tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327913332024-03-13T19:50:00.522-07:00Sharks Hockey OdysseyWatched 1 team, during 1 season, attended all 82 games.
Still keeping up with my favorite teamJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-12002405965207367532011-03-05T16:20:00.000-08:002011-03-05T17:29:32.301-08:003/3/11 SHARKS 3, detroit 1Man it's good to beat the Red Wings. Detroit is one of the few teams that gets both Sharks players and fans riled up for every contest, regardless of anything else going on (standings, time of year, injuries, floods). <br /><br />For the players, Detroit is always towards the top of the standings, as they have been for the last bajillion years (except when they sucked and that's why nobody went to the games [cause they still don't go, but there's no real reason why]), so its easy for the players to get up for a challenge like that. <br /><br />For the fans, Wings fans seemingly come out of the woodwork for games in which their team plays the Sharks, mainly because so many transplants live here (because who would want to live in Detroit when you could live in California?). Wings fans, in my experiences, are one of the least enjoyable fan bases to come into contact with, because they're not knowledgeable, not reasonable, and not sober. This game proved no different, as I saw at least three sets of Detroit fans escorted out of the building by the superheroes in purple coats (they're not blue, you won't convince me otherwise) because they had ever so slightly too much to drink.<br /><br />To the game itself, the Sharks looked, well, good. They played 60 minutes, which is all you can ask from your hockey team, unless of course the game goes to overtime, in which preferably they play all of those minutes too. Dany Heatley looked good in particular, deciding to making Thursday his one of the next few games in which he's actually going to play hard. Two goals and a buncha great backchecks later, and he's the f***ing all-star that he claimed to be a couple summers ago. Antti Niemi looked good in his second start since signing a four year extension. <br /><br />Sure, you could say that the Wings were tired after dropping an overtime contest in Anaheim the night before. Sure, you could say that Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings starting goaltender, wouldn't have shot the puck into his own net by bouncing it off of Patrick Marleau, a skill shot that Joey MacDonald managed to accomplish. But I say, SCOREBOARD.<br /><br />At the end of the day, the Sharks took three of four from Detroit this year, including both games at Joe Louis, and now have won eight of the last ten games they've played against the Winged Wheel (dating back to the playoffs last year). Not too shabby for a team that usually has a mystique that the Sharks cannot crack. <br /><br />Another big ole nemesis of the Sharks are in town tonight in the form of the Dallas Stars (boo). Dallas has had an up and down year, and fortunately for Sharks fans, the last couple months have been down. The Stars (boo) have fallen out of the division lead, and slipped all the way to 8th. They were believed to be dumping Brad Richards at the deadline, but much to many people's surprise, he was retained. They did move James Neal and Matt Niskanen to Pittsburgh for Alex GeeGoliGoshski, a move that signifies a team that is aiming for the playoffs. Depending on how things shake out, this could be a preview of a first round matchup in those aforementioned playoffs. <br /><br />GO SHARKS<br />(WE BOO THE WORD STARS, NOT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, UNBUNCH YOUR PANTIES)<br /><br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-35058232345153307002011-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:002011-03-03T15:27:52.060-08:00I'M BACKSo it's been about 16 months since I last posted, and I decided that it was way too long. To all who come to this hockey place, welcome. Please, stay a while, and tip your waitstaff. <br /><br />I've decided to start blogging about the Sharks again because I enjoy them, and I enjoy talking. Talking about the Sharks to myself is what interested me in this blog in the first place, and to the three of you that will read this, hopefully that will re-interest you in this blog as well. <br /><br />My goal is to keep a current Sharks related hockey blog for any and all that care to read, with some NHL talk in between. As well, I still have all the old posts around, so if you enjoyed what I wrote in the past, the pictures that I took, or if you've never seen this blog before and want to see what I accomplished in the past, please, have a look around. <br /><br />The Sharks are still mired in their quest to not be labeled as overachievers, and for the first half of this year, it appeared they had finally solved how to avoid that label; by not achieving much of anything. Even the possibility of missing the playoffs altogether seemed likely all the way up through the new year. <br /><br />To the enjoyment of Sharks fans everywhere, the boys in teal have figured out how to play strong defensive hockey, led by Joe Thornton, and it has done them quite well. They're not the offensive dynamo that has had analysts as frustrated as the fans have been at their anything-but-the-cup playoff journeys have been, but they are putting up victories in a much more solid fashion. <br /><br />My timing has come with a bit of purpose as well, as tonight the Sharks face their oldest playoff related nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit comes off an overtime loss last night in Anaheim, where a Bobby Ryan penalty shot in OT send the Wings away with just a single point. <br /><br />GO SHARKS<br />(IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK)<br /><br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-38069979177036014522009-10-03T06:58:00.000-07:002009-10-03T07:06:33.407-07:0010/3/09 Sharks @ Ducks 7pSo, put simply, Thursday sucked. Evgeni Nabokov looked rusty, the offense looked off-kilter, and the defense looked, well, I don't know how it looked, because most of the game I couldn't really see it.<br /><br />Colorado, full of energy from their 5 day Joe Sakic slurpathon (might be a slight exaggeration), hit the ice and hit the scoreboard and hit the back of the net and hit a lot of stuff, winning 5-2. #3 pick in last summers draft Matt Duchene didn't have a goal, but looked flashy for the Avalanche. <br /><br />Dany Heatley had a couple nice chances, and another one that was Teemu Selanne-esque (you know what I'm talking about), but hey, it was his first game as a Shark, the stick was a little tight in his hands, no worries. Mutinied Captain turned poop-deck swabber, Patrick Marleau potted both goals for the Teal, who are now really really really bad in season openers, and unspeakably horrible in road season openers.<br /><br />Tonight is a new night, however, still in an energized building (after the third inning and before the seventh...er, I mean after the first period and before the third), but this one comes with more hostility. The Ducks hate the Sharks, the Sharks hate the Ducks, the fans hate each other, and the Kings are fine with it. So is the Battle of California. Expect a better effort tonight, because frankly, it can't get too much worse than what we saw (or didn't see, for you DirecTV customers) on Thursday.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (I'll be in attendance for this one, 443 row A Teal Odgers jersey so a win would be sexyamazing)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-1122748565330043302009-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:002009-10-01T08:59:01.065-07:00Opening Night Sharks @ AvalancheAfter a summer of waiting that began way too early AGAIN, the day is finally here. The San Jose Sharks, revamped over the off-season, begin their journey that can't possibly end more disappointing than last year...can it?<br /><br />For us SF Giants fans, today is poetic. The Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night, effectively ending their season, and today the Sharks begin theirs, with a whole 82+ games to determine their own destiny. Well that all starts tonight, in a building that has seen a couple Sharks seasons end, the Pepsi Center.<br /><br />The Avalanche aren't the same team of those days, as they come into the season with the third worst record last year. However, this year is a new year, with a clean slate to speak of, which also goes for the Sharks, despite winning the least important trophy in the NHL last year.<br /><br />Basically, tonight begins another opportunity for the Teal to have a strong October, November, December, January, February, and March not end in a weak April and May. <br /><br />Sharks @ Avalanche at 7 pacific time, on Versus, unless you have DirecTV, or are driving to Los Angeles so that you can go to the Sharks game on Saturday in Anaheim (like I'm doing, maybe I'll catch you there). <br /><br />GO SHARKS (it begins here, and hopefully doesn't end until a long time from now)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-76100610405292031692009-09-17T09:45:00.001-07:002009-09-17T10:04:47.424-07:00Catching upOk, so its been about 7 months, a gap that won't be kept up following this post.<br /><br />Quick hits:<br />- The Teal won the Obama Trophy and were McCained in the opening round of the playoffs by that Disney team in the outskirts of LA.<br />- Changes were promised by then GM Doug Wilson (still GM, but was thought he might go).<br />- Despite countless rumors, absolutely nothing happening at the draft and during the free agency period (sorry Scott Nichol and Jed Ortmeyer).<br />- A couple weeks ago, ole Dougie decided to awake from his summer hibernation (something Canadians do) and make a call up to Vancouver, shipping away Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich for a couple of minor league schlubs in Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi. A lot of folks weren't fans of Ehrhoff, at least they won't be able to hate his replacement, who will struggle to crack the AHL lineup. A total salary dump, it was a precursor to this...<br />- TRADING FOR F*CKING DANY HEATLEY!<br />- ESPN reported a three team trade involving the Sharks, Senators, and Kings, sending Patrick Marleau to LA, Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll to Ottawa, and Heatley to SJ. It was quickly destroyed by all three GMs. Suck it John Buccigross.<br />- The next day, Heatley and a 5th rounder to SJ for Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek with a 2nd rounder tacked on.<br /><br />Basically, the Sharks drastically improved their top 2 lines, with Heatley, a pure shooter, playing with Joe Thornton, a pure passer, full time. Marleau can roll on the second line, not too shabby. <br /><br />The bottom six is looking a little hairy, with some mix of Jamie McGinn, Torrey Mitchell (might be hurt), Brad Staubitz, Scott Nichol, Jed Ortmeyer, Manny Malhotra (just signed to try out), and Dan Hinote. Definitely not as much scoring around, but defense/physicality looks to be up.<br /><br />The defense lost its fastest blueliner in Ehrhoff and a grinder in Lukowich, and will need to replace both with guys who will win their spots in training camp. Boyle, Blake, Vlasic, Murray are the solid 4, with young stud Nick Petrecki, Kent Huskins, Mike Moore, and Derek Joslin looking to take those last two spaces.<br /><br />Evgeni Nabokov returns in net, probably with Thomas Greiss backing him up. How much longer Nabby has the starting position remains to be seen, as his contract is up after this season and the Sharks young possible replacements need to prove themselves. <br /><br />Last night was the Teal and White game, hopefully with no glaring grammatical embarrassments (Who's side are you on?), the Sharks open the preseason schedule tonight against the Kings in Ontario (Ontario, CA doesn't fully explain things, so let's go with Ontario, California). <br /><br />GO SHARKS (HOCKEY IS BACK and so is the blog)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-81697569425772680722009-02-13T05:56:00.000-08:002009-02-13T07:11:10.683-08:002/9/09-2/13/09 sharks 5-2 and BostonFirst, the city. <br /><br />Many of you may know this, but Boston is a great sports town. Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and while I was here, college hockey as well. There's a ton of history in this town, a lot of it devoted to those teams, the rest of it devoted to this country. While here, I took trips to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox (1912), Union Oyster House, the oldest and first restaurant in America (1826), Bell in Hand Tavern, the first bar in America (1790) and the Old Massachusetts State House, the site of the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Boston Massacre.<br /><br />I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Friend Street, right next door to the TD BankNorth Garden. A nice, new-ish hotel tucked in the block, my cab driver actually missed it on our first pass, and when he saw he had passed the address, he reversed about half a block to get me to the front door. There are a bunch of bars in Boston, by the Garden is no exception. While here, I stopped in at a few, most notably Boston Beer Works (brewer of a lot of beers, including the very tasty Chamomile Green and the Bunker Hill Blue-beery Ale, with actual Maine blueberries in it, also be sure to order the fried pickles) and my favorite stop of the trip, The Four's. <br /><br />As I found out at the end of the trip, The Four's has been voted the #1 sports bar in America, and certainly doesn't disappoint. I visited this fine establishment on Monday night, where I watched the end of the 57th Beanpot, won by Boston University by a score of 5-2. I visited again Tuesday night after the Sharks game, where I was met with joking hostility by some of the guests, who were very kind. I was also there on Wednesday night to watch the Sharks take on the Penguins, when the manager was kind enough to put the Sharks game on 3 tvs for myself, another family of Sharks fans, and a group of Sharks fans from Southern Ontario. Great place with tons of history on the walls, dishes named for players, and tasty food too. Get the buffalo chicken nachos, they're tremendous.<br /><br />Onto the game. At first glance, the TD BankNorth Garden is a huge gigantic building. Well, at second and third glance and every subsequent glance its still huge and gigantic, too. Once inside though, it becomes apparent why the building is so big. What you can't see from the outside of the Garden is that the bottom floor serves as a train station for Boston, with multiple Amtrak tracks taking people all over the northeast. To get to the Garden, one must go in the doors of the ground floor, and then go up, up, up. <br /><br />Three stories up is the loge, or lower level seating area for the Garden. The concourse is kinda wide, with food on the inside spotted around the concourse. The seating area is much smaller than you are led to believe by looking at the exterior, only 17,565 can sit to watch a hockey game. The lower level is a checker board pattern of alternating black and gold seat backs, upstairs is just gold. A ton of banners hang from the rafters, half devoted to the Celtics, half to the Bruins. <br /><br />The game itself was a tale of three periods, the first going to the Bruins, with two goals from who many believe is the second coming of Cam Neely, young Milan Lucic. The Sharks tallied once in the first, a Rob Blake shot that ricocheted off of Dennis Wideman's skate and past goalie Tim Thomas. <br /><br />The second period was more of a toss up, as the Bruins began the period where they left off in the first. The game seemed to swing when the Sharks were able to kill 49 seconds of a two man advantage, and the rest of the other penalty as well. The Sharks still trailed 2-1 after 2, but the game was much closer after 40 minutes of play.<br /><br />The third and final period of play was a great one for all of those who came to the arena in teal that night. Captain Patrick Marleau tied the game at 2 just a few minutes into the frame, Milan Michalek gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead just a couple minutes later, and Joe Thornton capped his return with a right-place-at-the-right-time goal, a deflection off his skate that completed a 3 goal in 6:16 span for the Sharks. <br /><br />There were quite a few Sharks fans in the stands, and quite a few Thornton Bruins jerseys as well. He got a decent amount of boos every time he touched the puck, but at night's end he got the last laugh as the Sharks left with the two points.<br /><br />The Sharks, and myself, will be in Buffalo tonight for a matchup with the Sabres (4:30 California time). Former Shark Craig Rivet wears the C for the Sabres, who are without leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek who is out with a broken jaw. These two teams met last year in San Jose, a 7-1 dismantling by the Sabres. I wouldn't mind seeing the road team do that again tonight.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (Condolences to the families of everyone who was on Continental Airlines Flight #3407, a small plane that was to land in Buffalo late last night, but fatally crashed into a home just miles from the airport)<br /><br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-55533248320824016162009-02-08T15:13:00.000-08:002009-02-08T16:42:39.222-08:002/7/09 COLUMBUS 3, sharks 2 (OT)Its been a little while since we last spoke, I've been real busy with the Stealth and moving to SJSU and stuff, but I'm happy to say that I'm gonna get started blogging again. To the important part...<br /><br /><br />Dan LaCosta. Remember the name, fin fans, because, well, he's some young lucky schmuck who got to face the recently rolling downhill San Jose Sharks. After dropping down 2-0 after one, the Sharks scratched and clawed their way back to even, only to fall under in overtime to the Blue Jackets for the second time this year.<br /><br />I didn't actually get to catch this one, as I was in San Francisco last night for the belated Chinese New Year parade, but lemme just say, wow, what a parade it was. Some hi-lites: A giant dragon that took somewhere close to 100 people to operate, a float with a swinging door that opened to reveal a cute little girl waving, only to have the door close every now and then, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom out of his parade vehicle walking around shaking hands, exchanging hugs, and performing marriages (one of those might not be right), and even a drum corps that stopped mid-march, rotated, and went half speed. <br /><br />But back to the Sharks, their loss last night brings their losing streak to three, losing in all three possible ways (regulation, shootout, and overtime, respectively). Its the first three game losing streak all year, and it continues a sluggish patch for the Teal since the All-Star Break. The top line has just 6 points in 5 games since January 25th, Evgeni Nabokov has 2 shutouts, but 3 semi-sloppy games as well. The defense is still missing Brad Lukowich, but the play of Alexei Semenov (until last night) has been solid in his stead. JR is still out, Torrey Mitchell is still out, both look to be back by the end of the month hopefully.<br /><br />Last night's Jackets game was the first of the annual Sharks February Mostly East Coast Road Trip (for the tennis tournament that takes place at HP), and it was just the tip of the frozen iceberg. Tuesday, the Sharks are in Boston to take on the East leading Bruins, Wednesday they take on the defending East champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday they're on the shores of Lake Freezeyfreeze in Buffalo to play the Sabres, and Sunday they match up for an afternoon affair in gloriously safe Newark with the New Jersey Devils. <br /><br />For selfish reasons, hopefully the Sharks awake from their late January/beginning February slumber, as I will be in attendance for the matchups on Tuesday in Boston and Friday in Buffalo. That's right, the Odyssey is back in the saddle, (or the airplane as it were) for another couple games, this time in the beautiful weather of the NorthEast division. Unfortunately not all 5 cities are in a row, so I won't be able to do like last year, but I will be at a couple. If you will be there, feel free to contact me, I'd love to meet up with you for a beer or something while I'm over there.<br /><br />I'll check in from frigid Boston tomorrow night, as I will do each night this week.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (GO WARM)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-26504505067921900082008-11-11T17:18:00.000-08:002008-11-11T17:50:55.615-08:00How they're doinNo Nabby, no Cheech, and up until last Sunday, no problem.<br /><br />The Teal are clearly motivated to do something this year, because they're playing strong, 60 minute contests. They're hitting, forechecking, shooting, crashing the net, anything it is taking to win, they're doing the job. A quick recap of some highlights recently...<br /><br />* The Boys in Teal took down both Cup finalists in the same week defeating the Penguins 2-1 and the Wings 4-2. <br />* A 7 game win streak was only snapped on Sunday with a loss in Phoenix<br />* Brian Boucher is 1-1 since taking over for the injured (unknown injury) Evgeni Nabokov.<br />* The Sharks are 9-0 at the HP Pavilion this year<br /><br />Say what you will about this Sharks squad, but they clearly look like a different team. Games are no longer being won by sitting on leads for 30-40 minutes, they're being won with 60 minutes of pressure. Sure its still November, and the Sharks do have a history of finding themselves on top of the league until April/May when they head out on their annual golf trip only to return and start the whole thing over in September, but I like this team, and think that they could be on their way to something good this year.<br /><br />Tonight the Sharks look to become only the third team in NHL history to start the season with 10 consecutive wins at home (the record is 11 by Chicago set in the 63/64 season) when they take on the Nashville Predators (7:30). To further pile on the jinx, the Sharks are 7-0-1 against the Predators in San Jose since 03/04. This year, Nashville is 1-6-1 away from home.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (10?)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-38811862577326892532008-10-24T06:03:00.000-07:002008-10-24T06:28:14.360-07:00Games 4-7Anyone who has been following the Sharks recently knows three things: 1) The offense is pretty good, 2) the defense is iffy, and 3) us here at the Odyssey (me) haven't been doing a great job at keeping you up to date on all of that. But, just like the Sharks, business here is just beginning to pick up.<br /><br />Over the past week, we've seen a 5-2 win over Columbus, a 4-0 loss to Anaheim, a 5-4 OT win over Philly, and a wild and woolly one (that's for you, Dan) over the Flyers 7-6 in a shootout on Tuesday. <br /><br />So what do we know:<br /><br />*Patrick Marleau is playing pretty well<br />*Joe looks hurt or something<br />*Devin Setoguchi has learned how to not disappear after one game<br />*Jonathan Cheechoo can score goals in the late months of a calendar year<br />*Rob Blake likes to shoot the puck<br />*Dan Boyle is everywhere<br />*Evgeni Nabokov looks kinda tired<br />*The season needs to end now so the Cup can just be awarded to the Sharks<br /><br />Before the season began, people expected the Pacific to be tops in the league. Its only 3 weeks in, but that's not the case. After the Sharks, the rest of the division is floundering in mediocrity, with the next nearest team 5 points back (Dallas). I predicted a similar dominance for the PacDiv, but if it stays like this all year long, I'm not sure how much I'll mind.<br /><br />Tonight the Teal play the second on their three game roadie when they invade the Ft. Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers (4:30). The Panthers are 3-3 this year, and offer a balanced attack. With the trade of Olli Jokinen to Phoenix in the off-season, the Cats have turned to kids such as David Booth, Nathan Horton, and even Keith Ballard to provide the scoring. The last time the Sharks played the Panthers, they tricked the Cats into losing, and treated themselves to a late 2-1 win on Halloween night in 2006.<br /><br />On a side note, tonight San Jose State University football plays what is probably their biggest game in the last few years when they host #13 Boise State tonight at Spartan Stadium (6:00). Each year for the last few, the Spartans have had a chance to make a dent in the BCS standings, coming close to upsets over Boise in 2006 and Hawaii last year, but falling just short. However this year carries more significance, as this season sees SJSU poised for a shot at the WAC crown. The spread is set at just 7, and should SJSU pull off the win tonight, there will be a great deal of partying at 1257 S. 10th. For those of you looking to watch some of both local events tonight, the football game can be seen on ESPN2 live.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (GO SPARTANS TOO)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-18280068333521694512008-10-14T07:25:00.001-07:002008-10-14T09:09:46.745-07:00Opening weekend 2008/09I've been incredibly busy recently, and the blog has suffered a bit. But have no fear, the resurgence of the blog is here. I got three games to cover, so let's start there.<br /><br />But first, an incredibly sad piece of news out of Russia yesterday. Rangers prospect and current KHLer Alexei Cherepanov died of an apparent heart attac yesterday after collapsing during a game. Cherepanov was just 19 years old, and was tearing up the KHL. Condolences to the Cherepanov family, and everyone connected with this youngster.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Back in the States, the Sharks tore up the rest of California this weekend, winning all three of their opening contests by a combined score of 8-2. Sure, it was just one weekend of play and just three measly games in a season of 82 (and hopefully many many more after that), but the Sharks looked pretty dang good against their SoCal rivals. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10/9 SHARKS 4, anaheim 1</span><br /><br />Opening night in San Jose, always a fun night, way back to the days of the space-y green lasers that came down from the rafters to draw on the ice and the amazingly cool remote-controlled fins that circled the faceoff dot at center ice. This year, the 17,496 were treated to a stunning display of videos on the ice, and a pregame video set to the music of THE MOST IRONIC SONG EVER, something yadda yadda yadda chorus "it's lights out". <br /><br />Now, normally I'd think this is hilarious on the part of the Sharks org, and a well played joke, however, this IS the Sharks org. who asked me "Who's side are you on?", so I'm not so sure the joke was intended there. <br /><br />Either way, the lights did then go out, the Shark head malfunctioned and didn't come down, and I had a crappy view to see the latest banner of mediocrity (Pacific Division Champs 2007/08) dropped from the rafters. After dropping the banner, the Sharks promptly dropped the Ducks.<br /><br />My Cheechoo was on fire (that's not the last time I'll say that this year), netting a pair of goals, Devin Setoguchi had one, and Christian "Gosh Darn" Ehrhoff hit the back of the twine, although I'm convinced it wasn't purposeful. Dan Boyle and Rob Blake had good debuts, finding themselves in the play often, taking quite a few shots from the blueline. Nabby found his rightful spot in net, and was just a few minutes from a shutout before a deflected point shot trickled past him.<br /><br />The thing that really struck me the most about opening night was the actual presence of a forecheck. As has been written since by other fans, the Sharks were actually a little suffocating, on the PK, and just for the hell of it. Who knows if this is a trend that will stick around, but god, that'd be amazing if it did. The power play looked good too, three guys down low, someone ALWAYS IN FRONT OF THE NET, and two guys on the point with cannons ready to fire. I could get used to that.<br /><br />This was the only game of the weekend that I was really able to watch all the way through, so I'm just going to assume that these trends continued through the home/home with the Kings. <br /><br />I do know, from the box scores though, Setoguchi had another goal, Tomas Plihal and Joe Pavelski scored, and Lukas Kaspar recorded his first career NHL goal on a shot he didn't even know went in (ok, so that wasn't in the box score, but I couldn't sit through a fully tivo'd game). Brian Bouchutout lived up to his name in his season debut on Sunday in LA, confusing Nabby as he didn't have to play half a year before getting a rest. <br /><br />So after one weekend of hockey, this much is apparent. <br />* The Sharks don't appear to be too phased by the change in coaching staff/philosophy for success. <br />* Rob Blake likes to shoot the puck. He leads the team in doing that.<br />* Todd McLellan has had his team ready to play for all three games, starting in a fashion Ron Wilson teams didn't.<br />* There's an incredibly large amount of hockey left, so all this is really pretty moot.<br /><br />I'll cap this massive recap of the past 3 weeks with my belated predictions for this year. No fancy funny phrases, just some standings. Ok, so my standings may be really funny, but hey, I'm entitled to be just as hilariously wrong as the next guy, no?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">EAST</span><br /><br />1) Washington Capitals (SE)<br />2) New York Rangers (A)<br />3) Montreal Canadiens (NE)<br />4) Philadelphia Flyers (A)<br />5) Pittsburgh Penguins (A)<br />6) Boston Bruins (NE)<br />7) New Jersey Devils (A)<br />8) Carolina Hurricanes (SE)<br />9) Buffalo Sabres (NE)<br />10) Florida Panthers (SE)<br />11) Tampa Bay Lightning (SE)<br />12) Toronto Maple Leafs (NE)<br />13) Ottawa Senators (NE)<br />14) Atlanta Thrashers (SE)<br />15) New York Islanders (A)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">WEST</span><br /><br />1) Detroit Red Wings (C)<br />2) San Jose Sharks (P)<br />3) Edmonton Oilers (NW)<br />4) Dallas Stars (P)<br />5) Phoenix Coyotes (P)<br />6) Chicago Blackhawks (C)<br />7) Nashville Predators (C)<br />8) Vancouver Canucks (NW)<br />9) Columbus Blue Jackets (C)<br />10) Anaheim Ducks (P)<br />11) Calgary Flames (NW)<br />12) Colorado Avalanche<br />13) Minnesota Wild<br />14) St. Louis Blues<br />15) Los Angeles Kings<br /><br /><br />Back to the present, the Sharks get back to action tonight, to work towards that #2 place in the West when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30). The Jackets begin another season long attempt to avoid the futility of missing the playoffs, something that will come soon, but as you can see from my predictions, won't happen just yet. They're coached by Paul Bearer (WWE joke), who has the alias of one Ken Hitchcock, king of the trap. The Sharks have never fared too well against the trap, however this is a team that seems to be able to generate offense from everywhere, making for an interesting matchup.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (RIP Alexei Cherepanov)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-41726728574307454922008-09-23T09:34:00.001-07:002008-09-23T09:46:03.780-07:00Hockey time is hereWell, Sharks fans. Its here. Finally. Training camp has opened, physicals have been given, numbers assigned, and now, it all gets underway.<br /><br />Tonight is the annual Teal & White Game, a season ticket holder event that showcases the entire squad against one another in an evening usually full of fun and autographs.<br /><br />Tomorrow the Sharks will open their preseason schedule when they head to the Pond to face the Anaheim Ducks (7pm). The very same Ducks will make their first visit of the year to the Tank on Friday (7:30pm), while the Sharks will host Vancouver on Saturday (also 7:30). A back-to-back with the Coyotes next week will see a Los Gatos resident play against his favorite team growing up as Viktor Tikhonov will hopefully be in uniform for Phoenix. The Teal will wrap up the preseason with a trip to Vancouver and a neutral site showdown with the LA Kings in Salt Lake City, Utah.<br /><br />If you're headed to any of these games, I hope to see you there. Most of these games should be available on the internet, just go to the opponent's respective homepage to find out (teamname.nhl.com)<br /><br />Hockey's a comin' folks, you ready for it?<br /><br />GO SHARKS (HOCKEY!!!)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-6006504543413830432008-08-26T22:29:00.000-07:002008-08-26T23:04:44.341-07:00Dear SWAAs some of you may remember, or most of you won't, I was on TV in March of 2007. I was interviewed during the 1st Intermission of the Sharks game from Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes. While being interviewed, I was asked to give a travel horror story that one such as myself would experience because I didn't get the luxury of traveling on a charter. I spun a yarn of the day that I flew from Dallas to DC via Little Rock and Chicago, with my bag not making it to our Nation's Capital with me. <br /><br />Basically, without thinking, I said that Southwest (A bigtime Sharks sponsor) was not a great airline for long flights. Now, I haven't gotten any actual criticism from SWA, but my friends, including many of you, have needled me endlessly for it. <br /><br />Well, over the past few months, and more recently today, I've had the pleasure (and I do mean it) of talking to the great Southwest Airlines Customer Service. I had a couple questions regarding my airline miles, and the two customer service agents were incredibly helpful to me, answering all my questions very clearly and even carrying on a great conversation. <br /><br />Now, unfortunately, the news and the questions these agents discussed with me were not the greatest of news for me (the gist of it is, I don't get to do anything in Vegas this weekend that will get to stay in Vegas), but hey, that's not their fault. They don't make the rules, they're just unreasonably great at explaining them to those that ask.<br /><br />So, Southwest Airlines, I apologize for calling you out on the channel then known as Fox Sports Net Bay Area. You have multiple attributes, most of them really good, like your customer service that is actually quick and convenient and helpful and friendly. Such qualities can allow me to forget about losing my bag, or getting stuck with C group and sitting between two large hairy gentlemen with Confederate Flag tattoos and hunting hats, and getting yelled at by an old deranged woman because I wouldn't give her my window seat (partially because I was 85% unconscious at the time). <br /><br />Southwest, I'm sorry, now please can you schedule your Shamu plane for my next flight? Thank you.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (if you ever find yourself bored, just give the incredibly friendly folks at Southwest Airlines Customer Service a call, they blow away all other customer service departments)<br />-Jess<br /><br />Hockey is just over a month away, expect multiple articles as I get the blog rolling again for the hockey season.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-31423549750184572042008-07-19T18:30:00.000-07:002008-07-19T21:09:42.081-07:00Blake, Boyle, and Lukowich, oh my!Its been a little while, so lets catch things up, shall we?<br /><br />July 3rd, I'm sitting at my computer, and what do I read, but that the San Jose Sharks have signed longtime really old guy Rob Blake. Back in the 60s (or something), Blake was a feared defender, with a strong right-handed slapper and was a threat to lay you out if you weren't paying attention. Back to the present day, Blake is old, still is right-handed, and can lay you out... a nice quilt that he made, because he's really old. <br /><br />First thought is, ok, this is cool, I think. Rob Blake used to be really good, and can be reasonable, hopefully. At 5 mil a season, its a bit scary should he...you know...suck, but its a risk that Doug Wilson seems to feel is worth taking.<br /><br />Now, lets move along to July 4th. A day known for fireworks, the Sharks made some explosive noise early in the day, when TSN announced that the Sharks had traded for Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay. When the day was all said and done, the full deal was Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, and picks in both the 1st and 4th rounds in the 2009 Entry Draft. <br /><br />Now, first thought here is, man, I hate this deal. I really thought that with Campbell leaving for richer grounds, Matt Carle would get his chance to blossom and turn into the Norris winner everyone was expecting from him. Well, the path is still clear for Carle, however, now it is in Tampa, where he'll be coached by everyone's favorite mullet. Meanwhile, the Sharks get two guys in Boyle and Lukowich that have age and experience to them, as well as not as lengthy a future.<br /><br />To complete room for remaining players, Craig Rivet was shipped out to Buffalo for a pair of second rounders, one in 09 and the other in 10. <br /><br />So, in the span of 24 hours, the Sharks blueline went from:<br /><br />Carle-Rivet<br />Murray-Ehrhoff<br />Vlasic-McLaren<br /><br />to<br /><br />Boyle-Blake<br />Murray-Ehrhoff<br />Vlasic-McLaren<br /><br />Quick turnaround, eh?<br /><br />Basically, the Sharks seem poised for the short run, which goes against the philosophy they've employed since the beginning. If they do raise the silver in the next few years, then obviously, it worked, and no one will complain. If they don't get any closer than they currently have (aka, dying in the second round every year), then it'll be indifferent. If they flat out stink, then hey, at least they tried to get better, right? Right?<br /><br />GO SHARKS (Hooray summer, I suppose)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-32754876220889771392008-07-02T00:21:00.000-07:002008-07-02T00:34:47.071-07:00Free Agency FrenzyFirst day of unrestricted free agency is in the books, with a lot of activity to talk about. After Christmas itself, the start of free agency in the NHL is as close to Christmas as you can get. As has been aptly described by the folks over at HF Boards, July 1st for Sharks fans however is as such. <br /><br />You wake up real early to run downstairs and see the tree, see the milk and cookies, see all the lights and wreaths and mistletoe and whatnot, and then realize, "Oh yeah, I'm Jewish".<br /><br />The Sharks have never been big free agency players, but these past few years have defined a new low. Doug Wilson is a cautious GM, one who packs his baskets in what is considered an unorthodox style now a days, by spreading out his eggs to several baskets. In order to do this properly, he scouts and drafts real well, keeping his players throughout their development until they blossom at the top level. This means that picking up impact players from trades and free agency is a rarity. Today was just another example. There is time left, however, and a lot of it. Personally, my fingers are still crossed for a defenseman, but I'll settle for the cream of this summer's crop, Marian Hossa.<br /><br />Today marked new beginnings for most teams in the league, and endings for 3 Sharks. Nate Raduns is now a member of the Boston Bruins, where he will probably play for Providence (AHL). Patrick Rissmiller is a New York Ranger, where he'll... uh... um... do stuff, and Brian "I want to play in the Eastern Conference to be closer to my family because of family illnesses" Campbell ended up in the long time Eastern Conference city of Chicago. (Note: the previous statement was sarcasm and should be read as muffled anger, as Chicago is in the West, and clearly is the best location because of the amount of green he will be rolling in.)<br /><br />Tomorrow is day 2 of the UFA period, with Hossa, Orpik, and some well known marginal guys who's names that are escaping me right now. (Another note: the latter is what Wilson is best at signing ala Boucher, Ozolinsh, Roenick, and Semenov last year). <br /><br />GO SHARKS (merry flippin christmas)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-91984797399587214272008-06-20T15:20:00.000-07:002008-06-20T19:59:58.116-07:00NHL DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6Sv3Yq7sU/SFww_QMSkqI/AAAAAAAAGoU/F6vAEJCHf9E/s1600-h/draftstravaganza.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Bo6Sv3Yq7sU/SFww_QMSkqI/AAAAAAAAGoU/F6vAEJCHf9E/s400/draftstravaganza.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214096331824599714" /></a><br /><br /><br />Ok, so the graphic sucks, but it's ok, because the blog is sure to live up to the quality of the graphic, and none higher, and that's a promise!<br /><br />So without further ado, LIVEBLOGGING DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008.<br /><br />3:22pm: I'm in my war room, better known as my couch. I got my computer, my clicker, my dog, and a soda. It's about 96 degrees outside today, perfect weather to be discussing hockey. The Sharks don't have a pick until the fourth round (#117, to be exact), so if the Sharks pick tonight, something big is gonna happen first.<br /><br />3:36pm: I'm not the best with NHL drafts because the coverage is poor down here, but I'm learning this draft is pretty much Steven Stamkos and a bunch of defensemen (Doughty, Bogosian, Myers, and Schenn). It's kinda funny to think I'm gonna be watching an event with a bunch of kids who are significantly younger than me, however the pain is lessened when I laugh at their ridiculous amounts of acne.<br /><br />3:55pm: Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Senators, is on the stage, touting Ottawa as the best hockey city in the world. I assume that's why they're hosting the Draft, and not the Stanley Cup Finals. Nice work, Eug. Give me Bettman to boo, please. Thanks. Oh and trot that spartan out again. That's the sign of a true hockey city.<br /><br />4:02pm: I've made the switch to Versus, er, TSN South. Right away James Duthie tells me a three-way huskerdoo has taken place. Mike Cammalleri to Calgary, #12 pick to LA (from Anaheim), and the #17 (from Calgary) and #28 (from LA) to the Ducks. Bring on more trades.<br /><br />4:14pm: Blah blah blah Stamkos blah blah blah. I hear booing in the background, which can only mean... da da da daaaaa, Gary Bettman. The commish begins with a classic line amidst the booing. "I love your passion". Bettman, you sir, are king. Nother trade to announce, Olli Jokinen is now a Phoenix Coyote for Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton, and the 49th overall pick.<br />FIRST PICK...Steven Stamkos. Shocker. Dean "Finnish lover" Lombardi and the LA Kings are on the clock.<br /><br />4:27pm. TSN points out the Kings will make 9 picks before both the Sharks and Penguins get to pick. Mike Futa of the Kings says Kings fans will be happy cause they'll have 100 picks this weekend. Nice joke, Mike, but you only have 93. <br />KINGS PICK...Drew Doughty. Seems like a good pick, if you're a Kings fan. Atlanta is #3.<br /><br />4:36pm. ATLANTA PICKS... Steve Bedrosian er, Zach Bogosian. Mentions in the interview with Duthie that he hates losing. Good thing he's going to Atlanta, they'll turn him around real quick. Another trade. Alex Tanguay to Montreal with #138 for the 25th pick and a 2nd rounder in 09. Tanguay has been a shade of his former self since leaving the Avs. Jarmo Kekalainen makes the announcement Alex Pietrangelo PICKED BY THE BLUES AT 4. Islanders up next.<br /><br />5:01pm. Toronto trades up to #5, giving NYI the 7 pick, and some strange cocktail of two picks that Gary Bettman had entirely too much fun saying twice. LEAFS PICK...Luke Schenn, Ottawa fans boo. Welcome to the rivalry, kid. Columbus up next at 6.<br /><br />5:08pm. Bettman makes a trade announcement, the 19th and the 67th to... not the Sharks. Thank god, I think I peed a bit there. Columbus sends that stuff to Philly for RJ Umberger and 118. JACKETS THEN PICK Nikita Filatov. Islanders up next, again.<br /><br />5:18pm. Isles just don't want to pick, trading 7 to Nashville for 9 and 40. NASHVILLE PICKS... Colin Wilson. Phoenix up now.<br /><br />5:24pm. Wayne up to make the pick, getting a standing o. COYOTES PICK... Mikkel Boedker. Gretz shouts out to the "nine-ten fans watching in Phoenix". Canadian fans everywhere miss the obvious sarcasm and scream for the Yotes to be moved because Gretz said "nine-ten fans". Islanders up next, maybe, finally.<br /><br />5:30pm. Garth Snow announces that the ISLES PICK... JOSH BAILEY. Some dude I've never heard of, which is no big deal cause i don't know this stuff very well. Vancouver up next at 10.<br /><br />5:37pm. VANCOUVER PICKS CODY HODGSON. Hodgson played at Brampton, owners of the coolest jerseys in the CHL. 100 minutes in, we've now seen 1/3 of the first round. Hooray. Blackhawks hold #11.<br /><br />5:44pm. CHICAGO PICKS KYLE BEACH. Beach is a pissed off kind of hockey player. Beats people up, has a great shot, scores goals. Could be a Jarome Iginla, could be a Scott Parker (the Sheriff was indeed a first round selection of the Avalanche, heh.) Kings up next at 12, from the Cammalleri three way deal earlier.<br /><br />5:52pm. LA trades 12 to Buffalo for 13 and a 3rd rounder next year. Buffalo is up now.<br /><br />5:54pm. BUFFALO GETS TYLER MYERS. Myers is a giant defenseman, 6'7 to be exact. This guy can skate like Pierre McGuire can't believe. Kings up now again at 13.<br /><br />5:58pm. COLTEN TEUBERT SELECTED BY LA. Rough n tough defenseman TSN tells me. Lovely. Carolina selects next at 14.<br /><br />6:05pm. CAROLINA PICKS ZACH BOYCHUK. His sister is a built athlete apparently, maybe she'll get picked next round. Nashville sits at 15.<br /><br />6:12pm. Nashville makes a trade that "the people in Ottawa are gonna like". Preds trade 15 to Ottawa for 18 and a 3rd rounder in 09. Senators to pick now. Chris Kelly of Ottawa extended for 4 more years. Daniel Alfredsson to make the pick for the Sens. OTTAWA PICKS...Erik "Killer" Karlsson of Sveeeeeden. Kid is 167 pounds, and won't be coming over this year. Hmm, drafing a guy who won't come over from Europe right away, sounds like the Dean Lombardi special. We're no halfway through the first round, and I've only been bored for most of it. Go me. Boston to pick at 16.<br /><br />6:22pm. BRUINS SELECT JOE COLBOURNE. Apparently this guy is a Joe Thornton clone. Hmm, Joe Thornton in Boston, yeah... that'll work out well. Anaheim up at 17.<br /><br />6:29pm. Brian Burke gets booed like mad, is "happy to be back in Ottawa". Not a Burke fan, but that was good. DUCKS PICK JAKE GARDINER. Bob McKenzie said speed like 83 times, so this kid is apparently a drug addict. He'll fit in perfectly in Orange County. Nashville up next at 18.<br /><br />6:36pm. PREDS PICK CHET PICKARD. A goalie. That's it, got nothin for you. He stops pucks. Philly up next at 19.<br /><br />6:41pm. FLYERS CHOOSE LUCA SBISA. Puck moving defenseman from Switzerland. Was good in the WHL. He's got a cool name, that's always a plus. Seeing that flying P reminds me, Tony Luke's, best cheesesteaks in Philly. Rangers choose 20th.<br /><br />6:48pm. RANGERS PICK MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO. He has all the tools, but unfortunately no tool box to put them in. Sad story. New Jersey has 21.<br /><br />6:53pm. NJ trades 21 to Washington for 23 and 54. Caps on zee clock.<br /><br />6:55pm. CAPS SELECT ANTON GUSTAFSSON. Could be the second in his family to play for the Caps, has back problems though. As long as he doesn't sneeze (Sammy Sosa) or try to pick up a cracker (Brent Sopel) he should be ok. Oilers up next at 22.<br /><br />7:03pm. EDMONTON PICKS JORDAN EBERLE. For some reason, I'm seeing Eberle hilites from when he was 8. They really scout 'em young now. This round needs to end soon, I'm running out of humor, if I had any to begin with. New Jersey at 23 is next.<br /><br />7:15pm. Minnesota trades for 23 to New Jersey for 24 and a 3rd rounder in 09. MINNESOTA PICKS TYLER CUMA. Doug Wilson weeps, as this kid is from Ottawa of the OHL. NEW JERSEY PICKS MATTIAS TEDENBY, who is like 3 feet tall or something. Tedenby is the first player drafted to the NHL from the Lollipop Guild hockey club. Calgary up next at 25.<br /><br />7:24pm. CALGARY PICKS GREG NEMISZ. Big guy, gonna be a goal scorer, Darryl Sutter kinda guy. James Duthie asks Sutter for insider info, Sutter says Duthie will get nothing and like it. Buffalo picks next with the Sharks pick at 26.<br /><br />7:30pm. BUFFALO PICKS TYLER ENNIS. Ennis is tiny, 5'8. Speedy, one dimensional, goal scorer. Buffalo now has a huge guy (6'7) and a tiny guy (5'8). Man I want to see that picture. Philly next at 27.<br /><br />7:35pm. Oh god, another trade. Mercifully let this end. Washington gets 27 for Eminger and 84.<br /><br />7:38pm. CAPS SELECT JOHN "KILLER" CARLSON. Big bruising defenseman, he's big, and he's bruising, and he's a defenseman. I think the TSN panel said this about 20 times. Wheee. Ducks have 28.<br /><br />7:40pm. Anaheim trades 28 to Phoenix for 35 and 39. Yotes up now.<br /><br />7:45pm. PHOENIX SELECTS VIKTOR TIKHONOV. Los Gatos resident Tikhonov is a friend of mine, glad to see he'll be in the division. Congrats to him. Nice to see the whole family in Ottawa, can only hope for the best for him.<br /><br />ATLANTA PICKS DAULTAN LEVEILLE. Guy with big potential, has never worked out before. Interesting. Last pick upcoming, owned by the Red Wings.<br /><br />7:53pm. DETROIT PICKS TOM MCCOLLUM. Good American goalie, best glove hand in the draft, and he hugs his grandma. <br /><br />And with that, the first round is over. 13 trades, 30 picks, and 83 beers consumed. Let's do this again next year, shall we? The draft continues tomorrow at 6:30 in the freaking morning Pacific time on the NHL Network. I won't be up for it, and probably won't miss anything.<br /><br />Not sure what to make of Doug Wilson not getting a first rounder in what is considered a deep draft, not sure what his plans are from here on out. Lot of guys I would have liked to have seen in teal, obviously that won't happen, at least right away. Oh well. I'll recap the late rounds tomorrow as it is completed.<br /><br />So ends NHL DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008, thanks for tuning in to my blog. Tip your waitstaff, and watch out for Pierre McGuire.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (good luck in Phoenix, Vik)Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-21819245826062058342008-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:002008-06-18T22:48:43.084-07:00The draft, she's a comin'Friday night is the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, held in Ottawa this year. Sharks fans know the draft as Doug Wilson season, when the SJ GM wheels n' deals more than a pizza delivery guy on SuperBowl Sunday. The future of the NHL will be present, however, it won't be known who that future for a few years when they actually become household names and we've all forgotten about their draft night.<br /><br />As of now, the Sharks have absolutely ZERO first rounders, which means there is absolutely ZERO reason for Sharks fans to watch the first round on Friday night which means there absolutely ZERO else you should be doing besides checking out my exciting, amazing, from the seat of my pants commentary that I am proudly dubbing...<br /><br />Jess's Friday Night NHL First Round Entry Draftstravaganza 2008.<br /><br />Yes, I have no reason to watch the 2008 Entry Draft's first round, so that's exactly why I am, and why I'm liveblogging it to boot. So please, stop by, hang around, and enjoy the draft.<br /><br />FYI: The draft coverage begins at 3 pacific on NHL Network, and the draft begins at 4 on Versus Friday afternoon. The rest of the Draft is Saturday. The Sharks first pick as of now isn't until the fourth round, but the Sharks have been rumored to be moving up, something that wouldn't really surprise any Sharks fan.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (DRAFT LIKE THE WIND)<br />-Jess<br /><br />DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA COMING FRIDAY!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-76873540072127726022008-06-12T15:46:00.000-07:002008-06-12T16:23:00.134-07:00And the new Sharks Head Coach is...Who?!?<br /><br />Yeah, that's pretty much how most Sharks fans feel right now, as the search is over for a new skipper, and the results yielded are just a tad anonymous in nature. Todd McLellan becomes the 7th Head Coach of the Sharks, and will be entering his first year as an NHL Head Coach. Little Mac (I'm coining the term now, please send royalties to me via email) won a Calder Cup as the Head Coach of the Houston Aeros, and most recently won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings this year. <br /><br />Word is he's a big time offensive X's and O's kind of guy and was in charge of the Wings PP, which should be just what the Sharks need. He's the right kind of coach to entice Brian Campbell back, and I imagine Matt Carle will see more time to blossom, with Kyle McLaren (Big Mac) probably on his way out, if not just making himself a permanent assgroove in one of the comfy chairs in the press box. Hopefully McLellan will be able to figure out how to make Joe potent as a goal scorer and as a passer.<br /><br />The draft is next Saturday, and there is the possibility of a big trade rumored, centering around Captain Patrick Marleau, who has a no trade clause that kicks in on July 1st. We'll see soon enough how that works out. Til then, welcome to San Jose, Todd McLellan.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (ASSISTANT COACHES?!?!?!)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-66941582276288273192008-06-09T23:53:00.000-07:002008-06-10T02:14:13.264-07:00Oh Canada (or at least the closed-minded towards warm weather hockey cities part)DISCLAIMER: I'm going to reference Canadians a bunch of times, and am not intending to lump every Canadian together. But to save myself and you from having to wade through explanations whom exactly I'm objecting to, I'm pointing it out now. If you are a Canadian and you don't feel negatively towards NHL hockey in warm American markets, welcome aboard.<br /><br /><br /><br />So I was perusing <a href="http://www.thefeeder.com"></a> an unofficial San Jose Sharks message board and general awesome internet meeting place, I was pointed in the direction of this piece. <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=573509"></a><br />This is an opinion piece that was touched on by Yahoo! Sports author Greg Wyshynski in his column below.<br /><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy?author=Greg+Wyshynski"></a><br /><br />Basically, it's another piece of drivel from an ignorant Canadian who seems to believe that the NHL only belongs in Canada and nowhere else. Now, I have no problem with opinions, as the cliche goes, they're like <insert your favorite not witty opinion cliche here>. But as an American hockey fan who was born and pretty much raised on the game that I have read plenty of times I shouldn't be allowed to have, it irks me just a bit.<br /><br />Over the past 20 years, the National Hockey League has seen its product extend to the warmer parts of North America, thanks to the advances in cooling technology. Since 1991, we've seen franchises pop up in hot weather cities like Anaheim, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Jose, Sunrise (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area), and Tampa, with additional franchises in Columbus, Denver, Ottawa, and St. Paul. <br /><br />Without getting too much into the major history, Canada lost a pair of NHL teams in the mid-90's despite being wildly popular in their communities. With the Canadian Dollar in lé toiletté (French) and no monetary parameters in place, some of the NHL teams north of the border had trouble keeping up with cities in the States that were booming. As a result, the NHL saw the relocations of franchises in Quebec City and Winnipeg to Denver and Phoenix, respectively. <br /><br />Now, in that time, we've seen tremendous growth of youth hockey in each of those cities, and a general growth of the sport among the community. Just a couple years ago for the first time, a California youth team won the Silver Sticks tournament, a North American tournament held annually. Indoor hockey rinks in Texas have gone up something like 400%. Hockey has become a hot ticket in towns where ice doesn't usually exist anywhere but in a cocktail glass. But for some reason, this seems to be insufficient progress for "hockey-thirsty" Canadians.<br /><br />In this line of thinking, having an NHL team is not so much a privilege as a right of passage, a pot of gold at the end of a vulcanized rubber rainbow. Cities in the north where ice is available outside in the winter (apparently water freezes and turns into ice, this is an unconfirmed rumor as of this post) are automatically more "qualified" to have a professional team. Just because hockey has been played by kids on a lake in December in a small town in Northern Saskatchewan, they somehow deserve a NHL team more than kids who have to play their hockey indoors, or someone who hasn't been blessed with the ability to see or play the game yet.<br /><br />As a "Southern US" hockey fan, I'm tired of hearing that I, along with all of my latitudinally challenged US brethren, somehow don't deserve hockey. Because we don't sell out our building every night, we are somehow inferior. Because we don't swarm the team stickboy on the streets when he's just out for a cup of coffee, we are somehow inferior. Because we follow other sports in addition to hockey that are collectively more popular, we are somehow inferior. <br /><br />Attendance is an issue that is brought up a lot and yes, there are southern cities that have trouble drawing crowds. However, there are plenty of northern cities that have attendance troubles as well, but they're always given a free pass for some extenuating circumstances. For example, the Chicago Blackhawks recently endured the passing of one "Dollar" Bill Wirtz, a shrewd and cheap businessman who ran his on-ice product into the ground, making them a poor hockey team and driving fans away. That's fine and valid, but why is that grounds for a free pass, when a team with Atlanta's history isn't? The Thrashers made the playoffs for the first time in their 9 year history last season, after posting some really bad seasons. They sold out their playoff games, and were really popular down the stretch. Yet, because the team is floundering in mediocrity again, which is keeping some fans away, they're somehow unfit to house a team altogether. Doesn't make sense to me.<br /><br />I've lived my whole life in San Jose, and due to incredibly lucky timing, have gotten to grow up with an NHL team in my backyard (not literally, of course. After all, I live where it's warm). I played street hockey in high school parking lots from the age of 7 until I got a pair of roller blades, and then I played roller hockey on those same parking lots until high school, when I played on my school team. I've been a Sharks fan since the beginning, and have seen much more hockey than my feeble mind could ever recount. The day the Sharks win the Stanley Cup will be the greatest day of my life, save for my future wedding and birth of my children.<br /><br />To any Canadian, or really any elitist hockey fan that believes that I, along with anyone else who lives in an area in which hockey has never been considered to be king, shouldn't have a hockey team, I invite you to leave a comment, because I would love to pick your brain. I really truly wish to understand why you feel the way you do towards southern hockey, why you don't think it should be there, and why you don't think it should have a chance to grow and flourish into what you have. We like hockey, you like hockey, why can't we like each other?<br /><br />GO SHARKS (2008 NHL Entry Draft in just 10 days)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-9647717887817240942008-05-21T22:51:00.000-07:002008-05-21T23:29:43.208-07:00Ron Wilson fard and other type newsSo, unless you've been under a hockey based impenetrable rock the past two weeks, you probably know that...<br /><br />- Ron Wilson got fired. I like that complacency isn't covering it anymore, however, I feel this was a move that made sense after last year's exit, but that he wasn't at fault for this year's elimination. It'll almost definitely be a step backwards for the team in the immediate future, if they somehow advance to or past the second round in 2008/09, my expectations will have been exceeded.<br /><br />- Sharks raised ticket prices. In other news, the sun rose, then it set, and my dog peed on the lawn. They still somehow didn't "break even", so season ticket holders have to an increasing amount of money for a product that is staying stagnant. That doesn't sound right.<br /><br />- Dallas tried to one up the Sharks. After dropping the first three games to the Wings in "God we really suck" fashion, the Stars won Games 4 and 5 to make things a bit interesting before dropping Game 6 in that familiar sucky fashion, ending their season with nary a banner to show for it. (Editor's note: yes, I'm bitter that the Stars knocked the Sharks out, but hey, when it's all said and done for this year, both teams were losers, but we get a division banner and they get bupkis).<br /><br />- Evgeni Nabokov is god. They say Jesus Saves, I say, yes, Nabby does save. A lot. After making the save of the playoffs in the losing effort of the 4OT Game 6 against Dallas, Nabokov went to Quebec City to play for Russia in the World Championships, where he compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.78 Goals Against Average, a 9.29 Save %, 2 Shutouts, and a Gold medal for his efforts. Congrats on a great season of hockey Nabby, the Vezina isn't far away.<br /><br />- State of the Sharks. This was actually pretty cool, as we found out the team has put in bids for the ASG (it's thought to be around 2012 or 2013), NHL Entry Draft, and NCAA Frozen Four. We also found out Doug Wilson is still pissed about the Raffi Torres on Milan Michalek hit from the '06 playoffs. Helpful. <br /><br />- Jeremy Roenick is coming back for another year. This was announced at the State of the Sharks, but he deserves his own bullet point. JR is the man, he deserves the C (maybe not on this squad, but it would be a beautiful gesture by the new coach and by Marleau to give it up), and he deserves a Cup. Now the team has to go get it for the old man. This also means the "JR 509" sign will see another year. Hope it gets to go increase.<br /><br />- Stanley Cup Finals begin Saturday, with the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh has the O, Detroit is bringing the D. Should be a good series, although I'm predicting that the Cup goes to the Motor City after just 5 games. <br /><br />- It's not October yet. The Giants suck. The Stealth have been eliminated. The SaberCats are mediocre. I hate the A's. It's gonna be a long summer. On the bright side, I do have my new internship, with the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse. The Dragons are 0-1, but are poised to have a good year. They are playing at Spartan Stadium in San Jose this year, come on down and see their opener on May 31st at 7pm against the LA Riptide.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (Just practicing for the fall)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-37910910670503729532008-05-06T23:15:00.000-07:002008-05-07T09:07:18.326-07:005/4/08 DALLAS 2, sharks 1 4OT (Dallas wins series 4-2)Took a real long time, but that's how it ends, in Game 6 of the second round. Again.<br /><br />The Sharks 2007-2008 season came to a disappointing end Sunday night, albeit in a new and different heartbreaking fashion. A tremendous Game 6 saw the Sharks and Stars battle for more than double a regulation contest, making it that much more disappointing when it finally came to an end. <br /><br />An iffy Brian Campbell penalty (called in my opinion as a makeup call for an iffy Niklas Grossman penalty in the 3rd overtime) lead to a Dallas powerplay that, unlike the Sharks man advantage in the period earlier, didn't fail to capitalize. Captain No Goal Brendan Morrow finally put one in the net on his stick, ending the last game of the series like he ended the first, in sudden death OT. <br /><br />I waited an extra night to post this, because I wanted to point out that tonight could have, and was so close to being the minutes following Game 7 of this series. Mere inches played the difference in Game 6, but a crappy second period of Game 2 sticks out as the main culprit of the series. An overtime is a crapshoot, but when two teams are equal, more often then not, they even out.<br /><br />That said, it's a weird feeling to be a Sharks fan right now. On one end, I've seen this story before. A great Sharks team has preseason Cup hopes, has a good regular season, and catches fire towards season's end, gets into the playoffs, wins a round, and just up and dies in Game 6 against a team they should beat. <br /><br />On the other end, the Sharks, despite their ultimate expectations, and the expectations of everyone around the league, answered the bell when it rang extolling a message of a team that lacked heart, character, and a will to just win. <br /><br />After losing Game 3 to Calgary in classic "playing not to lose means playing not to win either" fashion, the Sharks battled back and stole Game 4 in the waning moments, came home and won Game 5, and then after laying an egg in Game 6, they played a great Game 7, their first in San Jose, and moved on.<br /><br />Yes, they did drop the first three to Dallas, but they answered the bell again in Game 4, when some 3rd Period heroics allowed the Sharks to avoid the loss, which still seemed almost inevitable. Then Game 5 happened, and the Sharks battled back from a 2-0 3rd Period deficit forcing an extra period, where Joe Pavelski sent the Tank into a state of euphoria, and almost clinching a Game 7 that was to be played, well, tonight. Obviously, that magical comeback fell one small goal short, and instead of discussing a second Game 7 this spring, I'm left to discuss Sharks hockey that won't be played for five whole months.<br /><br />In summary, I am proud of this Sharks team. I'm proud of Evgeni Nabokov, who had the season of his career, and hopefully will be rightfully crowned the top goalie of the season with the Vezina Trophy, which will be awarded after the conclusion of the playoffs. I'm proud of Patrick Marleau, who, despite a less than par regular season, had a solid two series, including battling through two of the more bloody hits put on Sharks in recent history. I'm proud of Jeremy Roenick, who stuck a sock in pretty much every critic and fans mouths alike with his inspiring campaign, showing what it's like to play hockey because you just plain love it.<br /><br />There really isn't anyone I'm disappointed in, at least in a form that matters to anything. I would have liked to see some adjustments made to the power play, a unit that struggled all season long, yet remained virtually the same, minus a month long blip after the arrival of Brian Campbell. I would have liked to see Nabby play less in the regular season, although it doesn't seem to have made a difference, as he was absolutely incredible this post season (that glove save on Brad Richards in the first OT this Sunday is a great save of the year candidate). I would have liked to see the Sharks finally turn the corner, cause I'm really tired of other teams and other fan bases getting to see June hockey in person, while I have to settle for my television set and teams that aren't my own.<br /><br />I can live vicariously throughout the rest of these playoffs, however. I'd love to see the Flyers win the Cup, because I'm a big fan of underdogs, and to go from the worst team in the Eastern Conference to Stanley Cup Champions would be simply amazing. I guess I'd be ok with the Red Wings winning the Cup, because A) it's not Dallas or Pittsburgh and B) Brad Stuart would get to hold the silver. I can live vicariously through Evgeni Nabokov for Team Russia, Douglas Murray for Team Sweden, and Marcel Goc and Dmitri Patzold for Team Germany, who are competing in the World Championships currently going on in Canada. And lastly, I'm living vicariously through other teams and other fan bases in hopes that one day the good karma may finally pay off, and I might get to live this stuff first hand.<br /><br />I'll still be posting throughout the summer, I'm going to be working for the San Francisco Dragons of the MLL, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league in the US in addition to my post with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League. I am disappointed that I have worn my Sharks jerseys for the last time this season, but even as I hang them in my closet, the faint excitement of Exhibition hockey in September already has me flipping the months of the calendar. Come October, we'll all gather at 525 W. Santa Clara, see the 2007-2008 Pacific Division Champions banner with none of his friends, see Evgeni Nabokov's Vezina Trophy, and see our Sharks, ready to start all over again, ready to end the story differently, and ready to make everyone who cheers for the Teal just a bit happier next spring.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (Draft day yet?)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-77317382233349609242008-05-04T00:31:00.000-07:002008-05-04T01:36:58.593-07:005/2/08 SHARKS 3, dallas 2 OTOk, forget about last game, this was your stereotypical Sharks elimination game. Sharks kinda show up until they get scored on, then disappear into the summer skies, and lose by a 2-0 margin...wait, they did what? AGAIN? No ****ing way.<br /><br />Well, it took a third period Dallas meltdown, winding up on the fortunate side of a couple reviewed goals, and energy that I personally haven't experienced since 1994, and bam, hello Game 6.<br /><br />Brendan Morrow had, what has been coined the McMorrow Sandwich, a disallowed goal (for kicking), followed shortly thereafter by a legal goal (with a stick), and then another disallowed goal (for batting it in with a hand). Jere Lehtinen had a powerplay goal as well, and after 2 periods, it looked over. <br /><br />With the Sharks trailing 2-0, and not showing much of anything positive, it really did seem over. I was exchanging conversations with my friends, discussing summer plans, and what would change with the team, and who would come in and coach, and all sorts of other things. My dad turned to me and said as the 3rd started that he wanted just one goal. I agreed, that would have been fine by me, just not to see a shutout.<br /><br />Then Michalek scored, and he turned to me again and said, "ok, I don't want to be greedy, but what if they tied it here". And then JR found Campbell on a great homerun pass up the middle, finding a streaking Soupmeister splitting the D, and rifling a shot over Turco's shoulder. Once again, he turned to me and mentioned how crazy it would be if they won it, regulation or not. After what seemed like the longest 8 minutes ever, OT finally came, and it didn't take long for my dad to get his third and final wish, when Joe Pavelski had what seemed like 30 minutes alone by himself with the puck, and buried it, sending the Tank into a state of absolute euphoria.<br /><br />The horn went for about 15 seconds (verified later on the tv), but it was so loud in there, and I was so caught up in the moment, hugging and high fiving everyone around me, that I didn't hear it. The concourse after the game was filled with hooting and hollering not seen in the Tank since the early days, but certainly is welcome anytime.<br /><br />Ok, the series is still in Dallas' favor. They're still up 3-2, and they're going home for Game 6, a situation that they had last series against the Ducks. After losing Game 5 in Anaheim, the Stars returned home and exploded for 3 goals in the 3rd to capture the 4-1 win and the series victory. But there has to be some doubt creeping into the heads of the Stars. After holding a 3-0 lead, their lead has shrunken to 1 game, and if they lose, they'll be under the gun in Game 7 in a hostile HP Pavilion. They'll more than likely bring their best game, hopefully the Sharks can match.<br /><br />Game 6 is tomorrow night at 6 pm in Dallas. As mentioned above, the Sharks will have to bring their best game, as the Stars surely will be playing their best hockey. I will be watching this game from somewhere other than the comfort of my own couch, something that I won't know is a good thing or not until the conclusion of tomorrow's contest. The San Jose Stealth also have a playoff game, and will be hosting the Portland LumberJax at 3 pm at the arena in the Western Division Semi-Finals. Tickets are available at the Pavilion box office, come on down and experience some exciting playoff lacrosse action.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (win again again)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-42786564540062945312008-05-02T00:43:00.000-07:002008-05-02T00:57:28.788-07:004/30/08 WCSF #4: sharks 2, DALLAS 1Yeah, your stereotypical Sharks elimination game, they show up until they get scored on, then fold up and prepare for the sum... say what? They didn't lose? Well, hey, that's cool.<br /><br />The Sharks staved off elimination last night, something they're gonna have to do a few more times if they want to move on to the next round of the playoffs. Patrick Marleau recieved a great breakout pass from Sergei Zubov again, and buried a shorthanded breakaway on Marty Turco, Milan Michalek shoved in his third goal of the series on the power play, and Evgeni Nabokov had his strongest game of the series, and possibly of the playoffs, making 17 saves in the win, and the Sharks live to play another day.<br /><br />The win came on the second night of a back to back in Dallas, caused by the expectation that there would have been a Dallas Mavericks playoff game tonight, but they were eliminated by New Orleans last night. The win gives the Sharks a shred of hope that this isn't quite over yet, and plants that same thought, albeit in the form of doubt, into the heads of the Dallas Stars. As Jamie Baker said eloquently after Game 4, a seed has been planted, and in Game 5, the Sharks need to do in their power to make that seed grow.<br /><br />Tomorrow hopefully comes some water and sunshine for that seed, when Game 5 faces off at 7 pacific at HP. With Detroit completing their sweep of the Colorado Avalanche tonight, the Sharks can hope that Dallas has been guilty of scoreboard watching and premature scouting, something that can plague a team that is steamrolling the opposition mercilessly. On the other side of things, a possible date with Detroit could have some Sharks licking their lips, thinking a possible revenge could await them in the next round.<br /><br />Unfortunately, one game does not make the series, and the Sharks aren't close to that revenge yet, but a win tomorrow night will get them that much closer. As of now, there is no Game 6 or Game 7 that the Sharks can even think about, because if they don't win Game 5, then neither of those will ever exist. However, there are ways to make another trip to Dallas necessary: More solid goaltending from Nabby, a continued presence from guys like Mike Grier, Tomas Plihal, Torrey Mitchell, and Devin Setoguchi up front, and solid, pressure from the middle outwards defense, and an extended visit from the special teams, and we could very well be talking about Sunday soon enough.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (win again)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-92046834798265541002008-04-30T16:28:00.001-07:002008-05-02T00:58:19.435-07:004/29/08 WCSF#3 DALLAS 2, sharks 1 OTBefore each home playoff game this year, the Sharks have put a heart beat on the jumbotron and ring around the lower bowl, synching it to exciting music and video. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sharks are 60 minutes from flatlining.<br /><br />On a night that started pretty well, with a pp goal that was disallowed due to poor positioning by referee Don Van Massenhoven, the Sharks still struck first, with a shorthanded goal by Patty Marleau with just 34 seconds left in the first. They were skating, hitting, and playing defense, and actually looked like a team. The second went just as good, and after 40 minutes, the Teal had a 1-0 lead, and looked to be just a period away from making this a series again.<br /><br />Then the third period came along, and, just like game 2, the lead disappeared quickly, and the Stars just dominated the entire 20 minute frame. A bounce off of JR found it's way past Nabby, who had his strongest game of the series, and just like that, it's 3-0, good night Sharks.<br /><br />Ok, so the series isn't quite over, but the Sharks, when facing elimination recently (minus Game 7 last series), suck. A quiet 2-0 loss to Detroit last year, a quiet 2-0 loss to Edmonton the year before, and a ever so slightly less quiet loss to Calgary the year before that. Do I expect the Sharks to win tonight? No. Would I like to be surprised and proven wrong? Hell yes.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (win)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-25475880969230393612008-04-29T00:21:00.000-07:002008-04-29T00:33:46.962-07:004/27/08 WCSF #2: dallas 5, SHARKS 2Hmm...sucks.<br /><br />On the bright side, Game 2 was not like Game 1. Unfortunately, that's because the Teal made more mistakes, and Dallas played much better. Despite a 2-1 lead going to the third thanks to goals by Joe Pavelski and Milan Michalek, the Stars decided to play three periods, while the Sharks were apparently content with just two. Evgeni Nabokov looked unfortunately human, stopping just 21 of 25 shots.<br /><br />Well, the first two are over now, and I think plenty of people thought this series would be 2-0, but I'm not sure you'll find anyone that thought both games would go to the road team. What seemed like a fluke victory in Game 1 clearly wasn't with a strong showing in Game 2, and, although the series is not complete, it certainly leaves the Sharks with a WHOLE LOT to accomplish in the next two days in Texas. <br /><br />The Sharks will win the next two if: <br />* The power play stops being so timid and just begins to let loose. They're getting opportunities, but they're waiting far too long to do anything good with them.<br />* Nabokov returns to form, starts making big, unexpected saves again. He's looked slow laterally, it could be a groin injury, or just fatigue. The man has played a lot of hockey this year.<br />* Guys just relax and play their kind of hockey. The Stars play a defensive trap that forces the opponent to get rid of the puck quickly. The Sharks have to find space to make their cutesy passes and stop trying to force things into spaces where there isn't anything to gain.<br /><br />The bright side, if there is one, is that the Sharks took 3 of 4 from the Stars at the Hangar this year. They also get to play Games 3 and 4 back to back, leaving no time for the Stars to recover if the Sharks can win tomorrow.<br /><br />Game 3 is tomorrow at 4:30 pm, and is as must win as they get. Win, and it's 2-1, and you have a shot to tie it up and bring it home. Lose, and you're in a slight hole (by slight I mean pretty much over). So, there's a real simple gameplan for tomorrow, win.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (WIN)<br />-JessJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32791333.post-19834231673469685542008-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:002008-04-27T12:29:14.406-07:004/25/08 WCSF #1: dallas 3, SHARKS 2 (OT)Much hyped series, Sharks come up flat in the waning moments, and lose Game 1. I've seen this before.<br /><br />Despite a strong effort by the Sharks on Friday, the Stars showed up when it counted, and came away with first blood. Brendan Morrow had a pair of goals, Mike Modano had the other, and Marty Turco was stifling. Milan Michalek finally broke his schneid by banging in a puck to take a 1-0 lead early in the 2nd, and Jonathan Cheechoo tied the game late in the 3rd, but a scramble in OT led to a very out of position Evgeni Nabokov, and the game winner.<br /><br />The good thing is this series isn't over after just one game. The Sharks outplayed the Stars, but Marty Turco stood on his head, and stole the game for the visiting Stars. Play that game again, and with the posts and bounces, it could easily go the other way.<br /><br />Luckily for the Teal, they will get another chance to play Dallas. Tonight is Game 2 at 6:00 pm pacific, and will be played before an ocean of teal. The Sharks, finally, will be handing out teal t-shirts to everyone in the crowd, in an effort to unify the building in color. Hopefully it works, and the building is a solid upper and lower level of the wonderful half-blue/half-green color that the Sharks have all to themselves. Oh and hopefully the Sharks win too. That's more important.<br /><br />GO SHARKS (still 12)<br />-Jess<br /><br />On a side note, one of my employers, the San Jose Stealth, won their game yesterday against the Colorado Mammoth, 11-6, securing their first ever Western Division regular season title. With the win, they have home field throughout the playoffs, and could possibly host the Champions Cup game, but that's a few weeks and a couple tough games away. <br /><br />The first playoff game will be next Sunday, May 4th at HP Pavilion at 3 pm against the Portland LumberJax, and will be done before what would be Game 6 of the Sharks and Stars in Dallas. Tickets are available at ticketmaster, come on out and see some cheap fun lacrosse.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06018435388718969726noreply@blogger.com0