I’m supposed to be more objective. For what it’s worth, he is always fighting to get more hockey in the paper and he’s very well liked by all the Sharks people; he and Doug Wilson are friends, and Ratto isn’t friends with any other GM in in the Bay Area. I know Doug respects Ray’s hockey knowledge. I like the fact he’s out there all the time and trying to get at least some hockey presence into the Chron. And he’s paid to have opinions, and I’d imagine it’s impossible to have everyone agree with you when you do that.”

I then emailed her back and said I was impressed that she knew I was talking about Ray and she responded since there’s only the two of them, it wasn’t hard to figure out.

So there you have it, the voice that seems to have nothing positive about the Sharks is one of the driving forces to get more hockey in my local paper. I guess Ray has a lot more negative things to say about the Sharks than they’ll let him write!

Okay Ray, I apologize for calling you an idoit. I appreciate your attempts to get more hockey in The Cron, but I still don’t agree with your slant on things. If you read this Ray, let me know what I have to do to help!

Bookmark Me!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/crashthecrease

Bookmark Me!

I remember two seasons ago when the Sharks went down 2 games to none to open the second round of the playoffs with the Dallas Stars, Nabby came out and said everyone had to play better himself included. Over the remainder of that series he did play better. I always appreciated that he backed up his words with actions.

I also know that quotes can be taken out of context.

I found the following video, and I like what I see. Nabby is not happy, and I think that’s exactly the kind of attitude we need. No more ‘words’ as Nabby says, just plain action. I’ll be curious to see if Nabby’s play changes after calling out a team mate.

Bookmark Me!

First I learned that the hockey pre-season isn’t like other sports’ pre-seasons. Hockey players have said that the pre-season is really where you just find out who is making the team. It’s the beginning of the real season where you actually start learning how to play together. That’s why many teams have to find their footing when the season starts. By (US) Thanksgiving, they’ve usually been playing as a team for a solid month.

The second thing I learned is that Canada has their own Thanksgiving.

So here we are at (US) Thanksgiving and I wanted to see how The .Net’s teams are doing compared to this time last year.

The San Jose Sharks are just 1 point behind their point total from this time last year, and like last year they sit atop the NHL. Although there is nothing to be derived from this when it comes to the state of the team or their playoff prospects, all I will say is it’s nice to have a winning franchise to watch every few nights. The regular season is always fun in Sharkland.

rockandrollnobody’s Detroit Red Wings are 6 points behind where they were last year. While 34 points was worth 2nd place in the West last year, this year’s 28 points are only worth 10th. Given the goals the Red Wings lost when Hossa and Hudler left, and given the number of injuries they’ve suffered, a 6 point drop doesn’t sound too bad. However the increased strength of the rest of the West has them way down in the standings.

That strength is coming from hackett’s Chicago Blackhawks, who are surprising no one with their 9 point improvement over last season. With Marion Hossa finally joining the team the Blackhawks look to be the team to watch in the NHL. The only concern about this team is what to do next year. The Blackhawks could have serious cap issues so maybe it’s got to be this year.

The strength in the West is also coming from an unlikely source. That source is puckgal’s Phoenix Coyotes who are surprisingly occupying the 8th spot in the West. Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Coyotes was the loss of Wayne Gretzky. It makes complete sense that the Coyotes, under an experienced head coach like Dave Tippett, would be a better team. Could the Coyotes make the playoffs? By the way, to show just how little respect this team gets, wikipedia is still reporting Gretzky as the team’s head coach.

Where the West seems to have lost ground is with duxrox’s Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately it looks like Brian Burke left town leaving behind two things: 1) a Stanley Cup Title (yay!) and 2) a salary cap strapped team in free agency hell (boo!). My question to duxrox: is it worth it? Is it worth a title if it means enduring a ‘rebuilding’ year, possible signaling a window of a few rebuilding years? It’s always been that philosophical question - do you want to win all just at least just once, or do you want a perennial winner?

Despite all of the woes of massive injuries, pittpen’s Pittsburgh Pengiuns are tied for second in the NHL with their 36 points. The fact that they’re 5 points better than the were last season doesn’t really mean much when you consider that they made a coaching change later in the season to go from 10th in the East to Stanley Cup Champions. The Penguins seem to be skating along nicely despite having the longest hockey seasons two years in a row.

Tied with those Penguins are colonelbagpuss’ Washington Capitals. Here’s my beef - the marketing gurus at the NHL have been promoting Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin as the face of hockey. I understand that they’re both stars, but the ‘beef’ part is that they get more attention because, I think, they’re in the East. The Sharks have Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley - but the Sharks are in the