Shaved Ice Hockey Blog

Moving? Sorta

2007-12-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

We've accepted an offer to begin blogging on the Sharks at David Johnson's site, hockeyanalysis.com. The two of us are now admins and bloggers at the Sharks subsite, which you can get to by using the teams link on the upper left, or the direct one below. We might still post here a little bit, but the frequency will go down pretty drastically. So come on over, the water's fine! Until Grier peed in it, that is. But here's the new link, nice and big.

sharks.hockeyanalysis.com

The Agony and the Ecstasy 2 - Electric Boogaloo

2007-12-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

The evening could not have started better. Good steaks, beers, the stiffest jack and coke I've ever had, winning a Patrick Marleau-signed souvenir stick- all the makings of a great night. Then the Sharks played.

The atmosphere in the Tank was hyped up in anticipation of a good matchup, and while the game stayed close and well contested, the Sharks were never really in it. The Sharks probably had two, maybe three decent scoring chances. That's besides the "dump it towards Giguere and see what happens" style of chances. No odd-man rushes that I saw, no breakaways, no strong moves in tight. The Sharks just can't create offensively.

The Ducks are the better team. They match up physically with the Sharks, have better scoring threats and better D. They cashed in on two of three breakaways, and that was the game.

With Cheech, JR, and Clowe out, the Sharks are seriously hurting for goals (not that Cheech has really contributed in that department this year). As long as the Sharks are in the 20s in scoring (as of now, they are 23rd out of 30 teams in goals scored) they don't have a prayer in going far in the playoffs. Everything will just get tighter as the season progresses. If Marleau, Cheech, and Michalek catch fire, it all might turn out ok. But unless and until that happens, the Sharks are worse than Dallas, Detroit, and Anaheim in the West. We'd be looking at another 4-5 or 6-3 matchup, which today would mean the Avs or Wild. Then Detroit, then the Ducks. Does anybody honestly think the Sharks could win those three series in a row?

It way too early to really think about that. But Ron Wilson needs to start putting some effort and practice time into putting the biscuit in the basket. If the Sharks still can't do that in a month's time, the other Wilson needs to find some players who can.

P.S. I swear I didn't read this article before I wrote the last post. Synchronicity, eh? It warms the cockles of my hockey heart to see that Carle has such a good attitude about his current predicament, and I'm that much more certain he'll be an impact player in the NHL.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

2007-12-18T15:23:00.000-08:00

This is the mostly highly-anticipated game of the season for me. Grier and I plan on eating some steaks, having some drinks, and breaking down the Sharks (yet again) before the game tonight. I'll be wearing my plain Sharks jersey- Carle will likely be a healthy scratch. The game tonight is the ecstasy part.

But Carle is the agony part. I'll be honest- I'm getting a bit worried. I don't really care about the contract extension- I'm not paying the salary. It might put a bit of a crease in the Sharks' payroll plans if Carle doesn't pan out, but my concerns are different. To me, in his first season, Carle showed an insane amount of promise. He was confident with the puck, a good skater, competent passer, and eager to score goals. Those kinds of skills aren't gained once you are in the NHL. On the other hand, the defensive side of the puck often needs to be taught in the bigs. The list of players that turned from solely offensive threats into solid two-way players is long and distinguished.

So I was excited when I saw Carle's offensive upside. Sure, he wasn't exactly Nik Lidstrom in his own zone, but that comes (or can come) with time. Then the sophomore slump hit, and hit hard. The last month, Carle's ice time has become miniscule, with the few minutes he does play riddled with errors and poor judgement. He seems scared to try and create a scoring chance in fear of showing defensive liability. The other times, he sits in the press box.

In one way, Carle's signing to a multimillion dollar, multi-year extension may help him. If Carle was a 7th round draft pick 6 years ago, he would likely be in the minors or on waivers right now. The fact that the Sharks apparently believe (as I do) that Carle could turn into a top defensemen might just get him some more ice time than he rightfully deserves. For his and the Sharks' sake, I hope he can make the best of it. If he doesn't, he may very well become trade bait to a team that's willing to take a flyer. The clock is ticking.

TKO ROUND SIX!!!!

2007-12-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

It looked like it was going to be one of those nights.

They couldn't get it going on the powerplay. Michalek took the laziest penalty shot in recent memory. The refs F'd the Sharks on two calls, Corey Perry's crashing of the Sharks bench and Travis Moan's third man in.

But....

But....

This team stuck together and Joe Thornton put it past J.S.G in round six of the shootout to give the Sharks their biggest win of the season.

Kyle McLaren was so physical, dishing out hit after hit, it has been so great to see the old Kyle back. We missed you Big Mac. The Davison-Pavelski-Brown line was extremely pesky and aggressive. Torrey Mitchell could have quit on that breakaway when he got hooked, but he made an amazing play and brought the Sharks back to life in the 2nd period. The Sharks outshot the Ducks, won more facoffs and matched their physical play. As Randy Hahn said after the game, this Ducks team plays with so much arrogance against the Sharks - they play as if they don't believe San Jose can't beat them. Well tonight might have taken them down a peg.

I hate to see Matt Carle in the press box, but adding Rob Davison to the line up tonight was a great call by Ron Wilson and the staff. I think we can expect to see this same line up the rest of the week and poor Mikey has to put his Carle jersey back in the closet...for now. As I said this morning, this team was either going to answer the bell or turtle up. This was a gut check and the importance of this win should carry over to Tuesday night with Team Teal brimming with confidence. They got it done without Cheech, without JR, without Clowe and without Semenov.....well, I guess they didn't miss Frankenstein out there. PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ!!!

So the question is out there if you are Doug Wilson. If these Marleau rumors are true, and Dougie has been listening to offers, what do you do? You let these guys stick it out. We've been waiting all year for this team to click and now, DW's patience is paying off. Don't make the big splash Doug. Keep the Captain. Keep the boys together for now and tinker down the road. The ship has been righted. Abort Operation Major Shake-up....if there ever was one.

Looking forward to Tuesday night. It's going to be a live one at the Tank.

Emotions Will Be Riding High Tonight

2007-12-16T10:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterdays loss was disappointing, but I wasn't disappointed in the Sharks overall team effort. To my eyes, the Sharks have shown more life in the last three games than they have all season. This is why I've found it odd that Bay Area sports reporter, Ryan Garner on hockeybuzz.com, picked today to blast the Sharks for their total team effort, lack of fire and intensity.

Here is my take Ryan.

1) The Sharks outhit Dallas 26-14

2) Rivet made a statement by roughing up Dallas agitator Steve Ott, assessing 17 penalty minutes in the process - all of them well worth it.

3) The Sharks crashed the net and scored a goal that didn't require three passes or Joe Thornton.

4) 4-2 is a deceiving final score. The Stars scored one goal on a fluke puck rolling up the back of the net and off Nabby's back. The other was an empty net. So really, in my eyes, this was a 2-2 matchup and a great game by both sides.

The effort was there - the result wasn't. Now the team is walking into an emotional game in Anaheim - a showdown with the Ducks featuring their two new players - former Captain Niedermeyer and Doug Weight. The crowd will be electric. The Ducks will be fired up. How will the Sharks respond?

I think this could be a pivotal game for the Sharks season and potential roster changes. If the Sharks play hard, physical hockey like they have this week and pull out a road win or lose a close, hard fought battle - Doug Wilson will feel inclined to keep this roster intact before the trade freeze next week. If the Sharks turtle up, like they have before this year in the face of adversity, then perhaps Ryan Garner is right - and change could be in order. The rumored deal with Montreal netting the Sharks NHL iron man and poster boy for overcoming adversity, Saku Koivu, for our Patrick Marleau would certainly shake things up. At this point, I would not part with my favorite whipping boy of the early season, Steve Bernier, in any deal. This kid has finally found himself and we're seeing what a potential physical force he could be in the NHL. Don't trade Bernier, Dougie. If he has to be in the package, its not worth it. Use your poker face and tell Gainey to "go fish".

Do you think the Sharks play the party pooper role tonight at the Pond?

And Now...the Latest Episode of GM's Against Brian Burke

2007-12-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

This week on GM'S AGAINST BRIAN BURKE! Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson plots against his Western Conference rival in his underground lair. Let's take a listen...

Doug Wilson: Alright boys, welcome to the third annual meeting of the Legion of GM's Against Brian Burke. Let's recap our past accomplishments, shall we? This summer, we almost convinced Scott Niedermeyer to retire, but someone wasn't able to finish the job....Lou.

Lou Lamoriello: Sorry Doug. I let you down.

Doug Wilson: Yes you did, Sweet Lou. You let us all down here in the Legion. That's the last time I take a salary dump off your hands....Last month, we convinced Brian that waiving Breezy was a good idea. Nice work everyone.

Wayne Gretzky: Thank you so much guys. To show my gratitude, I've got a great tip on the Patriots/Jets game tomorrow from my wife...

Doug Wilson: Hold it. How the #%&@ did you get in here Gretzky? You lost your GM license a long time ago. Now go fix your hair and pretend to coach that team of yours. Okay, GM's...this week we have to find a way to completely screw over Brian Burke as he tries to dump salary to get Niedermeyer back. Any ideas?

Kevin Lowe: I'll offer five years, 55 million for Corey Perry!

Doug Wilson: Put a sock in it Lowe. Next?

John Ferguson, Jr: Please stop booing me. I'm doing the best I can. Does anyone want Andrew Raycroft? Anyone?

Doug Wilson: Stop begging John. Have some dignity. Come on boys! Doesn't anyone have an aging veteran, an unknown prospect and a bag of shit to offer?

John Davidson: How about Doug Weight, Michal Birner and a 7th round pick for All-Star center Andy McDonald?

Doug Wilson: Brilliant!

JFJ: Damn it! Does anyone want Mark Bell?

Doug Wilson: This meeting of the Legion of GM's Against Brian Burke is adjourned....Good work everyone.

Keep Them Doggies Rollin'

2007-12-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah, the Canucks are pretty banged up. Bobby Lou, Morrison, and various other players were out last night. But a team that lost to the Kings without Cammaleri and Frolov beat the hell out of Vancouver last night. And when their grip on Vancouver's neck loosened a bit when the lead was thinned to one goal, the Sharks squeezed harder, got quick goals by Jumbo and Bernier, and coasted to a 5-2 victory. The Sharks are 3-0 against the Northwest leader this season.

The story of the evening was clearly the blinding speed shown by Patty and Michalek en route to their mirror-image goals. Michalek turned the jets on down the right side, and Marleau the left. Both cut to the middle and beat the goalie far-side high.

I can't imagine what ran through Drew McIntyre's head when he saw Big Joe barreling down on him on a breakaway in the third period. He probably could have used a diaper when Joe wound up for the slap shot. Welcome to the NHL, meat.

In other news, Semenov went out of the game in the 2nd with a hand injury. I don't pay that close attention to who is getting ice time when, so I didn't discover that until this morning. But I admit, my first thought was, "There is a God." Not very nice of me. I wouldn't actually wish an injury on him, but I take favors when they come. Hopefully it will give my boy Carle an opportunity to work himself back into the lineup for good.

Shh! Don't Wake the Giant!

2007-12-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

Someone in the Sharks organization leaked Alexei Semenov's team picture before color correction and cosmetic surgery:

In the latest installment of "Did You Know", did you know that last night's +1 effort was Frankenov's first plus game of the season? Brings him up to a glistening -6 in 12 games. On the positive side, he's a big dude. Big. Really Big. The problem is he seems to be made of wood, and he doesn't use his size for the forces of Good. Only for the for the forces of Slow. Yeah, he got into a fight last night, and promptly got his ass kicked by Todd Fedoruk, who's entire face is now made of paper maché. Or as the Canadians would say, "POP-i-yay MA-shay". Or as Semenov would say, "UNNNHHHH".

In fact, I heard the build-up to the fight, because it was near section 124:
Semenov: BRAINS!
Fedoruk: What the fuck d'you say to me?!
<drops gloves>

But we kid because we love. Sort of. I still can't understand why Semenov is out on the first PP unit every night. He has three points, none on the power play. I've been reduced to thinking that Ron Wilson has an overdeveloped sense of irony.

But as Grier said, it was an all-around great effort by the Sharks last night, and I would rank it as the Sharks' best of the season.

Wild for San Jose!

2007-12-11T22:29:00.000-08:00

I've decided the Sharks are like a bad case of herpes....they show up unpredictably from time to time , when in full force they are a huge pain in the ass to those they encounter and they are a part of Chris Pronger's life eight times a year.

The Sharks played their best game in weeks tonight against Minnesota. This was not a phantom win. They finished checks. They crashed the net. Bernier and Pavelski showed up and demonstrated all that "potential" we've been waiting to see. Marcel Goc and Kyle McLaren finally got out of the press box and both of them had excellent games and were seemingly everywhere on the ice. Fittingly, Goc, Bernier and Pavelski were the games three stars and McLaren kicked Aaron Voros' ass in a fight during the third period. Super Joe didn't have to carry the load tonight. Even Semenov was a +1.

The goals weren't pretty. They don't always have to be, something the Sharks have a hard time getting through their Teal skulls. Minnesota, a team known for hard work, hustle and team defense looked outmatched tonight. This would be a first round match up if the playoffs began today, and I'm sure the Wild hope this won't end up being the case. The Sharks finally looked like the biggest team in the NHL and won back the home fans tonight.

So....will the "Teal Herp" return again in full force vs. Vancouver on Thursday or will the Canucks have taken their Valtrex? If the Sharks play like they did tonight - the Canucks, without Luongo in the pipes due to injury, will be next on the homestand hit parade and remission for the rest of the NHL will be tough to come by.

Countdown on Marleau....

2007-12-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

An interesting bit of news from the Ottawa Sun. Patrick Marleau's no trade clause apparently kicks in on January 1st, 2008 - so we can expect these Marleau rumors to continue the next few weeks and then finally disappear.....or come to fruition. While I think the Sharks need some new blood and an infusion of energy, trading Patty and getting equal value is going to be difficult. I don't see Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal offering anything that can help this team RIGHT NOW become better and take steps to defeat the Red Wings or the Ducks in a seven game series. Vermette and a pick? Kaberle for Marleau and McLaren? No thanks.

Will Patty stay or will he go?

A Broken Record

2007-12-09T11:35:00.001-08:00

Round and round we go, when the Sharks will win at home - nobody knows.

I count my lucky stars that I wasn't able to attend last nights embarassment, but I was in Downtown San Jose having a late dinner with some friends at a San Jose landmark restaurant, Original Joe's - the type of place you would expect Tony Soprano to walk into at any moment. We were surrounded by Sabres fans and right behind me was a table of Buffalo players, including Derek Roy, Brian Campbell, Maxim Afinogenov, Ales Kotalik and Tim Connolly. I was impressed by how awesome they were with their fans, signing autographs, shaking hands and posing for pictures while they were trying to eat their dinner. It only further illustrates that hockey players are the most gracious professional athletes in the United States and that they really get how important the fans are to their sport.

I texted Mike and said. "We are sitting behind a bunch of Buffalo players."

MIKE: "Tell them to go #$&@ themselves."

ME: "Wow. I just heard them say it was 7-1."

MIKE "No comment".

I can only imagine how terrible the game was. I tried saying last week that the Sharks are still not themselves, even though they went 3-0 on the recent road swing. They beat Colorado without Sakic and Svatos, they beat Dallas who really isn't that good, let's face it and they barely beat Phoenix in a game that was dull beyond belief. To an outside NHL fan, it appears the Sharks are still alive and well with a winning record and in playoff position, but for a team that we say over and over should be taking that next step, to lose at home to a Buffalo team that is not the powerhouse they were the last two years 7-1? Unreal.

Where is McLaren, by the way? Great to Semenov get another -2. What is going on here? Are we turning into a defensive team that will run out seven defensemen and try to hold on for 2-1 wins night after night? How will this Jekyll and Hyde team respond against a very good Minnesota club on Tuesday? What does Doug Wilson need to do to get this team on the right track?

Eklund posed the question of Marleau and McLaren for Kaberle this morning and it made me dry heave.

I am so confused by this team that, for the moment, I have to agree with Mike.

No comment.

Sabres Stab Sharks in the Nuts

2007-12-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Pretty embarrasing game, losing 7-1 like that. Especially after leading 1-0 after the first. The speed and crispness of Buffalo's breakout was apparent throughout the entire game, but it wasn't without risk. The Sharks had at least two breakaways, and a two-on-one. If the Sharks scored on at least half of those, it might have been a different game.

Really, the most interesting thing that happened during the game is the complete and utter failure of Dmitri Patzold. I've no doubt this guy could mature into a NHL caliber goalie, but he just ain't there yet. He gave up 3 goals on 9 shots, and looked very tentative, especially his lateral movement. The first goal he gave up, he just didn't get a good push across, or hesitated to do so. The far side of the net was wide open.

It's clear now why Nabby has started every game, and will probably continue to do so. Lack of confidence in your goalie will greatly affect the way you play, and if Patzold starts a few games, I would predict the offensive output to be even more anemic than it already is. It's time to grab a veteran backup that may not be a solid #1 all the time, but you can at least know that he can face down NHL competition. Patzold can't do that right now. Or maybe the Sharks should try Griess out. He's 6-6 in Worchester with a 3.33 GAA and .895 SV%.

All NHL teams go through bad games and slumps. The measure of a good or great team is their ability to bounce back. Will we see the Sharks in the Detroit series, who were a shadow of their former selves once they lost the OT game? Or will we see the Sharks after the "Destruction in the Desert" game last year, when they righted themselves quickly after an 8-0 blowout in Phoenix? We'll definitely know after this week's games against the Wild, Canucks, and Stars.

Phoenix, More like Colorado than Dallas

2007-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Hoo boy, the game last night was boring. If it weren't for Grier and some others buddies over, complete with beer and pizza, I don't know if I would have stayed awake for the whole thing. There were only a handle of quality scoring chances for either team in the game it seemed, and a broken play (Thornton was really looking for Roenick) resulted in the game's only goal.

Like the Avs game, the Sharks seemed to recede into a bit of a shell late in the game, with extra drama inserted by Rissmiller's completely retarded penalty. I know it was a total accident, just bad luck really, but taking an offensive zone penalty with two minutes left in a one goal game has to be infuriating for the coaching staff. The 6-on-4 last minute was pretty tense, but no great scoring chances came about.

That's enough of that- even reading about that game is giving me the yawns.

In other news:

We were flipping around various games on Center Ice, and we watched some of the last of the Dallas-Ottawa matchup. First of all, I LOVE CENTER ICE. Second of all, if Ottawa is doing their thing, and there were only flashes of it that I saw, nobody in the NHL could hang with them. I know they've lost a bunch in a row, but they get their ass in gear, they'll give anybody in the playoffs all they can handle. Even Detroit. I can't say the same about the Sharks right now.
Recchi was claimed by Atlanta. They still have the same problem they had yesterday- if Kovalchuk goes cold or gets hurt, Atlanta is in a world of hurt. And even if he stays healthy, they could start sucking again at any time. Hmm, kind of like Nabby and the Sharks.
Things have quieted down in Toronto for the time being, nothing like winning a few. I'm still stunned that for all the trade rumors that have been floating around, none involved Tucker. Could it be that he's the name that GM's have been keeping under their hats, trying to throw JFJ and the press off the scent?
Listen to the Teal Spiel tonight if you can- Randy Hahn will be on taking questions. I might try to call in, but I'm probably meeting friends for dinner before tonight's game.

Nieds and the CBA - Updated

2007-12-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

So I see this quote from Bob McKenzie at TSN:

The Ducks' committed payroll for next season is the issue. With Niedermayer potentially returning, and with another year left on his contract after this season, the Ducks could not add him to the roster now without freeing up cap room for next season. In the new CBA, it's called 'tagging' room and the Ducks don't have enough of it next season to allow Niedermayer back on the roster this season – unless they move a player who is under contract for next season.

And since I'm a geek, I have to figure out what this means. I have a copy of the CBA on my desktop (doesn't everyone?) and I look up this "tagging" rule (50.5(e)(iv)(C)):

In order for a Club to sign such a Player to a multi-year SPC after December 1 of a season, the Club must have Payroll Room equal to or in excess of the Averaged Amount of the Player Salary and Bonuses for the remainder of such season. If, however, the Averaged Amount of the SPC exceeds the Club's Payroll Room for the then-current League Year, the Club may still sign such SPC, provided that it has Payroll Room and, if such Payroll Room is insufficient to acquire the SPC, it has an amount equal to one or more SPCs that will expire at the end of such League Year, in an amount equal to or in excess of the amount by which the Averaged Amount exceeds the Club's Payroll Room (the "Tagged Payroll Room"). Until such time as the Club has or makes Payroll Room in the current year in excess of such Tagged Payroll Room, the Club may not engage in any Player transactions requiring Payroll Room, including but not limited to, acquiring an SPC or "extending" or entering into a new SPC (the "Tagging Rule"). In the event the Club does have or creates such excess Payroll Room, it may use such excess Payroll Room in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

It's like a friggin' obfuscated code contest. But I think I figured it out. The salary cap (around $51M) is actually pro-rated daily for the regular season, 187 days. So now that SN comes back, the Ducks don't pay him his entire $6.75M salary, it's pro-rated for the days he missed. That enables the Ducks to be under the cap this season, even though his average salary puts them over it. But the 'tagging rule' above says that if it's a multi-year deal, which SN's is, the team must also have salary at the end of this year equal to the amount they went over (based on his average salary, not the pro-rated one). If they don't, they need to clear out other players with multi-year deals before Scotty can suit up. I've tried running the numbers, but I don't see the Ducks over the cap this year, even taking SNs average salary cap hit, so I'm confused on that point.

For those wondering, the rule for single-year SPCs (standard player contracts) is that a club can sign them for whatever amount they want, as long as the total amount paid comes in under the cap. So if the Sharks have $1M left under the cap, they could theoretically sign Selanne to a $187M single year contract on the last day of the season, paying him $1M for a single day's work, and come in under the cap. This means the Roger Clemens idea is is full effect- there is no CBA prohibition on joining a team at any point of the season.

Update: It turns out the Ducks also need to pre-calculate the cap for all the years of SN's contract, and given the raises to Getzlaf and Kunitz next year, factoring in SN's numbers, they Ducks will by over. It's seems very odd the Ducks need to correct that overage now, but it is what it is. Thanks for the comments.

Niedermeyer's "retirement" part of a larger problem...

2007-12-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

First, Joe was amazing tonight. He has put the team on his back lately, with seven points in the last three games. But Mikey, I wouldn't say we "housed" the Stars tonight. One thing about Dallas, they come to play and they play hard. There was a stretch in the 3rd period when I thought we were in trouble, but the Sharks played through it and held on for another close win. Good to see Marleau involved as well. Did anyone else notice f'ing Frankenstein was on the ice for that Modano goal? I hate that douchebag.

I want to say something about this whole Niedermeyer situation. I think it stinks. Not just because it's the Ducks. Not just because it's Niedermeyer and his stand out play will have a huge impact on the Pacific Division and probably give the Ducks a huge boost. Not just because he is convienently coming back when the Sharks and Ducks play head to head three times, like Mike said. My problem is that players going into "retirement" and then magically changing their minds after the rigors of training camp and the boring part of the season has past could soon become a more regular occurance in the NHL. Hell, it is Roger Clemens favorite summer trick. Wait until the highest bidder comes around, missing Spring Training, join the team in middle of the season for the fun part and make a ton of cash. Bogus teammate and bad for sports in general. What kind of message does this send? Hey kids - don't bond with your teammates, serve as a role model for younger players and work your ass off through the rough patches at the beginning of the season like everyone else. If you're an aging superstar, you can skate with your buddies and join the big boys in the clutch, and look like a hero in the process. This year in the NHL, we have three of these situations. Niedermeyer's fate has been determined. Will Selanne be the next to decide retirement isn't for him? What about Forsberg, who is waiting until the best team with the right offer comes along in 2008 so he can jump right in for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Do you see the problem? What is going to keep Joe Thornton and Sidney Crosby from saying...hey - I don't want to play until December either! My back hurts too! This type of behavior could become more common place in the years to come. I hope not, but this isn't a good trend so far.

So, welcome back Niedermeyer. Your team hasn't been the same without you. Now you can hug your brother and cry over family photos of you two holding each others Cup. Drew Remenda speculated tonight that the Ducks will likely have to make a trade to accomodate the Ducks impending salary cap problems for next season, when they must resign RFA Corey Perry. I think Schneider is gone. And if I were him, I would flip Niedermeyer the bird on his way out the door.

F You Ducks, and Thank You Stars

2007-12-05T20:24:00.001-08:00

Although all the mystery was gone, the Ducks tried to do it up nice, and announced Scott Niedermayer is coming back. I was shocked. Shocked! The real question is, how long has this been planned? I wouldn't doubt this was the whole idea back before the season started. The Ducks save a bit on salary, Scott gets to miss some of the drudgery of the regular season, and they get to stage a nice dog and pony show once the Ducks struggle a bit. Amazingly, Nieds will be back just in time for the week when they play the Sharks three times. How about that.

In the meantime, the Sharks again housed the Stars in big D and won 3-2. Funny how we're 3-1 against the Stars, the division leader, but 1-2 against the Kings, the division goat. I refrained from writing a game recap post after the Colorado game, mostly because I was lazy, but also because I was pretty frustrated with the Sharks play in the second half of the game. I thought I was seeing things, because I saw quotes from Ron Wilson in the paper the next day about how the Sharks played better, and did a good job late. I couldn't disagree more.

The Sharks went into a shell once they gained the lead in the Avalanche game, and didn't come out for 30 minutes. They'd chip it out to center, barely forecheck, and wait for the Avs to gain the zone, where they would push them to the outside, and chip to center again after 45 seconds or so of nail-biting. They didn't even try generate scoring chances. Maybe that's the kind of hockey you're supposed to play on the road, but I thought the Sharks were playing with fire. They were leaving counterattack chances on the table, and giving Hejduk, Stasny, and company way to much time to create.

The opposite happened tonight with the Stars. The Sharks had a 2-1 lead going into the third period, and before the ink was dry from the columnists making notes on Modano's game-tying goal, the Sharks were skating hard again. I didn't even have time to bitch and complain about the Sharks playing for the tie. They drew penalties, kept the Stars deep, and Joe scored on a pretty Michalek feed to put the Sharks up 3-2. I braced myself again for the prevent defense, and I didn't see it. Instead of letting Zubov jump into the play, the Sharks pressed the pace, keeping the Stars' D honest. More scoring chances followed, and the Sharks won 3-2 going away.

Joe has now scored or assisted on 137% of the Sharks goals this season, his GAA is 1.02, his save percentage .989, and his plus-minus requires exponents. He's the early leader for the Hart, Vezina, Ross, Masterson, Calder, and Heisman trophies. I mean seriously, is there anything this crazy bastard can't do?

One Dougie Might Want Back....

2007-12-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

As more trade rumors abound about the Sharks and Toronto hooking up for another big deal, I wanted to reflect on the one major deal between the two clubs and a subsequent trade that Doug Wilson probably wants to take back.

Remember March 3rd, 2003 when the Sharks traded away franchise poster child Owen Nolan to Toronto for a package that included Leafs captain Alyn McCauley, prospect Brad Boyes and their 1st round pick. The Sharks were in the middle of a dismal 73 point season and a last place finish in the Pacific. Trading their captain for a role player, prospect and draft pick made sense for a team rebuilding - this is not the type of package that Doug Wilson would accept for current Captain and rumor-hound, Patrick Marleau. But then....the interesting move....after posting impressive numbers with the Sharks top farm club (60 points in 61 games) the Sharks traded Boyes and the 1st round pick, the two centerpieces of the Nolan deal, to Boston in a three way deal that netted Team Teal nice guy and current healthy scrach, Curtis Brown. Boyes had 69 points the next year in Boston and has since landed in St. Louis, been converted to wing and currently has 15 goals in 24 games. That draft pick also ended up being young, promising defender Mark Stuart.

Brad Boyes and Mark Stuart for Curtis Brown. Think Doug Wilson wants a do over?

Teal Spiel Roundtable with Dan Rusanowsky

2007-12-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

So here's the segment, me in the "roundtable discussion" on the Teal Spiel, the only existing Sharks radio show. Before I was just your regular schmuck caller, and now I was the schmuck roundtable guy. It was cool to be on with Mr. Rusanowsky- he's forgotten more about hockey than I'll ever know. To be honest, after listening to it, I thought I was pretty bland and uninteresting. Great plug, huh? Is it that obvious I don't have a marketing degree?

Seriously though, it was pretty fun. Might have been a one-time thing, but I'd do it again anytime they'd ask me.

A Day Off, Let's Monger Some Rumors

2007-12-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

As Grier has said before, Eklund is a nice source of entertainment (no link purposely). He's right some of the time, but a lot of times he seems to be talking out of his ass. But hey, it's Sunday! What else are we going to talk about?

So I'm going through my usual hockey blog list, click on the latest Eklund, and see a story on the new ownership group falling through in Tampa Bay... then this:

So does that mean that Vinny LeCavalier, perhaps the best player in the world, could be gone?

...

I talked to another source who told me something that I also believe. "Of course every team out there would cherish Vinny, but a there are a few that would massively overpay for him. Two are of course Montreal and Toronto, but don't count out Philly, Pittsburgh, San Jose, or LA."

Of course there's a firestorm of comments with various trade proposals. One from an Sharks fan that offered Marleau, Carle, Bernier (or Cheech) and a 1st round for Vinny.

For one, It would actually be pretty difficult to "massively overpay" for Vinny if you just offer young players and/or prospects. Outside of Crosby, Kane, Toews, Phaneuf, and AO, it's more or less a crapshoot. Anybody outside of that group that isn't an established NHL player yet is a roll of the dice. Some with pretty damn good odds (Sam Gagner) and some not as good (Gilbert Brule).

The trade the Sharks fan offered above doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the 'Ning's standpoint- they would be taking on some big contracts, and the whole point of the trade would be to reduce salary.

So to the Lightning I say: You want young talent? How about this deal: Bernier, Pavelski, Ehrhoff, Greiss or Patzold (your choice) and a 2nd rounder.

I'm trying to hide the fact that such a big trade doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the Sharks' perspective either- ownership doesn't appear to want to gain salary, and we would be adding yet another high-priced center. Unless Patty becomes a winger (and I'm not convinced that's a good idea) the Sharks would be idiotically deep at the pivot position, and still troubled at the wing.

That being said, Vinny is the clear-cut leader in the Hart trophy race right now. Who among us wouldn't want to see him in teal?

A Little Something Extra

2007-12-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

There was a little extra spring in the Sharks' step last night en route to their win against Colorado. Joe again was "The Man"™ in scoring two goals and assisting on the third. I actually thought at first that the third goal went in off the defenseman's skate and not Grier's, which would have given Joe the hat trick.

It would be easy to launch into a lament here about the lack of secondary scoring and so on, but there were several encouraging things about the Sharks play last night:

They actually carried the puck into the offensive zone most of the time on the power play. And pretty much every time they did that, they maintained control and set up. Imagine!
Like the game against the Kings, they weren't afraid to stand in front of the net. Colorado's biggest defenseman is now Scott Hannan, who isn't quite big enough to bang with some of the bodies we got.
Save the 30 seconds at the end of the second period where Colorado scored that power play goal, I'd say the Sharks played a complete game. Rarely were they pinned in their end, and they were able to keep the puck low and give the Avs fits by maintaining possession behind the net and in the corners.

Always great to see stuff like that, but the inevitable question is, can they keep it up? That's a question that won't be answered until Monday against the Avs or Wednesday against the Stars.

I did attend the "Ice Insights" thing last night at the Tank, open to season ticket holders. The four broadcasters for the Sharks fielded questions from the angry mob. And they did seem angry. Stuff like "why the F is Wilson juggling the lines so much", "who should be benched", and "who should be traded". The most interesting answer of the night was when Drew said the three players he would bench were Patty (no surprise), Cheech (<yawn>), and Mike Grier (hey now!). He didn't have time to elaborate on that, but it was surprising. I'm hoping our Grier might do a Real Grier Breakdown.

We Rule

2007-11-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

This will be our 37th post in November, by far our most prolific month in the history of this blog. Thanks to Grier for helping to make it our best month ever, both in terms of posts and in terms of readership. Though I could have done without that last one.

What Mikey Wants for Christmas...

2007-11-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Someone tell Santa to put this gift under the tree of my fellow blogger. I think Mike would want his in Matt Carle.

Seriously hilarious.

Purdy reads Shaved Ice??

2007-11-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

Good article in the Merc today by Purdy that follows up on what we talked about yesterday. Does he have Shaved Ice on his favorite bookmarks?

My diagnosis: They have a climate-control crisis. The team temperature never seems to rise or fall. Behind or ahead, the Sharks operate at the same constant level of intensity. Some nights, that's enough. Other nights, when the temperature needs to be turned up, it's definitely not. And of course, when you're talking about a hockey team's attitude, you tend to look at the captain. That would be Patrick Marleau. He is the ultimate Mr. Climate Control. A coincidence? Marleau's biggest asset might also be his biggest weakness. His demeanor seems to stay the same, no matter what goes on around him. He's never too excited. He's never too depressed.

Check out the rest below. He makes the similar argument I did yesterday that, with Marleau at the helm, this team may never rev up the intensity enough to take the next step. Marleau knows he plays on the even keel, but his self comparison to Vinny D is pretty off the mark. Vinny has several season of 70+ PIM's, so I'd say he played with a little more tenacity.

Royally beat down by the Kings...

2007-11-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Let's face it Sharks fans. This team isn't lacking skill - they are lacking intensity and heart. To allow yourself to get beat two nights in a row AT HOME by a team that is currently assembled of players no one wanted mixed with a few young guys is inexcusable. The fans in our section (props to 124!!) were disgusted by the result and you can feel the Tank is not the home ice advantage it used to be. The Sharks don't own "Sharks Territory" anymore and the Kings certainly aren't afraid of coming to town, it might be their favorite place after all. I think I saw Kopitar and O'Sullivan skipping through Christmas in the Park actually. Cute couple.

You can't teach heart. Some of these guys on the Sharks just don't have it. We know who Marleau is - a very good skill player without much fire and prone to slumps. When that is who your Captain is - the teams attitude reflect it. When your Captain is Chris Pronger or Brendan Morrow....I think you know the answer.

GM Meeetings are upon us. Doug Wilson, your move boss.

Lean On the Guy With One Leg

2007-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

You know what really sucks about last night? The Sharks couldn't even beat the last-place team in the division missing two of their top three scorers. Kopitar was the only King in the lineup who the Sharks really needed to watch out for, and they didn't. Kopitar's goal was a bit of a flukey play in that the puck was just laying under Nabby, unbeknownst to him, but the Sharks launched into their 'woe is me' bit again after that. They used the kooky Kopitar goal as an excuse to play like crap for the next twenty minutes or so. Flat-out missed coverage led to the second goal, and the Sharks had to scramble to tie it. Then they sat on their haunches, like they are automatic in OT and the shootout. Note to Sharks: not so much. Nabby looked foolish on all three shootout goals, and it was game over.

On Friday we play a team that will make the playoffs this year, and if the Sharks take a period off like they did last night, we'll suffer another 6-2 beatdown like we did on October 7th.

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

2007-11-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

So Nick asked in the comments of the previous post:

in my limited-knowledge opinion I think the one name that hasn't been talked about, but should be, is Cheechoo. I know everyone think back to 2 years ago and how he broke out under big joe but in the end I think history will show that he had one miracle year and fizzled out. While he doesn't pull a huge contract I think he would be the best form of trade bait despite his poor numbers this year. Your thoughts?

I decided to make a whole post on it, because I tend to get long-winded at times like these.

Let's talk about the prospect of the Sharks trading a major player first (Marleau, Cheech, Joe, etc.). It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, given Doug Wilson's history of deliberate moves. I think it's a unnecessary panic move. Given how stacked the Sharks are with young talent, I don't think any trade like this would happen this year. Unless the Sharks gain a big time piece that would stick around for several years. This isn't an aging team that needs to win now.

About Cheech- first of all, being tied for 14th in the league (last year with 37 goals) isn't 'fizzling out' in my opinion. Here are some players who scored fewer goals than Cheech last year ( a 'disappointing' year according to some): Hejduk, Zetterberg, Briere, Jagr, Smyth. Let's not call him a flash in the pan quite yet. Only 1 guy since 2000 has had back-to-back 50 goal seasons, and only 3 guys have had back-to-back 40 goal seasons.

None of that means he's not having a brutal year so far. Of course he is. As I said in my first Teal Spiel call, I'm not convinced the Sharks' coaching staff are giving Cheech the best opportunity to succeed. At that time, I thought they were punishing him for playing badly, putting him on the fourth line where he has basically no chance to score. He needs a guy feeding him. Since then, he's showed a bit more spark, hasn't spent as much time on the 4th line, and still hasn't opened it up. He's working very hard, but the biscuit ain't going in the basket.

We're still only a quarter of the season in. I don't think you trade a guy who's in a 20-game scoring slump after he had two great years. Reason #1 - you won't get the best value for him. Reason #2 - it's bad business. As you said, he's not breaking the bank, and the Sharks aren't up against the cap. The problem with the Sharks right now seems to be lack of scoring- why would we want to dump our top scorer the last two years? Even if we package him with other players or picks for a truly elite scorer, is that really going to make enough of a difference? Best case is we'd gain 50 goals (if we're damn lucky) plus a huge contract and lose 30 goals and a cheap contract.

So here's my prescription. You don't trade Cheech this year, regardless of what happens. He goes half a season with 10 goals, you put him on the fourth line again, you put him in the press box, and you hope the disincentive pushes his buttons. He's a ferociously competitive guy. I've seen it personally at Sharks practices. He's the first guy that knows he's sucking, and the last guy that wants to drag his team down. If that mentality changes AND his output stays horrible, you consider trading him after the season is over.

I Just Can't Shut My Trap

2007-11-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

What can I say, I get excited about Sharks hockey. And there's only one radio show. Here's my latest... I talk about the Carle contract, Sharks trade ideas, and the Kings matchup last Saturday (before it happened, of course). Don't forget to hear the part where I claim the Kings have "horrible goalie problems", and of course, LaBarbera played great, making 26 saves on 27 shots.

After that loser of a comment, I don't know why they'd want me back, but I'll be taking part in the "roundtable discussion" segment of the show this week, with Dan Rusanowsky (voice of the Sharks on radio). Don't kid yourself- I won't be going in cold, but I can always use help. If you have an interesting topic of discussion, or questions for Mr. Rusanowsky, please leave them in the comments. I'll bring them up if the discussion steers that way.

The Fourth Line

2007-11-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

The grinders. The grit. The muscle. These are the guys who you usually find on the ice on an NHL 4th line. The offensive line of a hockey club, doing the thankless work that rarely shows up on the stat sheet. Winning a key face off, delivering a meaningful hit, intimidating an opponents star player. The Sharks lack a truly effective 4th line. We have seen different versions of it the past few weeks, but the combination usually revolves around Goc, Bernier, Brown, Rizz and now the new and improved LW Rob Davison. While Bernier has shown flashes of life and physical play as a 4th liner, the others have rotated in and out of the line up and haven't performed the duties described above with any consistency or fire. The 4th line is just the collection of players that suck enough to not be on the top two lines, but good enough to avoid being scratched.

I'm not a big Rizz guy - Mike and I both agree that he does everything average and we've seen everything there is to see from him. Good guy, tries really hard, but we know what we know about the Rizz. He needs to be replaced. I certainly don't think he is in the Sharks long term plans. Send him to the press box. I suggest rolling Bernier-Brownie-Davison for now, but this is an area DW needs to address before season's end.

A few other comments/notes

- Toronto continues to implode. Maybe Mike and my wish for Darcy Tucker could become a reality??? He has never played out West and maybe he has no desire to. We will see...

- Eklund has gone off the deep end, I've decided. Today he commented that the Sharks and Ducks are asking Montreal about Huet. Huet now? What do the Sharks want with another #1 goaltender? The Ducks just got rid of one - so now they want Huet? Nonsense. I enjoy reading his blog for fun but his rumors are going sour...

- Hey Ron Wilson? Please no more rolling out seven defensemen please. I would rather see the Sharks call up Kaspar or Armstrong than endure another game of seven D.

See you at the Tank on Wednesday!

"Hype it up"?

2007-11-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that there's a new little link at the end of each post that says "hype it up". It's a tracking mechanism, kind of like Digg (if you know what that is). I registered at a site called BallHype, which tracks sports blogs. If a particular blog entry gets enough 'hype' (i.e. readers click on the 'hype it up' link enough times) it'll show up over there, which might just send a few more readers over here. A tiny way for us to get a bit more visibility. And a decent spot to find cool hockey blogs, if you're into that sort of thing. Which you are, because you're reading this drivel.

So hype up the posts you like. It's not gathering personal information on you or anything, unless you sign up over there. I totally understand if you can't be bothered to click on a link every once in a while- I have a remote control for a fan in my bedroom that is literally three feet away from where I sleep. And here I was using my arms like a sucker.

No Offense, Ho Hum

2007-11-25T12:51:00.001-08:00

Again with the losing. The Sharks gave up two ~~power play~~ goals in the first period and went on to lose 2-1. They didn't really show any urgency until quite late in the third period, when they managed to score. The Kings were wandering around at the end of the game, with the Sharks buzzing, but L.A. managed to run out the clock, barely. I actually turned to Grier with about ten minutes left in the game and said, "They're playing like the game is tied." It was 2-0 at the time. The lack of desperation was palpable.

One thing that is interesting is the Sharks again outshot their opponents, this time 27-17. The Sharks have lost eight times in regulation this season, and only three of those times were they outshot. The two losses to Detroit, and the one against Columbus (outshot 18-17). In total, the Sharks have outshot their regulation betters 219-188 (on average 27 to 23).

What this means, I'm not exactly sure. Could they be watching stats during the game, thinking that outshooting the opposition somehow excuses their lack of tallies? That seems pretty unlikely. Eight games is not exactly a sample size, but only being outshot 3 of 8 times seems extraordinarily odd. The Ducks have lost nine games in regulation, and only two of those times they weren't outshot. The Kings have lost twelve in regulation, and were outshot in ten of those games. It's a very odd circumstance, but I honestly have no idea what it means. It could just mean the obvious, the Sharks are able to hit the broad side of a barn with the puck, but they can't actually get it past the goalies.

I have a feeling this might have something to do with their dismal play at home. Their five losses at home they've outshot the opposition 165-106 (33 to 21), much more lopsided than the overall numbers above. Are the Sharks just soaking up the adulation at home, knowing the fans will cheer the slightest scoring chance or the most routine save?

I'm pretty well stumped, any ideas?

Great Job Doug Wilson!!!

2007-11-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Resigning Matt Carle is a great way to start the Thanksgiving break. Even though he has been in and out of the doghouse this year, Carle and Vlasic are the future of the Sharks blueline, along with Rivet and Ty Wishart. I think Wilson showed Carle a ton of confidence by making this deal and we could see the results immediately on the stat sheet. I know he got four years - and I'm going to guess he got around 14 million - a similar deal that New Jersey Devils defensemen Paul Martin got in the offseason.

Now Doug has to decide who is next on the list - do you extend Pavelski? Bernier? Do you extend Clowe now or wait and see how he comes back from injury? What does this mean for Ehrhoff and Goc? Well you know my opinion - I think all of these players, except Clowe, are available in trade market for an impact veteran. I think you keep Bernier, especially the way he has recently found out that checking people and standing in front of the net is a good thing for someone his size, and see what kind of impact player Ehrhoff and Pavelski can fetch. I think it could net someone pretty good.

Okay. That's really it from me until after Saturday's game, barring some major news to discuss. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Fan(s) Have Spoken

2007-11-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

Before now, I used sitemeter to gather statistics for this site (you can still see the little counter all the way at the bottom of the page). But yesterday, I signed up for for Google Analytics, because they will report not just how many views and visitors you have, but pretty charts and maps and referring sites and all the crap a math-loving dork like me loves.

It takes about a day for the first stats to start rolling in, and I just checked it for the first time a minute ago. As expected, we get referrals from chompboard and BoC, but there was another table that reports which keywords the visitors searched for that ended up here. Here it is. I swear to God I did not Photoshop it.

To our wonderful reader that is looking shave his or her <shudder> ass, stay tuned. I'll try to convince Grier to write it up.

Koivu and Ohlund

2007-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

You've probably heard about this story already- it's been around the hockey media pretty quickly. Just watch the video:

So Ohlund gets a 4-game suspension. FOUR GAMES. I'm not exactly sure how far Colin Campbell's head is up his ass, but I bet his breath smells like shit.

I guess I thought the NHL was interested in cracking down on some of the extraneous dirty stuff in the league. We see Steve Downie get a 20-game suspension, and Jesse Boulerice get 25. Then this, which makes absolutely no sense.

Let's give Ohlund the benefit of the doubt. Koivu got his elbow up, and probably deserved a penalty, perhaps a major or even a misconduct. But it's inarguable that happened during the course of play, dirty though it may be. But Ohlund's chop had nothing to do with the game; it was revenge. Personally, I don't care if Koivu was anally raping Ohlund's mother while pouring sugar in his gas tank- Ohlund deserves a 25 or 30 game suspension, at least. He deliberately broke Koivu's leg from behind with his stick.

To me, this incident is much worse than the Downie hit, and maybe worse than the Boulerice hit. You could at least make a (poor) case that Boulerice didn't mean to get his stick up so high. But Ohlund did exactly what he intended. Mission accomplished.

NHL Meetings on the Horizon

2007-11-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

The Mercury News had a great article today where Doug Wilson made an interesting statement that I think should not go unnoticed.

The question Wilson asks himself is this: "Are we getting better as a hockey team at the things that will allow us to be successful at the end of the year?" And his answer? "I've seen a couple things recently, but we're certainly not satisfied with where we're at," Wilson said.

Here's the link.

Hmmm.....We have to remember that even with the recent upswing, Thanksgiving is Doug Wilson's favorite time of year. Two years ago he brought us a giant Holiday surprise in Joe Thornton. While I certainly don't expect a franchise altering move like that, I think we should take Doug Wilson seriously. He sees what I see. Yes, the Sharks have been playing harder and the result has shown up in the win column, but is this team better than last year, or the year before, when they have come to a dead stop in the 2nd round? The answer is, unfortunately, no. They aren't better. They are the same, if anything. This current collection of talent won't beat Detroit in a seven game series. Wilson needs to tweak the roster, not overhaul - and his comments lead me to believe that this could be coming sooner rather than later. An agitator? The number one D-man Wilson has wanted under his tree for years? A power forward to replace Ryane Clowe? A back up goalie? Take your pick - we have the right combo of NHL ready young talent and cap room to get almost any deal done Doug Wilson desires.

So dig in for a potential exciting end of November - we could be seeing a new face or two in Teal Town - but only if Dougie doesn't overload on too much stuffing and yams.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Thomas Greiss, Come on Down....

2007-11-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

...You're the Next Contestant on the Back Up is Right!

I'm not sure I understand Doug Wilson's reasoning for playing musical back-ups. Whether its Patzold or Greiss, if Nabby goes down with an injury - the Sharks are most likely busted. Nabby hasn't played more than 50 games in a season since 2003-04 and he missed fifteen games last year due to injuries. I think we have to expect that Nabby isn't going to be able to handle a Brodeur type load. With Alex Auld being waived by Phoenix today, why not put in a waiver claim on him? Auld won 33 games for Vancouver in 05-06, putting up solid numbers on a decent team. Can we really judge him for his performance on two poor teams in Florida and Phoenix? Weren't people saying the same about Ozo and Roenick, two of the best players in Teal this season?

I say claim Alex Auld and let him spell Nabby. What's the risk? We have tons of cap room (9.6 million) so assuming Auld's 0.5 million is no big deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not down on Greiss - he could be the future netminder for this organization at age 21 and he showed flashes of excellent play in the preseason - but to put the weight of the season on Patzold/Greiss if Nabby goes down is unfair to the rest of the team. At that point, Doug Wilson will have to overpay for Halak or someone else....

THE DUCKS
On a side note, did the Ducks really dump Breezy so they could deal for Brian Sutherby? Not sure I totally get it - now the Ducks have Marchant, McDonald, Pahlsson, Sutherby and Getzlaf up the middle. Is this only the first of other moves in Disneyland?

Me, the GM

2007-11-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

I called into Teal Spiel again this past weekend, and spoke a little bit about what I think the Sharks still need. I've written about it in this space before, but now you can hear me in my eloquent glory here. Here's the embedded player again:

Comments welcome.

Douglas Murray and His Monstrous Plus-Minus

2007-11-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

So you go over to the ESPN stats site right now, and you'll see that Douglas Murray (can't I call you Doug?) is tied for the league lead in plus-minus, at +15, tied with Chris Phillips. Holy God! That's a pretty amazing stat, given that the Sharks are +10 overall (including PP) while the Sens are +20.

I've never put a huge amount of stock in plus-minus as a purely defensive measure, because lots of things can skew it. I did an analysis once that showed that teams with a poor power play generally have players with a higher +/- than teams with a good power play. It makes sense. If you don't score on the PP, that means a higher percentage of your goals must come on even strength (ES), which boosts your +/-. Only ES and short handed goals count as a plus. And only ES and SH goals against count for a minus.

In my view, when you're rating a defensive defenseman, you really want only half of what the +/- stat give you. You want ES goals against only, because a defenseman's job is to prevent goals, not score them. If Larry gives up 20 ES goals, but they score 21 when he's on the ice, he's +1. And if Pete gives up no goals, and scores 1, he's +1, just like Larry. But Pete is a much better defensemen than Larry.

So let me start with a little factoid: Douglas Murray has not been on the ice for a even strength goal against since October 18th vs. Detroit. That means, he's been perfect for 10 games, over a month. Unbelievable.

The NHL doesn't publish this information exactly (you'd have to pore through the game logs) but luckily there are some good stats sites out there, and I turned to hockeynumbers.com. They have a stat called EH-, which is defined as "Goals against average while on ice @ even strength". They don't publish the formula, but I'm assuming it's goals per 60 minutes of time. Murray is the best on the Sharks, with an EH- of 0.3. If that means what I think it means, that's pretty astounding. Just for the record, and unsurprisingly, Alexei Semenov is the worst with an EH- of 4.1 (Kaspar is technically worse, but he only played 3 games).

So I went overboard, as I usually do, and made a spreadsheet. Here's the list of the top 10 defensemen in the NHL this year (who have played over 10 games) in EH- (and I have no idea why there's a big gap here):

Player	Games Played	EH-
Douglas Murray (SJ)	15	0.3
Petteri Nummelin (MIN)	15	0.3
Alexander Edler (VAN)	12	0.4
Mike Stuart (BOS)	18	0.9
Glen Wesley (CAR)	21	0.9
Nicklas Lidstrom (DET)	20	1.0
Marek Malik (NYR)	12	1.0
Ville Koistinen (NAS)	13	1.1
Luke Richardson (OTT)	16	1.1
Marc Staal (NYR)	20	1.2

Murray leads the league. Chris Phillips, the man who is tied with Murray at +15, is not in the top 20 (1.6). There are other factors that can skew this stat, like strength of linemates and strength of opposition, but this is a better raw stat than regular +/-. Douglas Murray has been one of the best two or three defensive defenseman in the NHL this year.

Sharks-Ducks Redux (Re-Ducks?)

2007-11-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Like last year, the Sharks-Ducks matchup seems to have a little extra 'oomph' than many of the other regular season games. These teams are clearly measuring themselves against each other, and like the other meeting between the two this season, they came out pretty even. I'm sure it was frustrating for the Sharks during the first half of that game because for the most part, the Ducks were shutting the Sharks down defensively.

But the Sharks didn't panic, and this is where I think the last four wins came in handy. They continued to press, didn't overskate or overpursue, and got a nice little redirect from Torrey Mitchell to tie the game at 1. Other than a couple of heart-dropping giveaways by the Sharks, it stayed pretty deadlocked. And the shootout is the shootout- the Sharks suck compared to everybody else.

So what did we learn? Not much. The Sharks and Ducks are pretty closely matched, which is what most (reasonable) people expected. When (I no longer say 'if') Niedermayer and Selanne re-join the team, that may no longer be the case. However, although both teams are a little banged up, I'd say the Sharks were more so than the Ducks, with Rivet, Michalek, and Clowe out. Ducks were missing Schnieder and Bertuzzi. Schneider hurts, but Bertuzzi is a 3rd or 4th liner now, and of limited utility.

I Can't Resist

2007-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

quoting myself:

Speaking of the Ducks, they waived their backup, Ilya Bryzgalov, this morning. Grier and I agree that this is definitely a cap-clearing move for them. Given the number of other teams with goalie issues (the Coyotes among them)...

Ok, maybe it wasn't a cap-clearing move, but I love it when I'm right. And I have to point it out, since it happens so infrequently.

SOR Address

2007-11-16T10:31:00.003-08:00

Y'know when you get into a new relationship, pretty soon you have to have that, "so what the hell are we doing?" talk. I call it the "state of the relationship" address, or SOR for short. I'm an tech guy, and three letter acronyms (TLAs, of course) dominate my daylight conversations in my corner of the cube farm.

I'm not gonna get all 'feely' with you about the blog or anything, but Girl with a Puck just did a long post about the state of hockey blogs in the raging sea of hockey journalism. And Sleek at BoC had a post on it as well. Since we at Shaved Ice are just a dingleberry on the ass of the hockey world, I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents, especially since we weren't asked.

First of all, I think hockey journalism is about informing people, and hockey blogs are about (or should be about) entertaining people. C'mon, are you going to find a dingleberry reference on tsn.ca? I'm sure that my obsession with reading hockey blogs and news does occasionally yield a post where a few of our readers learn about some story or another, but that's just luck. Largely, blogs are about analysis and opinion. Regurgitiating news is boring, and that's what RSS feeds are for.

So why the hell are you here? Most probably because you know me or Grier personally, or through some other blog. Maybe you even read us a lot, because it's pretty obvious that we both care a lot about hockey, and we care about the Sharks. I'd like to think we both have more hockey knowledge than the casual fan, and can level a critical eye at the team and the sport. We're fanboys in that we want the Sharks to do well, but we're not in that we don't mindlessly support everything the Sharks do or don't do.

And we take your crap. Journalism is inching slowly towards a more interactive model (like David Pollak's blog), but here we say what we think, and you can blast us in the comments. We always read them, and 9 times out of 10 respond back to you. If you want to click back to the go-go days of the Detroit series last year, it got a bit heated. But that's what sports fandom is all about- arguing.

To me, hockey blogs provide a jumping off point for further hockey discussion, because it's often a matter of opinion or analysis. That kind of stimulation doesn't spring from your regular hockey articles, like "Team x beat team y", or "so and so got traded". Good hockey blogs have good writing and insightful points. They make you question your assumptions about teams, players, and the game.

Or they just make you laugh through strategic use of profanity.

Thanks for Playing, Yotes

2007-11-16T09:47:00.001-08:00

So the Sharks completed their third beatdown of the Coyotes in a week, and the prognostication that JR's 500th goal would set off a Sharks resurgence is bearing fruit. Although keep in mind that they've played only 4 games since then, three against the worst team in hockey, and a 4th where they almost lost by coughing up 2 third-period goals.

But this last game was really something to behold. Other than Semenov doing his wooden indian impression yet again and almost getting scored on, the Sharks played a near-perfect game. Some thoughts:

It's weird, but having Michalek and Clowe out of the lineup might have helped this team. The guys like Rizz and JoePa and Bernier have to think to themselves in the locker room, "Ok, now WE have to make something happen, we can't wait around for the stars to win the game for us." I've had a similar experience in my games. Our two top scorers are out, and we play a much better as a team with everyone pitching in.
Howsa bout that Doug(las) Murray? He's really shaping up to be a very good player, far exceeding my expectations. In my estimation, he's ahead of Semenov, Ehrhoff, and (though it pains me to say it) Carle in the depth chart right now.
I'm very excited that the Sharks have decided to move their feet on the power play. Pavelski's second PP goal last night should be on a continuous loop in the locker room, so they all get the message.
Cheech is still trying hard, but he seemed to go a bit backwards in this game. I think he'll pick it up against the Ducks- he's killed them in the past.

Speaking of the Ducks, they waived their backup, Ilya Bryzgalov, this morning. Grier and I agree that this is definitely a cap-clearing move for them. Given the number of other teams with goalie issues (the Coyotes among them), the fact that they didn't trade him is telling. I do wonder why they didn't try to get draft picks for him. Either way, I'd now put the chances of Selanne and Niedermayer re-joining the Ducks this season at over 90%.

Ducks waive Breezy. Clear sign of Neidermeyer's return

2007-11-16T09:35:00.001-08:00

Just a quick hit on the waiving of Breezy by the Ducks. They clearly could have dealt him, but in my opinion the Ducks didn't want to take anything in return so they could clear the cap space for Neidermeyer to return in December.....

As Socrates said, 2 points is 2 points

2007-11-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

Maybe that was Yogi Berra. No matter. The Sharks did manage to salvage two points against the Stars after playing only 20 real minutes of hockey, and for that, they are to be commended. I can't help thinking we'd be off the bandwagon if they lost in the shootout (to the historically best shootout team in the NHL), but then I think of the title. Ends justify the means, right?

Glad to see that Marleau is trying to seize his own chances again- his goal was a beaut, and he drove in towards the net another couple of times, each of which could have resulted in a goal. And I have to give Ron Wilson props- Marleau is historically awful in the shootout (0-6 before last night), but putting him in there took some onions. It may seem like a no brainer to do that since Patty scored, but think of it like this- you put a guy that's brutal in the shootout against possibly the best shootout goalie, and if he comes up short, you cough up a point in a game that should have been won? Not a slam dunk choice anymore.

Winning tonight against Phoenix will be tough, because they will be ready (they haven't played since Monday), but then I picked the Sharks to lose both games to the Yotes, so what the hell do I know?

A Shootout Miracle!!!

2007-11-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Let the good times roll! The Sharks get another division victory deflating the Dallas Stars after they dominated play in the 3rd period. Marleau won the game with his shootout heroics, stepping up and playing like the Captain he hasn't been all season. The Sharks are on a roll and when things are going good, everything falls into place - including the ever difficult shootout victory. These are games that good teams win and the fact that the Sharks didn't crumble after Dallas roared back shows that they are confident again. An important win tonight and a solid test of mental toughness.

I would expect that Rivet and Mitchell might be out tomorrow night, neither of them saw time in the 3rd period. No news after the game on their injuries. Expect Carle to return so Rivet can get a night off.

I'm predicting Patzold gets his first start of the season tomorrow night with the big showdown against Anahiem looming on Saturday. They have to let him play sometime....right?

How good is the Gooch? Mikey should be nervous about our bet because Devon is Joe's new favorite target. At this pace, Rookie of the Year isn't an unreasonable thought....Look out Kane and Toews. If Thunder Joe keeps feeding the Gooch, he could score 40.

Can you say four in a row? Let's punk Phoenix tomorrow boys.

The Night We All Smiled

2007-11-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

There was a sense of relief at the Tank on Monday night. The fans were high fiving, smiling and gave the Sharks multiple standing ovations. The team was smiling too, playing their trademark style we were so used to seeing last season. They dominated Phoenix in the third period, cycling at will and embarrassing Gretzky's boys. It was so many weeks in the making but oh so worth it. The Sharks, my friends, appear to be back.

Bernier is growing up before our eyes on the 4th line, doing the dirty work he avoided when on the 2nd line. He drew two fighting majors and really got under Phoenix's skin with his physical play. Cheechoo and Marleau both had a point, with Cheech playing noticeably better last night. Nabby was solid, the D held up and the Sharks dominated play when it mattered most. As I said before, Phoenix is not good. They are young and play hard every night, and with an experienced blue line, they will stay in most games, but up front they are severely lacking. We should beat them 5-0. And finally, we did.

The chance to go on a run is finally upon us. The Sharks need to recognize the opportunity to pull away from Anahiem now before Neidermeyer and Selanne return in the New Year, as I suspect they both will. Could we win all three games this week vs. Dallas, Phoenix and Anahiem? Sure. Am I being greedy? Probably.

Can Roenick save the season?

2007-11-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

Could we not only have witnessed history on Saturday night in JR's 500th goal, but did we perhaps see the turning point of the Sharks early season woes? His passionate response to his milestone had an effect on the entire team's effort, which was solid from the drop of the puck. The Sharks needed something good to happen to them after weeks of bad calls, dumb luck and lackluster effort. Saturday night could be their chance to turn the corner. We'll see if they keep it up tomorrow night because Phoenix, though lacking in talent, plays with tons of heart and hustle.

A few other thoughts

- Thank you for pulling Semenov. He adds nothing on the ice but a chance for us to make jokes at his expense. Ehrhoff went from a healthy scratch to playing the 2nd most minutes on the team. I think they may have got his attention, whether he stays or is trade bait.

- I liked Bernier on the 4th line. He played more physically than I've noticed this year, which is the major part of his game that is lacking right now. I thought the fact that RW didn't juggle the lines much meant he was happy with the overall play and he may have found a great 3rd line in Roenick/Mitchell/Grier.

- Carcillo's play for Phoenix further proves my point that we need an agitator on our club. He goated Rismiller into a penalty. We don't have a player like that right now.

- Marleau showed some flashes of life in the 2nd and 3rd period.......

Mike and I have a wager on who will score more goals by season's end - Setoguchi or Cheechoo. I have Gooch and Mike has Cheech. The bet is off is either is traded or if Gooch is somehow sent to the minors. Right now they are tied at three apiece. Who do you think will score more goals?

A few comments...

2007-11-09T23:19:00.001-08:00

- Semenov continues to mistify. He should not be on the ice again. Period. End of story. His defensive lapse on McDonald cost the Sharks the game.

- Douglas Murray is a key member of this team and should be out there every night. Without Clowe, he is the only Shark that will keep players like Brad May accountable. Did you see how fast May skated away from Murray? You can bet that won't be forgotten.

- Has anyone else noticed that in only four games, Ozolinsh is the new face of our blueline? He is everywhere, demands the puck and the other defensemen are deferring to him regularly. He logged 23 minutes of ice time tonight, putting him right behind Rivet and Big Joe. Ehrhoff has been replaced. Time to see what you can get for him.

- Marleau got only 15 minutes of ice time and he looked terrible again. Bernier was so non existant that Wilson just stopped rolling him out there.

- Grier was excellent and Thunder Joe and JR had solid nights.

- Tonight further hammers home the fact that we need a guy like Pahlsson. We don't have a guy like that. He was such a pain in the ass to Joe tonight. Cut bait with some young talent and get us an agitator!!!

- The Sharks should just leave the bench and go home when it comes time for the shootout. They look like they've lost before it even starts. And Pavelski and Cheechoo are the first two guys? Come on Ron - give us a chance! Let's roll out a guy who played 11 minutes and someone who can't hit J-Lo's fat ass with a brick right now. Where is Roenick? Where is Joe? Where is Ozolinsh for Christ's sake!

Anyways, just a few rambling thoughts after the game. Putting things into perspective, we did get a point in Anahiem - a place we have always struggled to play respectably - but we got a glimpse at the new look Ducks. Less talented but same hard hitting, high energy style. I wish the Sharks played with as much heart as Anahiem and I'm with Mike, I am afraid Phoenix will out work our boys and continue our home woes tomorrow night.

More of the Same

2007-11-09T22:14:00.000-08:00

I could easily just copy and paste old stuff I wrote here to sum up tonight;s game. The Sharks has some dominant stretches, got soft as the game went on, had a horrible defensive breakdown, and ended up losing. At least it was late enough so they got a point. The Sharks will be facing tougher competition tomorrow and Monday night, so look for the inevitable breakdowns to happen sooner, and the losses to be more decisive.

Sharks Prescription : Theo Fleury

2007-11-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

Just kidding, but only half. The disappointment continues. The Sharks can't catch a break right now. They did not play a bad game last night. Nabby had his worst game of the season so far, and he needs a bit of a rest. He's spent the last two years trying to be the undisputed #1 again- now that he's got it, he will not take himself out of the game or refuse a start. Look for Patzold to start Saturday or Monday against Phoenix.

Unlike my esteemed blog partner, I don't believe a major shakeup is needed, trading Marleau, Cheechoo, or firing Ron Wilson. Although if Boston goes for that trade he proposed they should be contracted out of the league. Maybe that's why he's kicking ass at fantasy and I'm not.

It's my belief that the Sharks need a relatively small catalyst to drive their recovery. With the face of the team being Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, two laid back guys, I think some passion, energy and emotion needs to be injected into the Sharks lineup. I wish JR could be that guy, and Lord knows he's trying, but he just doesn't get enough minutes to make it happen.

We need Sean Avery.

Well, somebody like Avery anyway. Not a star. A guy that talks trash on the ice, makes a pest of himself, and can contribute good minutes. Look at Detroit. They have at least three pests- Holmstrom, Maltby, and Draper all get under your skin. They can take the other team off of their game while inspiring their team to play harder.

With Clowe out, that role is not being filled. Bernier is playing tougher, but he's not a pest, just a big guy. And it's hard to be taken seriously when you're talking trash with a French accent. What we don't need is another silent leader. We need somebody to stir the pot, on and off the ice.

Letting Mark Smith go was a mistake. We need him back. Ian Laperriere, Raffi Torres, even Chris Simon. Ok, maybe not Chris Simon. But Darren McCarty.

Let's not cram Joe and Patty into a box that says "VOCAL LEADER". Forcing them into a role they are not suited to play is counterproductive and stupid. The captain doesn't have to be the guy that makes all the speeches. Doug Wilson needs to give them room to create, the room to lead on the ice, knowing that somebody's got their back.

How about our old nemesis, Brendan Witt? Scott Parker would have scaled the Eiffel Tower to get at that guy. That's the guy we need.

Sharks Broken. In Need of Repairs.

2007-11-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

I know we all have theories of what is wrong with out underachieving San Jose Sharks. I have preached patience at times. I have encouraged Dougie Wilson to explore a few trades. Is it the coaching? Is the biggest roster in size in the NHL smallest in heart? Is there a lack of a big time blueliner? Is the Captain to blame?

Take your pick - but there is something wrong in Teal Town. The boys played hard last night but some mental mistakes allowed two breakaway goals and Turco stood on his head, something every goalie from Aubin to Tim Thomas seems to do when the Sharks take the ice. So what do you do if you are Doug Wilson? You have to be racking your brain searching for an answer. While the season is not even 20% done, you have to be losing patience. I know the season ticket holders are, myself included. With reports of Neidermeyer now eyeing December for a return to the ice, the Sharks window of opportunity to grab the Pacific title by the horns is running out of time. So - what do you do?

Fire Ron Wilson? Make a major trade?

Most imporantly, it is a quesetion of philosophy. Doug Wilson has stated he admires the system that the Ottawa Senators have in place. They were patient with young players, allowed them to develop and made the major deal (Hossa for Heatley) that allowed them to take the next step. It looks like adding Joe Thornton is not going to be enough, Dougie. Here is my answer - this roster is flawed. We knew it during the offseason when Drury/Smyth/Souray/Redden all turned their backs on the Sharks. This team has too many duplicate players (Setoguchi/Cheechoo), too many big players who don't use their size (Bernier/McLaren) and too many centers (Goc/Mitchell/Pavelski). A statement needs to be made to this team that management isn't willing to wait and watch them flounder about. Marleau endured a painful offseason after a terrible playoff performance and how has he responded - with five points and a -4 rating. Trade Marleau - the Captain and the root of the emotional weakness of this team. He has a two year extension (very carefully constructed that he could be traded this year before his no trade clause takes effect). Trade him now and get new, veteran pieces - not young players for the future - but guys who can help NOW and change the landscape of this team. Get a back up for Nabby, who has never proved he can endure a full season as the #1.

To Boston: Patrick Marleau and Christian Ehrhoff
To San Jose: Glen Murray, Chuck Kobasew and Zdeno Chara

Time to Shake It Up!

Bertuzzi - Now a Waste of Space On and Off the Ice

2007-11-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

Todd Bertuzzi, once a dominant force when he was with the Vancouver Canucks, now has completed his meteoric fall from grace. He had the tools to be a legendary power forward in this league, and then the whole Steve Moore thing happened. He sat out a long time, traded to Florida, sucked, traded to Detoit, sucked, signed with Anaheim, and sucked again.

For whatever reason, I knew that his hit on Moore was vicious and outside the bounds of the game, but it did have a hockey context- he was retaliating against Moore for a hit he put on Naslund some games before. Worthy of the suspension, worthy of scorn for his lack of control, but the sentiment wasn't entirely out of place, though his methods were. Maybe there was something salvagable in Bert.

Now, that illusion has come to an end. In a true holiday spirit, Bertuzzi offered Moore $350K to settle his $15M lawsuit. Wow, Todd! 2.3% of the asking amount! How generous of you! You ended the guys career, he's still experiencing symptoms, and you offer him 9% of your yearly salary. For this year only. Thank God next year you get to keep the whole $4M.

There is no longer any doubt that Todd Bertuzzi is a miserable human being on the short end of a disappointing hockey career. Sleep well with your millions, jagoff.

10:09 and counting...

2007-11-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

I found the Teal Spiel recording of the most recent show here. I encourage you to listen to all of it. If you just want to listen to the highlight of the show- me talking about Cheechoo - I ripped that part out and posted it here. Or maybe you can play it right now:

Maybe I was a bit manic, but it's entertainment, baby! Gotta keep things hummin' along.

I believe a Saturday evening AM radio show call counts as fame, so that's what the title refers to.

NHL Network Gives Insight Into Chris Pronger

2007-11-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

So I discovered that finally, I get the NHL Network on DirecTV channel 215. I see it on the guide, I switch to it, and I see that there's a show called Stanley Cup Summer. It's about various Ducks players going to their hometowns and sharing the Cup with family and friends. Not exactly the kind of show I would want to watch, but it IS the first time I'm watching the hockey-only channel, so I figure I'll give it a chance.

It's one of those feel-good fluff shows, and they have pieces on Teemu Selanne and Sammy Pahlsson taking the Cup to Scandinavia (with graphics obviously created from Google Earth, which I found pretty funny). Then they switch to Chris Pronger, who took the Cup back to Ontario someplace to show his folks. They show him with a family friend who's been stricken with cancer, and my heart goes a bit soft. A bit. Especially since he didn't elbow her in the head, even though she was in a vulnerable position (a hospital bed in her living room).

But then this happens. He goes to a pediatric cancer ward in a local hospital to cheer up the kids. Here is my transcript directly from the show:

Chris Pronger (voiceover): You always wanna try and go see kids in the hospital... there's not a lot of them in there but the ones that are in the cancer ward are going through a tough time. You want to bring a smile to their face.
Woman: Bill, do you want to introduce your granddaughter?
Bill: This is Taylor.
Chris Pronger: Ok.
Bill: My granddaugher.
Chris Pronger: Helloooo.
Bill: She's a cancer survivor.
Chris Pronger: Perfect.

At this point I turn to my wife and said, "Did he just say 'perfect'?" And then I laugh for about ten minutes.

Thanks NHL Network!

Chompboard and Teal Spiel

2007-11-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, Virginia, there is a Sharks radio show. It's called Teal Spiel, and it's on 1220AM on Saturdays from 5 to 6:30pm. I just called in and ranted a bit about Cheech, but not in the way you'd expect. I learned about this from a Sharks message board called ChompBoard.com, and we happened to see this on the JumboTron last night. Serendipitous, doncha think?

Listen to the podcast if you get a chance. Don't know when they post it, but I'm the second caller of the night, at the end of the second segment. Oh yeah, and when I said Marc Bergeron, I meant Marc Savard. I always get those two mixed up for some reason.

Dear Dougie....

2007-11-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last nights loss to the Kings was a heartbreaker. This was the chance for the boys to reign supreme in the Pacific and instead they laid an egg against a mediocre team with a has-been goalie who stood on his head. Disturbing. Change should be afoot for this team that seems lost right now.

If the Sharks lose tonight, could Ron Wilson be gone on Monday? Very possible.

If the Sharks lose tonight, could a major roster shake up been in the works? Very possible. It's hard to put much stock into Eklund's rumors, but his lead today of Toronto trading two veteran players to a team out West for a young forward and a young defensemen smells of San Jose being that other team. He also mentioned a player waiving a NTC. Ron Wilson's obsession with a #1 defensemen has been well documented. Could this be McCabe for say Joe Pavelski and Christian Ehrhoff? Just a musing...With Kaspar/Mithcell/Setoguchi around and Bernier finally showing up to play - do we need Pavelski, who will be due for a raise as a RFA next year? We have Couture waiting in the wings as well. Ehrhoff, who is also due for a raise, is looking clueless lately and perhaps he should be moved while the value is still high. Signing Ozo to me means a defensemen is on the move. You don't need Carle, Ehrhoff and Ozo - three duplicate guys who play a little soft and like to jump into the play.

But of course, the Sharks will win tonight - continuing their Jekyll and Hyde ways, and all changes could be off.

A Serious Injury to the Wrong Player

2007-11-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

Just recently I found the Broadcaster's Blog on the Sharks web site (now on the blogroll --->). The four Sharks broadcasters (Randy Hahn - TV play by play, Drew Remenda - TV color, Dan Rusanowsky - Radio play by play, and Jamie Baker - Radio color) are the contributors. It's really a great inside look to the Sharks organization and players.

The latest entry from Randy Hahn claims that Ryane Clowe will be out for an extended period of time:

If you were to come up with a list of 5 players the Sharks could least afford to lose to injury, Ryan Clowe would have to be on that list. He scores, he checks, he fights and he can play on any one of four lines. He's going to be out long term and others around him are going to have to figure out how to pick up the slack...

That hurts. Clowe, before he was injured, was the playing the type of style that I think the Sharks should be playing. The kind of style they played against the Stars. If it is as serious a knee injury as it sounds, he could be out the rest of the year.

I like that Bernier has found a little sandpaper to go with his game, and I hope he understands that this is a big opportunity for him to step up his game and fill a desperately needed role - a skilled player that won't take shit from anyone. A player that leads the team in physicality, while still being disciplined.

Ron Wilson - The Fastest Juggler Since Ringling Brothers

2007-11-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

There's a quite fascinating article on Ron Wilson in the Mercury today, and his tendency to swap lines around. Other coaches- Dave Tippet from the Stars, Mike Babcock from the Red Wings, and Scotty Bowman, are also quoted.

I think these other coaches ain't got nothing on Ron Wilson. He throws out so many different looks in a single game I bet the NHL scorekeepers curse his name. In the case of the Wings, Zetterberg and Datsyuk almost always play together on even-strength and the PP, and with the Stars, Brendan Morrow and Mike Ribiero are also paired. I can't name a single offensive pairing that has really been consistent this entire year. Joe and Michalek would be the closest thing we got, but I can think of plenty of times they didn't play together.

This quote from Wilson is particularly interesting:

I don't have the time to wait for a guy to play well. It might take only one guy or two guys that can ruin everybody else's effort by not being alert, by not being involved. Your job as a coach is to recognize that right off the bat. You go down and say it's got to be better, then when it's not that next shift or two - boom! - you change lines.

I'm no hockey coach, but I question the wisdom of this. Two bad shifts gets you demoted? What if you've been clicking with a player for the past two or three games- one bad period and you're back to square one?

I've been playing hockey for over ten years now. There are players that I've played with for so long where I just know their style, and I know where they are going to be and what they are going to do without having to watch. We're more than the sum of our parts. In my view, shuffling lines this readily stunts the ability of the players to form those kinds of relationships with other players. Gretz just knew where Kurri was going to be. Can Marleau say that about Torrey Mitchell? No matter- he'll be playing with Marcel Goc tomorrow night.

He's won over a thousand games as a head coach, so clearly Ron Wilson knows a little bit about coaching. But is this the right style for this group? Can't you motivate players without flipping them around like a three card Monty game? Isn't building confidence in your players also a worthy goal?

The Importance of Being Earnest

2007-10-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

I knew that title would grab you. What can I say, I play to my base. And although the plot of the play has nothing to do with Sharks hockey (which I only just found out by reading wikipedia), the title itself is still apropos.

The Sharks came out shooting. And shooting. And driving. And shooting. On Saturday, they had 17 shots all night. Tonight, they had 16 in the first period, 9 in the second, and 10 in the third. They dominated the first 10 minutes of the game, and what always seems to happen happened. There was a tricky rebound that bounced right to Mike Ribiero, and he chipped it over Nabokov for a 1-0 lead on the first Dallas scoring chance of the night. But the Sharks continued to fight, and Pavelski, on a great (one might say earnest) second or third effort swept a wraparound in before Turco could cover his far post.

Then, in the second, Dallas got an early Christmas gift with a shot from Niskanen that changed direction twice off of two different Sharks players and went in the net. The Sharks went into the third down 2-1.

But they kept digging, and we saw two beautiful feeds from Thornton to Setoguchi to take the lead, then Bernier was rewarded for his strong forecheck with a nifty little screened wrister that darted in on the near side. All Sharks goals were even strength, which is icing on the cake.

But as the Keith Jones in the Vs. studio seemed to say at every opportunity, the Sharks don't play a consistent style. Tonight's style suited them. With a billion division games coming up, I hope they continue to go with it.

Sharks/Dallas

2007-10-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Sharks dominated the first ten minutes of this game. Turco kept Dallas from getting embarrassed early, with the Sharks getting many early chances and peppering him with shots...but you could see it coming. Dallas scored a cheap goal and just like that, despite all their early efforts - the Sharks were down 1-0. Then they fell down 2-1.

They did not quit. They played with the same intensity and it paid off. Setoguchi is the sniper that has been missing at Jumbo Joe's side. Marleau was finally opening it up and using his speed. Bernier actually made himself noticed with a goal, some big hits and one of the lamest fights I've ever seen.

Dallas didn't look good to me - they're not gonna make the playoffs this year unless they get some more offense. This is the perfect time for the Sharks to rattle off four or five wins and get some distance in the Pacific. Can they maintain this effort? Will Setoguchi's effort make it easier for Dougie Wilson to part with a major forward to get the coveted big time defensemen? With Toronto crumbling, would McCabe waive his NTC?

Hard to Be Patient

2007-10-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

So I watched the Detroit game this morning, and (thanks to Center Ice) the Columbus game this afternoon. Both were disappointing, and for different reasons.

The Detroit game was a bummer mostly because it's clear that Detroit is much better than the Sharks right now. Their breakout is crisper, the cycle steadier, and the scoring chances quicker. They spring a winger almost every single breakout, always with enough speed and skill to make a play even on an able defenseman. The Sharks played ok in the first two periods- the first two goals were off the post- but both goals came on bad turnovers, now officially an epidemic. Then the third the Wings opened it up and made the Sharks look stupid.

The Columbus game was even worse, because the Sharks played listlessly and sloppily the entire time. They took a lot of penalties (and probably should have gotten more called), had very few long possessions, and again committed idiotic turnovers in their own zone. They had every excuse in the world to lose- back to back away games less than 24 hours apart, against a solid home team. But excuses don't fly at the highest level of sports.

It's so hard not to be impatient at times like this, and start calling for the coach's head, for top players to be benched or traded away. Especially since the illness is one of effort and work ethic and not of talent. It's hard not to think that Ron Wilson is no longer getting through. The fact that he still juggles the lines continuously, once seemingly the work of an eccentric hockey genius, now seems pointless and desperate.

I grit my teeth and try to remember that other than the Devils, no team in the NHL has played fewer home games up to this point. Still, we don't have a homestand longer than two games until late November. I hope the Sharks can find a way to staunch the bleeding by then, or they'll have to work their way out of a big hole come the new year.

PTI: Fighting is bad, Blah Blah Blah

2007-10-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I still watch PTI. Kornheiser and Wilbon are pretty entertaining. And when Mercury is aligned with Mars, they talk about hockey, usually pejoratively. Today was no exception, when they talked about the big Koci-Chara fight that left Koci a big bloody mess:

Barry Melrose Rocks had a post on this, in the glorious theme of "Dan LeBatard is a moron", but I'll talk about Tony. Like LeBatard, he knows nothing about hockey, and doesn't care to find out. Fine by me, but when you open your big yap, all the mystery dissipates. You're a moron.

Tony:

I'm sick of fights; I'm sick of designated goons. I know in the arena, these are very popular things. I thought as a culture, we had gone beyond this.

Yeah, which is why UFC is the fastest growing sport. Get over yourself. Clearly you have no idea that there is an unwritten code in hockey that still exists. Unlike basketball, their ridiculous comparison, where nobody knows what the hell is going on, and no one knows how to fight anyway.

Tony again:

The people that run hockey are old hockey players. And they believe this is a test of masculinity, and it's nonsense.

Thanks, Dr. Gray. This from a guy that does color for Monday Night Football every week, a sport that is more dangerous, and more tied with masculinity than any sport I can name other than cockfighting. Where a guy taunted another guy who was unconscious on the field.

Listen, David Koci is a dope. If he doesn't fight, he's out of the league in about 30 minutes. There aren't too many people like Koci in the league any longer, and that's a good thing. I'll be honest. Fights are entertaining to me, mostly because the participants are willing and able. If fighting was one or more guys ganging up on a weaker player, I would be leading the charge to ban it. And I think that fighting does sometimes serve a purpose to the game.

Funny how they didn't mention that the guy who rearranged Koci's face is Zdeno Chara, a highly skilled and coveted player in the NHL. Proof positive it ain't always scripted theater.

Channeling their inner Holmstrom

2007-10-22T23:14:00.000-07:00

It was a marvelous sight to see. Clowe in front of the net. Bernier in front of the net. Davison in front of the net. Michalek in front of the net. Semenov dumping Godard into the Sharks bench....okay, maybe the last one was a little embarrassing since Semenov was getting pounded - but still, it was pretty funny.

The Sharks played their best game of the season tonight, destroying the Flames and chasing the Kipper on Calgary's home ice. The Sharks own this team, having won four of the five from them - which is interesting given the physical brand of hockey Calgary plays. What can you say, the Flames bring out the inner beast in the Sharkies. An all around excellent effort with an A+ going to Coach Ron Wilson for following through with his promise to send the big boys in front of the net, ala Holmstrom. He did and boy did they get results. I hope this part of the gameplan sticks for it has been missing the last few years and, in my opinion, is a major reason why we haven't risen to the next level.

One of the only guys who didn't play well, again, was Cheechoo. The Train was invisible and got even less ice time than Rob Davison. With some big name defensemen rumored to be available, could Cheechoo be the bait the Sharks use to land Kaberle or Chara?

The Right Idea

2007-10-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

Here's a quote from Ron Wilson about Tomas Holmstrom that I found in David Pollak's blog:

He goes and stands in front of the net. And he gets punched and he gets whacked by the goalie, he gets knocked on his keister and he fights back and he maybe gets a penalty. The next shift, where’s Tomas Holmstrom? Back in front of the net. It might have taken him some time to get comfortable doing that, but because of what the reward is, you have to do that.

That’s what I want to see. When you do get punched in the head, or they dump it in the corner and you get run on the very first shift of the game, does it effect your second and your third and your fourth shifts?

Don’t allow anybody’s efforts to get you off your game. That’s what we’re working on.

I don't know if you can put it any better than that. This is what the Sharks need to do. This tells me Ron Wilson is still the right coach for the Sharks. That may change. In my view, the Sharks haven't played this way, until maybe last night.

There was an interesting remark made by Drew on the telecast last night, and he just said it offhand during the middle of the action, but it stuck with me. It's sort of a different way of saying what Ron Wilson said. He said basically: The foundation of good play is a strong work ethic. Lots of talent will put you over the top, where you win games and be dominant. Right now, the Sharks are trying to use their talent as a foundation, and work a bit to win games. Until they decide they have work hard every night, every shift, even with all their talent, they will struggle.

Shit, maybe we should put Drew back behind the bench too.

Who Does This Sound Like?

2007-10-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

From a recent Scott Burnside post:

When the New York Rangers add two talented, veteran centers in Scott Gomez and Chris Drury in the offseason to a lineup that already boasts multiple Stanley Cup winners Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan and the best young goalie in the game in Henrik Lundqvist, reason tells you, emphatically even, that this is going to be a good hockey team. Maybe even a Stanley Cup team.

And yet after dropping a 5-3 decision to the previously winless Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night -- a Thrashers team so desperate, so discombobulated, it fired coach Bob Hartley the day before -- the Rangers are a scant two points better than the Thrashers with a 2-4 record.

Man, this sounds awfully familiar. Change the names of the players, and it could be yet another "Sharks are disappointing" article. I get that people need to write something this time of year, but writing 3 or 4 articles on this topic since the beginning of the season seems a bit much. We're seven games in. Seven.

With all the great preseason press the Sharks got, having them come out of the gate at .500 could be a shock. "Hey! Maybe I have no friggin' idea what I'm talking about!" Barry Melrose says to himself. Well, probably not.

It could be a hell of a lot worse. We could be in Atlanta right now.

Dear Dougie: We Need D

2007-10-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

There's a certain blueliner that's fallen out of favor in a certain hockey town. The biggest hockey town in North America. No not that one. One that still sells out every night. This particular town lives and breathes hockey year round. Every misstep, every player's comment is under a microscope. A great player is getting booed for one stupid mistake, the kind of mistake that happens once in a career. And it happened to him. Not in the Stanley Cup Finals, not in April when they're fighting for a postseason spot. In the first two weeks of the season.

You've figured it out by now: Brian McCabe.

Doug, we need Brian McCabe. He scores goals. He plays special teams. He's been under 100 penalty minutes only once in the past 10 years. He's a big mean son of a bitch.

What do we give up? Carle, Vlasic, and Rivet are untouchable in my opinion, because we'd just go back to where we started. Joe is too much.

Everyone else is on the table. Yes, everyone. Marleau straight up? For three more years of McCabe? Bet your ass. Bernier and Pavelski. Goc and Ehrhoff. Make it happen. The Gooch is waiting in the wings. Kaspar can play this year. Jesus Christ, activate Tomas Plihal if you have to.

Make it happen.

Dear Dougie...What about Hossa?

2007-10-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

"Dear Dougie" will be a post where Mike or I will have a trade suggestion to share with Doug Wilson, aka Dougie. Feel free to agree, blast or add to the trade suggestion. These are only musing, thoughts of players that might look good on the Sharks.

I am making my pitch for the Sharks to consider getting Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta is terrible and a fire sale is coming soon. There is no future in Georgia and they have to start rebuilding with young players. With Hossa as a UFA at the end of the season, he is sure to bolt the South for greener pastures. After looking at cap room and young assets, I find three potential playoff teams that I think could make a pitch for Hossa's services via trade. Pittsburgh could dangle Jordan Staal. Washington could offer Backstrom or Semin for the chance to pair Hossa with Alexander O. And then, there's our Sharks. We have one of the deepest young cores in the NHL and a logjam of players at the forward/center position. With Devon Setoguchi waiting in the wings, could Cheechoo be the chip that gets Hossa in Teal and White? We have all read how much Atlanta loves Steve Bernier, atleast according to Eklund. Could a package of Cheechoo and Bernier make it happen? I like Cheech, don't get me wrong. I just think Setoguchi is waiting in the wings and they are similar players. If you can replace Cheech with the Gooch and Bernier with Hossa - isn't this a major upgrade to this team that occasionally struggles to put the puck in the net?

Just a thought.....

Statement Game

2007-10-17T20:58:00.001-07:00

DETROIT @ SAN JOSE - Tomorrow Night!!
This game has been circled on the Sharks schedule from the beginning of training camp. Red Wings. At the Tank. This is the Sharks chance to show their fans, the Red Wings and the rest of the NHL that they haven't forgotten their Round Two collapse and that the 2007-08 Sharks are going to be different. The Killer Instinct. The chance to flex their muscles and bury the dreaded Dead Things on home ice.

I'm predicting a big Sharks win tomorrow night. The emotion of the opening night that never was on Saturday. That disappointment will be long forgotten with a strong showing against Detroit. This is the first Statement Game of the young season.

Prediction:
Sharks 5 Red Wings 2

Officially the new best newsy Sharks blog

2007-10-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Written by David Pollak, the new beat writer for the Merc. I've also added it to the blog roll.
Interesting tidbits of late on that blog (call me you own personal aggregator)

Osgood will be starting tomorrow, and not Hasek. Ozzy actually has better stats this year than the Dominator.
Matt Cooke was originally suspended for 10 games for leaving the bench for the altercation at the end of the Canucks game, but that was recinded. I'm still wondering how come they had five skaters and a goalie at that point (while on the penalty kill) and Cooke didn't count as leaving the bench. Who cares? As Joe said, he's "amusing" and not much more.

Plenty of Time to Work Out the Kinks

2007-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Last night's game was a crazy, unsatisfying affair. We get to the arena and it's completely dark. The power has gone out. There is a huge mob of people waiting in line outside, because they won't let anyone in. We find out later the lights actually go out during the pre-game skate. We wait a few minutes, the lights come on in stages, and we are eventually let in. Once we sit, we notice, although it's game time, the ice is not cut, and there is no PA or ribbon screen. The game ends up starting about a half-hour late, with none of the fanfare that generally accompanies a home opener. No anthem, no ceremony for Ricci and Marchment, no starting lineup announcements. The players come out (not from the Sharks head) around 8pm, and the refs drop the puck soon after. Very strange.

After a first period that wasn't as bad as the shot totals would indicate (12-4 in favor of the Bruins), the Sharks are losing on a garbage goal. The second and third periods, the Sharks vastly out-chance Boston, and Michalek manages score on a power play goal with 33 seconds left. Then it gets really strange.

Boston is in ultra-pressure mode, dumping the puck behind the Sharks' net. Vlasic makes a routine play and shovels it around the boards. Except for the fact that the ref is standing flat-footed in the corner, right against the boards. Why the ref is standing there, I've no idea. At least half the time the puck will get cleared along the boards, and he's right in the way. The puck goes off his skate, past Vlasic, and right to a Boston player behind the net. He passes it out front to an open player, who takes a slap shot between the circles and in. Game over.

The fact remains that the Sharks should have won, and could have won. So what the hell is going on? Forget the freaky play at the end. In my view, the Sharks have two big issues closely intertwined:

The biggest team in the NHL is playing like the smallest. I'm not saying we need to goon it up, but all three players on the Marleau line are well over 200 pounds, and no one hits anybody. Puck in the corner? That defensemen needs to feel the pain. Teams are playing close up on the Sharks for a reason- there's no physical intimidation going on at all. McLaren needs to stop playing scared, have confidence in his partner, and drop some more players on their collective asses. Think Trevor Letowski.
More north-south, less east-west. Sometimes I think all the skill some of our players have is actually inhibiting our ability to score. Joe, Marleau, and Michalek are so good, they want to make pretty plays. Maybe they think they're too good to stand in front of the net and take the punishment. I think it's rubbing off on other players. The puck gets cycled around, and there's no one else in the NHL that can protect the puck like Big Joe. But he waits. And waits. And dishes it off. And gets it back. And waits. JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, GO TO THE NET. Who's gonna body Joe out? Who's gonna body Bernier out? Chara, Volchenkov, and Pronger. That's it, that's the list. Put the puck through traffic and crash it. It ain't pretty, but it works. It works a hell of a lot better than trying to saucer the pass over three sticks and between a guy's legs. Opponents are playing for it at this point. This is why 5-on-5 looks so bad. Even strength chances need to be created with speed and strength. They will not just appear, even if you wait for a whole shift.

We're only a few games in, and there's tons of time to work out these kinks. The Sharks need to realize that teams are getting up for these games- no more catching them unawares. It seems like every damn prognosticator in hockey has picked the Sharks to win this year. Opponents will be prepared on the X's and O's side. The Sharks have to answer with fire, thunder, and lighting. That's means heart, hits, and dazzling speed.

Trade rumors/Matvichuk

2007-10-11T13:23:00.001-07:00

I want to go on record as saying that the rumor of Pavelski to Montreal for Halak and an unnamed defensemen must be bogus. I can't imagine Doug Wilson trading Pavelski for anything other than an impact Top 2 defensemen. This isn't going to happen, not with Pavelski. I think if the Sharks are going to play "let's make a deal" - here are the guys who could be bait.

Marcel Goc - I don't want to lose Marcel, but with the emergence of Torrey Mitchell and Logan Couture waiting in the wings, he could be used as a pawn.

Patrick Rissmiller - A UFA next season. Looks like his days with the Sharks could be numbered.

Steve Bernier - Has improved a bit, but still nothing to show for it on the scoresheet. I think Setoguchi takes his spot on the 2nd line when he is healthy.

How about the Sharks making a deal with the Devils again - this time for Richard Matvichuk. There is no risk, he has one year left on his deal @ 1.4 million. He is better than Davison/Murray/Semenov. The Devils are probably selling cheap, you probably could get him for Davison or Semenov. A tough, stay at home D-man sounds good to me. Matvichuk anyone???

Also, if Doug Wilson is concerned about Patzold as the back up (as I am) then why not sign a proven NHL back up. Scott Clemensson is out there. Robert Esche is too. How about the Shark killer himself, CuJo? A one year deal would get it done with either of these guys and the Sharks wouldn't have to part with anything in the process.

What do you think??

A Grudging Congratulations

2007-10-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

Well, we are now four games into the season, and Grier was right and I was wrong. Torrey Mitchell was a bold call to make the club, and he has. He's played well in all four games so far this season, and the list of players behind him on the depth chart is growing. I'd have to say that Rissmiller, Brown, and JR are definitely behind him now. He was helped a bit by Setoguchi's injury, but congratulations are in order.

I just hope that Mitchell's youth and enthusiasm will help to keep him skating hard and trying hard. It's a looooong season. A letdown of some sort is inevitable. But the difference between good players and great players is the ability to bounce back from a bad game or stretch.

Unbeknownst to me, the idea of Oz making the opening day roster was a loser from the start. Apparently the substance abuse program denied him the ability to play until last night. And he didn't. He's still not signed, which means he's not taking up a roster spot, leaving a chance of making the club. The only thing Davison and Murray are contributing right now is the willingness to drop the gloves.

To Grier's and my relief, the Sharks managed to put forth a decent effort to get a win against Chicago last night. Remember, I picked Oprahtown to finish third in the Central, and they beat Detroit last Saturday at home. They are not the hapless Hawks that we've seen the past few years. Toews had his first goal in his first game on his first shot (as Randy Hahn was fond of saying last night during the telecast). Kane is playing well, and they have good young D in Keith and Seabrook. The Sharks didn't convert on many scoring changes they should have, but they converted on a late power play. Michalek managed to chip one in past the Bulin Wall, who has a few cracks in his once-pristine facade.

Can't wait for the home game on Saturday. The house will be rocking, and I will be enjoying free food courtesy of my winning bet with Grier. Come by section 124 if you're in the neighborhood. Just scream out "McLovin" at the top of your lungs, we'll find you.

The Sky is Falling. The Sky is...Wait - We Won?

2007-10-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

As predicted, the Sharks won in Chicago. They played much better than the 2-1 score would indicate to those who didn't watch the game. We dominated the play against a much improved Blackhawks team. Chicago hung in there but took a fatal penalty late in the third penalty. I said to Mike, "This is when championship teams step up and put the dagger in." And they did. The Sharks showed their mental toughness and beat a pesky team that played with a lot of emotion. Chicago will not make the playoffs this year (sorry Mike) but they have a future atleast. I love Duncan Keith and Toews/Kane are going to be fun to watch for many years. Too bad Havlat is made of glass.

2-1-1 road trip. Good start.

We could be 4-1-1 before we know it.

Boston is hurting on their West coast road trip. We are their last game of a five game trip and they will be ready to go home. What is the story there anyways? They make the deal for Manny Fernandez and then, after he loses in the opener, he rides pine? Way to give your netminder a confidence boost, Claude Julien. Bruins will get housed at the Tank on Saturday. Vancouver is really struggling, having given up 14 goals in three games. We should go in there and win again.

Rob Davison played solid last night. He will probably get the call again Saturday. I think Wilson will ride the hot hand back there with Murray/Davison, until they sign Ozolinsh or make a deal for someone else. The new lines were jumping. Even with some players clearly not in regular season form (hello Cheechoo???), Michalek came to life with Marleau at his side and Torrey Mitchell is really fun to watch. Even the fourth line of Goc-Roencik-Brown had some moments.

Here is a question for you....if Setoguchi is ready to go on Saturday night, whose place does he take? What line does he skate on?

Looking foward to Saturday!!

CALM DOWN EVERYONE!

2007-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs to relax. Take a deep breath and calm down. Yes, the Sharks did lay a giant turd last night in Colorado. Yes, it was troubling to see them get outworked and not use their superior size, familiar criticism that plagued this team last year, but don't we all have bad days? Haven't you ever spilled coffee on your crotch, got a speeding ticket and stepped in shit while failing to clear the puck on a 5 on 3 power play. This was the Sharks day yesterday. You bounce back...and they will.

Here is the key - how will the Sharks respond in Chicago? I predict they will come out with a chip on their shoulder and a spring in their step. This team is eager to prove they are not the same club that folded last year in the face of adversity. When the Sharks win on Wednesday, they are coming home with five points on a difficult four game season opening road trip. A 2-1-1 record.

So, let's calm down everyone and wait for Chicago. The boys will respond. The top line might get broken up. Setoguchi might see his first action of the season. Patzold may even get the call in the pipes, but a win is coming.

This Made My Year

2007-10-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

After the gigantic steaming turd the Sharks laid last night in Colorado, I needed something to cheer me up. Winning my hockey game last night was helpful, but not nearly on the same scale as this.

24/7 hockey on TV? I think I need to change my shorts.

Sharks in the Shootout- Far Less Effective Than Phil Spector

2007-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

So mclaren's right hip put a comment in the last post about how bad the Sharks are in the shootout. And as I am wont to do in situations like this, I get curious about the numbers. I'm a math guy. Sorry. If you hate numbers, click here and go take a nap. Try to wake up in the real world.

Still here? Ready for some Sharks shootout facts?

Sharks are 3-9 since the shootout was started in the 06-07 season (a lovely 1-7 in the first year). That's the worst in the NHL both in terms of percentage and in terms of wins.
The Sharks have also had the fewest shootout opportunities of any team in the NHL.
Nabokov is 2-5 lifetime in the shootout. That's among the worst of goalies with 5 decisions or more. Other horrible shootout goalies include Ray Emery (1-6), Mikka Kiprusoff (4-11), Jussi Markkanen (1-4), Andrew Raycroft (3-7), and Cam Ward (1-4).
Vesa Toskala was 0-4 in the shootout with the Sharks.
Patrick Marleau is 0-6 in the shootout.
Joe Thornton is 1-6, 0-1 with the Sharks.
Joe Pavelski has the most shootout goals by a Shark with 4 (on 4 attempts, including last night). Other Sharks with multiple shootout goals- Cheech with 3, Clowe with 2, Marco Sturm with 2, and Nils Ekman (remember him?) with 2.
The best in the NHL is Jussi Jokinen, who is 15 for 25. In terms of percentage, Paul Kariya and Slava Kozloz are slightly better, shooting 12 for 18 (66.7%).

So other than the goal-scoring and the goal-saving, the Sharks are money in the shootout.

If I were to put together a shootout lineup, I would go Pavelski, Clowe, Cheech, with Michalek or Bernier on deck. Bernier scored in the Teal and White game, remember? Against Taylor Dakers, but that's beside the point.

Opening Night Thoughts

2007-10-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't finish watching the game until 1am, so my impressions may be as worthless as tits on a hog. I never understood that expression, which makes it all the more appropriate.

D-Gate! We need some pressure defense. I think there were a couple of Edmonton power plays where the Sharks literally did not touch the puck. We'd just let 'em skate around the outside, cycle for a while, then they'd give to Souray and he'd blast a shot at about a thousand miles per hour. It'd ricochet around at a couple of hundred miles per hour, and eventually get kicked to the point or a corner again, where they'd repeat. I guess it was effective, since Edmonton didn't score a power play goal, but the Sharks are playing with fire if it continues.
Torrey Mitchell looked awesome. A post, and a couple of good scoring chances. The question that will be answered soon enough is 'can he put out that kind of effort every night, even on a Wednesday night away game in Columbus'?
Bummer about Setoguchi's ankle- he really should have made his debut last night, he earned it.
If Joe keeps shooting like he did last night, he'll both open up more passing lanes and score 35 goals. He was like a Shark with a friggin laser beam on his head with that goal (see what I did there?)
The Sharks are worthless in the shootout. WORTHLESS.

And I want to apologize to Scott Thornton for my crack (and the Kings, although that part hurts a little). After this epic beatdown of George Parros, I'll never doubt again:

Thank the Sweet Lord Hockey Is Back

2007-10-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

The first two games of the season didn't really count. They were in a country that cares almost nothing for hockey (kinda like the U.S.). With two teams where I didn't want either of them to win. And the games were at 3 in the morning or something, playing on TV directly against top college football games. Way to make a splash, NHL.

But last night was better, scheduled against playoff baseball. Whoops. Since baseball is only slightly less interesting than a paint-drying seminar, it was easy enough to click past that crap, and enjoy my first day of Center Ice, bought and paid for. Toronto and Ottawa. I got home from work so late I only saw the third, but it was tight hockey, a close game, and Dany Heatley, fresh from signing his new 6-year extension that will pay him about $8m per, scored late in the third to tie, and in overtime to win the game. Great way to start the season. And the other 27 people watching all across America were as thrilled as I was.

And by the way? Starting Raycroft? Horrible decision. They showed a "plays of the game" type graphic late in the third with the score tied 3-3 that Raycroft had "made 24 saves". That's a .888 save percentage. Last year, that would have been good enough for 41st in the NHL, behind Brent Johnson, but ahead of Alex Auld. Attention Leafs: start Toskala, and let him win you some games.

Torrey Mitchell makes the club!

2007-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

My bold prediction comes true. Wilson says today in the San Jose Mercury News that Mitchell will be in the opening night line up, along with fellow rookie Setoguchi.

http://www.mercurynews.com/sharksheadlines/ci_7059985

No real clues as to how the other lines are going to shake down after Thornton-Marleau-Cheechoo. Whose spot did Mitchell take in the line up? I can only guess it is Curtis Brown.

One more cut to go and its gotta be Semenov, right? Unless this deal for Halak is real and Wilson is formulating a deal with some of our spare parts. I am not sold on Patzold as the back up. If Nabby goes down, the Sharks season could go in the tank - literally.

Could Goc be the bait? It appears he has been passed up on the depth chart by Pavelski.

About 50 hours to go!

Grier's 2007-08 Predictions

2007-09-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here is how I see the season shaping up - division by divison.

ATLANTIC
1) Pittsburgh Penguins - I like what this team has done in the offseason. Surrounding Crosby and Malkin with the necessary veteran talent while keeping their core intact. Staal can only improve on his effort last year. They are going to be fun to watch for several years.

2) Philadelphia Flyers - I think this team added the vital pieces needed to revive a dormant franchise. Mixed with some of their already good young talent, the Flyers should have a resurgence this season. Unlike Mike, I think Biron could surprise.

3) New York Rangers - I'm not buying it. I think the Rangers made some big mistakes adding too many big dogs and alienating their role players. Will Drury, Gomez, Avery, Shanny and Jagr play nice together? I think this dressing room could implode and Jagr might be skating for a different team in March.

4) New Jersey Devils - They won't suck. With Brodeur in net, they have a chance to win every night, but letting Gomez and Rafalski walk and replacing them with Zubrus and Visnievski isn't gonna cut it. They miss the playoffs this year.

5) New York Islanders - Goon Central. Team will hate to play them and fans will hate to watch them. You can't polish a turd.

NORTHEAST
1) Ottawa Senators - Agreed. This team is poised for another run at the Cup. Ongoing contract issues with pending free agents could be a motivator or a distraction. Goaltending situaiton should be solved after Gerber is dealt soon - his value will never get much higher.

2) Toronto Maple Leafs - I think the Leafs have improved and are poised to be a serious threat this season. They can score with the best of them and adding Blake is a big bonus. Toskala will compensate for McCabe and Kaberle offensive tendencies.

3) Buffalo Sabres - They are going to miss Briere and Drury more than they think. A poor start leads to morale falling. They make the playoffs late.

4) Montreal Canadiens - Not sure what is happening here. Same old, same old. They need a big move and lack the pieces to make it.

5) Boston Bruins - Maybe some baby steps of improvement but they have no blueline to speak of besides Chara. Manny Fernandez sucks, by the way.

SOUTHEAST
1) Washington Capitals - That's right. I said it. The Caps are the cream of this rancid division. They will benefit from a weak schedule and a solid second year from Semin and Backstrom. Adding Tom Poti and Nylander will push this team over the hump. Kolzig has a big year before he goes UFA.

2) Tampa Bay - No goaltending. That simple enough for you?

3) Florida - This team works hard and has some good young talent. Vokoun can shut down anyone on any night - so they could sneak up on some people. They will hang around the playoffs and crap out at the end.

4) Carolina - Old, old, old. This team is the NHL's version of the San Francisco Giants. Rumor has them willing to part with Cole - are they high?

5) Atlanta Thrashers - This teams window has come and gone and now they have to blow it up. Hossa is trade bait and will be skating in a different uni by March (maybe in Teal....?)

NORTHWEST

1) Calgary - They will find themselves at the top of the leagues toughest division. Their mix of toughness and goaltending is a tough match up. Only question could be lack of scoring.

2) Colorado - Smyth works his magic in Denver. I think Sakic will be rejuvinated and this team is going to be a giant pain in the ass to play. Don't forget they also have King Shutdown, Scotty Hannan. I feel like hating the Avs again.

3) Vancouver - Injuries are already killing this team and I just have a hunch it will continue for the rest of the season.

4) Minnesota - I don't see them taking the "next step" as everyone says. When has Gaborik been healthy for an entire season? Is Backstrom really the real deal? I think this team middles around again and maybe gets a late playoff seed. I'm not buying what Minnesota is selling.

5) Edmonton - Sheldon Souray can blow me. He'll wish he signed with the Sharks by December.

PACIFIC
1) San Jose Sharks - This is not a homer pick, believe it or not. They are the real deal and are one veteran defensemen away from dominating the West. Nabby's health is also a minor concern because the net is thin after him...

2) Anahiem Ducks - I don't even think this is going to be close. The Ducks finish ten points behind the Sharks. They are going to miss Neidermeyer and Selanne big time and Bertuzzi either gets hurt early or sucks often.

3) LA Kings - I don't think they are going to be as bad as others think. The Kings will be difficult to play and are deep on the blueline. Goaltending is a serious issue but I see them adding Gerber any day now.

4) Dallas - This is the year this team fades away. Like New Jersey, the old guard has to die sometime. Bye Bye Dallas, we hardly knew you.

5) Phoenix - If the Sharks lose one game to Phoenix, I will shoot myself.

CENTRAL
1) Detroit - I want to play in the Central! Rafalski is an improvement over Schneider and they kept their core together. Hasek's health always a question.

2) St. Louis - I know Mikey likes the Preds and Blackhawks, but I see St. Louis as a bottom playoff team this year. Some dangerous veterans, solid D and a decent goalie could help them prey upon a weak division.

3) Nashville - Depressions set in when this team realizes their best forward is Jason Arnott. They need to deal one of their bluechip defensemen for some scoring help.

4) Chicago - There is finally hope in Chicago that the team has a glimmer of future. Young players will cause some excitement but in the end, the vets they have (Lang, Samsanov) are terrible and won't provide any leadership to help this club make the push.

5) Columbus - A wispy fart better than Phoenix. This team also has no direction. They have cap room after Foote and Federov leave next year, but no one will come. Barren wasteland.

I am calling a Sharks/Maple Leafs final. Nabby vs. Toskala. Oh the Drama!

The Inevitable, but Hopefully Entertaining

2007-09-27T09:23:00.001-07:00

2007-8 season predictions. Every damn blogger out there has 'em, and who am I to challenge my betters? It's mindless conformity that has made me who I am. And attracted our attractive readers, which I think I can now describe as "several", rather than "few" (recently upgraded from "both"). Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head.

Atlantic
1. Rangers - I drank the Kool-Aid, awright? I don't think Drury or Gomez will rock the boat too much. And I'm a fan of Jagr, though I forgot why. Their goaltending and D are definitely better than the...
2. Penguins - Young, dumb, and full of... you get the idea. Their PP will be electric, but winning games 6-5 is a risky proposition.
3. Flyers - Ok, they gained some dudes in the offseason, and they have some young guys. But when Derian Hatcher is still one of your best two defensemen, and you have a backup retread as your starting goalie, you'll be scratching to make the playoffs come January.
4. Devils - with a new coach, and a new system, it's time for this team to falter. The inevitable falling out between Sutter and Big Bad Lou will leave the team without a compass. I'd say it's even money that Lou will pull a "Claude Julien" on Sutter before April.
5. Islanders - Ted Nolan is a genius, and it's ridiculous that he couldn't get a job after leading the Sabres to the SCF all those years ago. But you can't polish a turd.

Northeast
1. Senators - Stood pat in the offseason, and it will pay off. Even if Heatley gets all uppity about his contract, this team has too much talent and experience to lose the division.
2. Sabres - I wanted to put this team after the Leafs, but I wussed out. They still have solid goaltending and some talent. I will go out on a limb and say that we will be questioning Vanek's contract by the end of the year.
3. Maple Leafs - Now with our dearly departed Tosk in net, the Leafs will finally make the playoffs. But if no young guns step it up, it could be a long season of watching Sundin get slower and slower.... eyes.... closing....
4. Canadiens - Just like the Leafs, without as good goaltending or defense. Or offense.
5. Bruins - Unless Kessel gets cancer again, there will be nothing to talk about for the hapless Bruins. You can send your angry emails to biteme@null.com.

Southeast
1. Lightning - Goaltending is a problem, and Boyle, on whom I have a man-crush, is a bit clumsy, ok?! With Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards, and several good defensive defensemen, Tampa Bay will again be on top, but only enough for the #3 seed.
2. Capitals - With Semin, AO, and Niclas Backstrom (no, the other one), this team will be dangerous every night. And long-forgotten Vezina winner Olaf Kolzig has still got some gas left in the tank.
3. Thrashers - I'm not sold on Lehtonen. I'm not sold on Kovalchuk, who can light it up, but is a defensive weakling. The only bona-fide they got is Hossa, who will only be looking to pad his stats so he can get the hell out of there.
4. Panthers - I feel bad for Horton, Bouwmeester and Jokinen, but if you can't win with Luongo, Vokoun is not the answer.
5. Hurricanes - So forgettable I forgot to include them in the first version of this post. 'Nuff said.

Central
1. Detroit - Stupid Wings. When are you jagoffs gonna screw up?! Can't a guy get a break?!
2. Predators - Man, I really wanted to put them third, but even though they lost some guys, they still have enough to win some games. I really wanted to push the...
3. Blackhawks - I liked this team even before their owner died. Hooboy, that was even worse than the cancer comment. Seriously though, with young talent and a Cup-winning goalie, and who knows, maybe even the ability to spend at the trade deadline for the first time in 35 years, this team is going places.
4. St. Louis - Odd combination of rickety old guys and not-ready-yet youngsters promises an occasionally-gratifying, yet mostly-frustrating season with plenty-of-dashes.
5. Blue Jackets - Blow it up already. Trade Nash, ditch Foote, and hire a decent scouting department. If they are smart, they'll pack it in by early December and try to get Tavares.

Northwest
1. Flames - This team proved last year that they can finally score, and this year, will lead them to the division title. If Kipper or Iginla falters or get injured though, watch out. They could fall quickly.
2. Wild - Niklas Backstrom (yes, that one) was my great early pick in fantasy, when some a$hole stole him from me. But I'm not bitter. He'll contend for the Vezina this year, and with Gaborik healthy, they'll be able to steal games from the...
3. Canucks - Luongo, while certainly in the Vezina hunt yet again, is not enough. This is the toughest division in hockey, and trotting out 89-year-old Trevor Linden may warm the ol' cockles of the heart, but is worth precisely squat on the ice.
4. Avalanche - Smyth, great addition. Man, do I wish the Sharks got him. Starting goaltender with no playoff experience and 2.75 lifetime GAA? Backed up by the worst backup (and highest paid) in hockey? Not so much.
5. Oilers - Kevin Lowe is becoming the Matt Millen of hockey. I like to see Canadian teams do well, really I do, but they will need divine intervention this year to get 75 points.

Pacific
1. Sharks - but only if the Ducks don't get Niedermayer (motto: "Waaah! I want to play with my brother!") and Selanne back. I still worry about the D, but I think we'll see Michalek turn into an All-Star this year.
2. Ducks - With no Selanne, Neids, or Penner, they are missing 103 goals from last year. I think they are hoping they can create a currency market where they can convert fighting majors (or ill-conceived mustaches) into scoring opportunities.
3. Stars - Booorrrring. I think I've heard this tune before- good D, just enough scoring, great goaltending, then the whole thing falls apart in the playoffs. Just don't sing it to the tune of SexyBack.
4. Kings - One year away from overtaking the Stars, and making a run of it. Let's put it this way- Scott Thornton is still on the roster.
5. Coyotes - Holy criminy, the Yotes are bad. The worst team in hockey. If you are a season ticket holder for this team, my hat is off to you. It's a "My eyes! These goggles do nothing!" situation.

The Roster - Grier Style

2007-09-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, great minds think alike Mikey. I happen to agree with almost all your roster predictions with a few possible exceptions.

I think Torrey Mitchell makes the big club this year. He is this seasons Vlasic story, the kid who came out of nowhere to grab a spot on the big club. Even if he only plays 50 games, Roenick and Brown will both need several nights off, especially on back to backs. He is an impact player, Mark Smith with much more skill and I see him as a staple in Teal for the next few years.

Bernier should be traded. His value is still high now but we currently have no roster spot for him and the Sharks are not in a position to wait and see if a player is going to pan out. Clowe, Pavelski, Setoguchi, Goc and, in my opinion, Torrey Mitchell, have all passed him on the depth chart. He is the odd man out and Doug Wilson could still get some value for him. If we let him sit as a healthy scratch, his value declines and the Sharks leverage declines. He is our best trading piece to get a potential impact veteran D-man to upgrade the #6 spot. I like Murray, but he is a #7 guy in my opinion.

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not a fan of Semenov, as you already know but I think the Sharks go with Semenov and cut ties with Ozolinsh....for now. If Sandis doesn't catch on with another team, or if he is willing to start the year at Worcester against live competition, he could be in a Sharks uniform sometime this Fall if someone gets hurt.

Here is my opening night roster and projected lines.

Clowe-Thornton-Cheechoo
Michalek-Marleau-Setoguchi
Grier-Roenick-Pavelski
Rismiller-Brown-Goc

McLaren, Rivet, Carle, Vlasic, Ehrhoff, Murray (unless Bernier is traded for D-man)

SCRATCHES: Rob Davison (wing/D), Semenov (D), Mitchell (F/C)

TRADED: Bernier for defensemen or goaltending depth.

My 23-man Roster Prediction

2007-09-24T13:27:00.001-07:00

As Grier mentioned in his last post, we will both be posting our opening day 23-man roster predictions, then laugh and point at each other when we get them wrong. I just read a story about the 7 guys jockeying for position for the last D spot, and it inspired me to give my predictions now, what the hell.

By the way, I'm only grouping them into lines because I don't want this post to be 20 pages long. The actual line combinations are too tough to call.

Forwards
1. Joe - Clowe - Cheech
2. Patty - Setoguchi - Michalek
3. Grier - Brown - Little Joe
4. Rissmiller - JR - Goc

Defense
1. McLaren - Ehrhoff
2. Rivet - Carle
3. Vlasic - Ozolinsh

Goalies
1. Nabby
2. Greiss

Spare Parts
1. Davison
2. Bernier
3. Murray

As you can see, I'm predicting Ozolinsh to make the team, which is my most controversial prediction. At this point, with all the cuts they've made, they clearly have seen something out of Ozolinsh. With Davison, Murray, McLaren, Vlasic, and Rivet all being solid D-first defensemen, I think the Sharks will take a flyer on the Oz, and hope he contributes some offensive spark.

This means Semenov is the odd man out. As Grier has said, he's too reminiscent of Mike Rathje. Too slow, and not really any bone crushing hits. He's got a 6-6, 235 lb frame in a division with the Ducks; he has to be a physical force to have a shot to make the club. At least Murray tries to level people. I put Davison at the top of the healthy scratch list because he's been willing to play a wing position as well, and unlike Bernier, is unafraid to get his hands dirty. Bernier we're stuck with- he's too valuable to release or send down, but not good enough to play every day. He's trade bait.

Preseason thoughts

2007-09-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

After four preseason games and seeing one in person this weekend, it appears the Sharks have a new attitude and some of the young kids are all growns up!

PAVELSKI and SETOGUCHI
Pavelski is taking the body, tough in the corners and scoring clutch goals in the preseason while Setoguchi has done nothing but bury the puck in the net. These two are a lock to make the club. The only question is who do they play with? Right now, The Gooch is making a case that he belongs on Joe or Patty's wing. I see Pavelski potentially raising hell with JR and Grier on the third line.

ANYONE HOME?
Does someone want to wake up Steve Bernier and tell him he's playing for a roster spot? Does this guy just think he's on the team? He is in for a rude surprise when he is either shipped to Worcester or traded away before the season starts. Use your powers for good Bernier! Atleast try and make this a tough call.

THE SIXTH DEFENSEMEN
It looks like it is down to a four horse race with Brennan Evans not standing out as much as I'd hoped and Brad Norton not seeing the ice this homestand. From all accounts, Murray played well tonight and Davison was okay. I thought Semenov was better than advertised on Friday, jumping into the play when needed and willing to play the cop role. Ozolinsh is the mystery man and reports of him being in great shape are all we've heard so far.

Mike and I will have a post soon about our opening night roster predictions and season forecasts. So far, the Sharks look motivated and aggressive. More later. GO SHARKS!

The Sharks' Last D Spot

2007-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

The 6th defenseman spot is a free-for-all. On one hand, we have the two guys that basically platooned it last year, Davison and Murray. On another hand, we have a crop of young guys and new guys fighting for it, like Semenov, Joslin, Norton, and our new hero, Brennan Evans. For the young ones out there, this is how you fight:

Pull the other guy's jersey over his head
Swing at will

And on the third hand, we have Sandis Ozolinsh. Grier pointed out this section of a recent article in the Mercury News:

If veteran defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh earns a spot on the roster, it'll be strictly based on what he shows in practice.
Under conditions imposed by the NHL because of his involvement in the league's substance-abuse program, Ozolinsh cannot play in any exhibition games. He pleaded guilty in June 2006 to driving while impaired.
Wilson said that Ozolinsh, who is attempting his comeback with the team that first drafted him, reported in excellent shape - something not lost on assistant coach Rob Zettler, a teammate during their stint together in San Jose.
"Zets says it's a totally different body than the last time he was here," Wilson said, adding that Ozolinsh is a strong skater whose outlet passes could prove valuable on the power play.

So the Sharks have to make a blind decision on a 35 year old guy who hasn't been effective in the NHL since 2003. The problem with all of this is, if whoever we choose doesn't work out, we could be in trouble. Any replacement player would probably be subject to clearing waivers.

Teal and White, almost useless

2007-09-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Almost. The most exciting things of the night (by far) was seeing the new scoreboard, the new 'ribbon' screen that goes around the arena on the upper deck, and the new unis. Ryan Garner has a full screed on it, and I agree with his major points.

The scoreboard is great. It's bigger, much clearer, and does away with the hard-coded section for penalties, time left, shots, and timeouts. It's all integrated into the large hi-def screen display. Replays are actually worth watching. It's not quite as good as a decent consumer plasma or LCD, probably because of the size, but a fantastic improvement. Watching the action on the screen is no longer useless, although you do see trails on the puck when it moves quickly, which is most of the time.

When I first saw pictures of the new unis on sjsharks.com yesterday, I was a little disappointed. I thought the teal was too bright, and I'm not a huge fan of the orange. I'm happy to report that the teal has not changed at all- I stood next to a guy with the new jersey wearing my old teal jersey, and the colors are the same. I'm not sure I like the shoulders, and wish they'd use the fin logo instead, but I'm ok with the overall look. The new home whites are actually pretty snazzy.

Enough about fashion. Supposedly a game happened, but I think I blocked it out. It was basically an 'A' level Sharks Ice game without the intensity. (For those not in SJ, Sharks Ice is the local place where the Sharks practice, and where I play amateur hockey. Badly.) Everyone was trying to thread the needle with passes, often bypassing a good shooting opportunity. Might be kind of exciting when it's Joe making the passes, but it's dull when it's Brad Norton. The goalies looked good- there were some times where I got to see Dakers' positioning and Greiss' blinding lateral speed. But the game ended in a 0-0 tie, then went to an unwatchable shootout, with only Steve Bernier scoring. Joe's shootout attempt was so lazy and slow that if I wasn't already bored with the whole thing, I would have been insulted.

Unfortunately, the quality of the game was so bad that it wasn't even possible to do any evaluation on the young kids and new players. Devin Setoguchi has good speed, Ty Wishart is a beast, and Logan Couture needs to gain size. But that's about all I could see. I'm hoping they will get good minutes in the preseason, so I can properly form an opinion about their chances of making the big club. The way the roster is so jammed up right now, Setoguchi may be the only one with a decent shot.

Since there probably won't be anything that exciting to debut next year, I have doubts about going. If I do go, I'll want to go early so I can at least get some free stuff.

Ozolinsh - Why not?

2007-09-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for my prediction to come true - a veteran defensemen to join the Sharks core before the season started. Doug Wilson did deliver this player in a blast from the past that I think no one saw coming. Sandis Ozolinsh is in Sharks camp to give it one more go on a player try out and I say - why not? This can only be a good thing. If he has nothing in the tank, he is cut loose. If he can regain any of his seven time All Star form, than it is a huge bonus for the Sharkies. I think he could have something left and here is why...

Throwing last season out, in 05-06 Ozolinsh put up respectable numbers for the Ducks and Rangers in 36 games. He missed part of that season with a rib injury and a 19 game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. If he had played all 82 games, here are his projected stats.

2005-06 8 goals 32 assists 40 points 64 PIM

These are not the numbers of a washed up player. Last year he suffered multiple knee injuries and showed nothing in 21 games with the Rangers. Which Ozolinsh are the Sharks getting? I'm excited to find out. At the very least his presence will push Semenov, Murray and Davison to step up their game in hopes of gaining the sixth D-man role.

TEAL AND WHITE GAME TONIGHT! Mike and I will give a full report tomorrow.

Ring Your Bell

2007-09-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

The NHL has finally decided on Mark Bell's punishment and thankfully he will be serving his fifteen game suspension as part of the Toronto Maple Leafs and not wasting a Sharks roster spot, like he did last season. I think the punishment is just and sends a message to all hockey players and professional athletes that drinking and driving sucks and criminal behavior will not be tolerated by the league.

Speaking of drinking, Hockeybuzz.com blogger Howard Berger must have had a few Canadien whisky shots when writing the following words, "Mark Bell Comeback Player of the Year". Read for yourself - obviously they haven't been exposed to this overrated player that provides some good thrills as a goon but little else in the way of skill. Anyone who runs from a hit and run car accident doesn't have the character to mount a comeback. He should call Lindsey Lohan and maybe they can be cellmates?

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=9341

Great Pickup for the Sharks, if they made it 10 years ago

2007-09-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

The newest Shark? Jeremy Roenick. No cap considerations to worry about, he's only making half a million dollars. But with all the young players we got, this makes no sense. After the obvious first line (Cheech, Joe, Michalek) look at the list of other players with a reasonable shot to make the team. Marleau, Pavelski, Grier, Clowe, Goc, Brown, Rissmiller, Bernier, Setoguchi, Kaspar, and now Roenick. I'm not a hockey GM or anything like that, but something says that there's a logjam here. That's 5 lines worth of offense.

Grier seems to think that there's a deal in the works for D, trading away some of these younger players (Goc, Pavelski, and Bernier seem likely candidates), but I still think Grier is on a bit of the 'ol crack. If there was a deal in the works, it would have happened by now. And there are several other free agents still out there that make more sense.

MARLEAU IN THE FOLD!!

2007-08-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Doug Wilson is at it again, signing Patrick Marleau to a two year contract extension worth over six million dollars per season, keeping him in a Sharks uniform until 2010. As I said in my last post, this was a necessary move by the Sharks and another step towards keeping this excellent core of young players intact. Losing Marleaus's 80 points would have been impossible to replace within the organization and the trade value did not seem to be there in the current market (the latest rumor of Montreal offering a young defensemen and Michael Ryder does not equal Marleau's value). Now the team has locked up their main players for a long term run at Lord Stanley and I would assume Wilson will now turn his focus towards extending the younger second and third year players.

Mike and I are both in agreement that Wilson is still trolling for a veteran defensemen to take the pressure off Carle playing 18 minutes a night and preventing Murray/Davison/Semenov from seeing regular minutes as the sixth defensmen. There are two routes Wilson can go to acquire such a player. He can sign from the limited pool of UFA's, offering a two year deal to Danny Markov or Brent Sopel - the two most attractive players left on the market in my opinion. Markov offers more hard hitting and defensive responsibility while Sopel can be more effective on the power play. Sopel also is a right handed shot, something the Sharks need since Rivet is their only other option from the point. Option number two involves making a deal involving a young player or prospect. Players that have been rumored to be available are Derek Morris (Phoenix), Paul Mara (Rangers), and Spacek (Buffalo). They all are top four defensemen that have salaries under four million dollars and can play 16-18 minutes a night with some offensive upside. It may not be the bombsell acquisition we expected but since Souray choose to grab the cash and freeze his ass off for a non playoff team, Wilson had to turn to Plan B.

In the end, I am more excited than ever for the season to start. As a season ticket holder, it is refreshing to see a team keep their core together and to see the players give up a larger payday to commit to winning a Stanley Cup in San Jose.

Podcast

2007-08-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Anybody listen to hockey podcasts? It's a fairly barren landscape. The Sharks have a official one, with the announcers from the radio and TV all together. It's good stuff, but it's on a erratic schedule. I remember mid-season they went a couple of months without a new one. I looked through iTunes, and going by the "Popularity" field (which may be completely bogus) there's only a couple of non-official podcasts that anyone listens to.

I'm still looking for one that I can get excited about. Generally I'm starved for hockey coverage- the local Mercury News has had pretty few articles this offseason. I check the NHL page of ESPN, and TSN most days, and get feeds of tons of blogs through Google Reader. As a fan of PTI, I long for something along those lines, but for hockey. I think I can count on one hand the number of hockey stories that PTI has done in the last year, most probably on Rick Tocchet. They generally do a "who ya got" thing in the playoffs a few times (I think Wilbon picked against the Sharks every time).

Maybe I just miss NHL 2Nite, the ESPN2 show on hockey that went by the wayside a few years back. But I can't help thinking that there is a market for an entertaining show addressing hockey topics. Most of the podcasts I've found are pretty dry- lots of reading of news stories, breaking down rosters, and the like. Personally, that's the type of stuff I like to read, not listen to.

So questions - Are there any great hockey podcasts out there? If not, would you listen to a hockey podcast that has the accent on 'tainment' in infotainment? And finally, what sort of stuff would you want in that format? All comments welcome.

Smelling Offensive and Getting Defensive

2007-08-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

After reading about the Michalek signing today, I started to think about what Doug Wilson accomplished this offseason. Lots of Sharks fans, myself included, have been calling for Wilson to make a big splash and shake up the team. We have even gone so far as to suggest he trade the face of the franchise in Patrick Marleau to get help on the blueline. I admit I was intrigued by the prospect of getting a #1 defesemen for Marleau, but after Redden rejected us, the well dried up. We need to keep the Captain, if he were to leave, who would replace his 80 points of offense? Without Marleau, the Sharks attack would truely be "offensive".
I think the line combos are unknown at this point and the roster has too many centers, seven to be exact. I know Marleau can swing to the wing, but that still leaves Goc, Pavelksi, Brown, Rissmiller and Plihal. Something needs to be done there...

As for the defense, I expect big things from Matt Carle this year. He is only 22 and showed early in the season he can dominate the power play. I think a 55 point season from him is not unreasonable. I am expecting an improvement from fellow All Rookie Team member Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the offensive end as well. He has shown more offensive explosion in the past, scoring 73 points in 2005-06 in Juniors. I think we could see him evolve into more than just a "Hannan" stay at home d-man. With these two continuing to progress, McLaren, Rivet and Ehrhoff will provide steady play. In the end, Doug Wilson was wise not to overpay for a one trick pony like Sheldon Souray. He would have been such a black hole in his own end, it would have hurt Carle and Vlasic's developement. I don't think Wilson will stick with Douglas Murray for the sixth defensemen when the season starts. Could a one year deal be in the works for Danny Markov, as rumored by Eklund? Could the Sharks sign a inexpensive vet like Brent Sopel or David Tanabe to fill the hole until 2006 first round pick Ty Wishert is ready (which could be as soon as next year)

Is there one more deal in the works? I think maybe. As I said before, there is a glut at the center position. We have salary cap space to spare, so would a team take a young, promising center like Marcel Goc or Patrick Rissmiller in a package to get a veteran forward off their books? I could see Boston sending gritty winger P.J. Axelsson or Glen Murray in return for some younger players. Just a thought...

In the end, I have decided not to panic, not to be bitter and to enjoy the fact that we have a franchise that has chosen to keep its core together instead of bringing in new players every year in a merry-go-round of overpriced vets (see New York Rangers). I do believe the Sharks can win now with this current roster. In a matter of weeks, we shall see. Hopefull, Marleau will be signed and my new jersey will have arrived!

Little Things

2007-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

So Grier and I are semi-addicted to Eklund, an 'anonymous' blogger on hockeybuzz.com. It's pretty much impossible to be a reader of hockey blogs without running into various opinions on Eklund, whether he's helping or hurting the reputations of hockey bloggers and journalists. If you really want to read about that stuff, you can start with our blog roll on the right. I'm going to stay out of it really, because it doesn't seem like that significant of a story.
So Grier is convinced that Doug Wilson has a big trade in the works. Supposedly we were going to trade for Redden, but he invoked his NTC. I'm not convinced that Wilson can make anything happen this late. There are several rumors floating around, and I'm not going to spread gossip. Oh, what the hell. Grier is seeing a three-way trade possibility with ourselves (Marleau), the Habs (Ryder or Higgins) and the Kings (Visnovsky). Adding Visnovsky would be an absolute coup. I hope it can happen.
Grier has recently gone to the Tank (for an event that shall remain unnamed) and reports that the new scoreboard is just amazing. Can't wait for the first preseason game.

Waiting game....

2007-08-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

As Sharks fans we have been waiting all summer. Waiting to see what the changes inside the Tank. Waiting to see what the Sharks new logo will look like. Waiting on Doug Wilson to make good on his promise to improve the Sharks roster in order to achieve the goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

Hockeybuzz.com has reported rumors for weeks about Montreal, Toronto and Boston's interest in acquiring Marleau. I know Doug Wilson has said repeatedly he is not shopping Marleau, but I think he did make it known that the captain could be had for the right price, which MUST include a top defensemen and/or a 30+ goal scoring winger. I would hope that if we do business with Boston, a team that is majorly cap strapped, we would only deal Marleau if Zdeno Chara was included in the deal. If somehow we can get Glen Murray and Chara from the B's for Marleau and Ehrhoff, the Sharks would vault to the top of the Western Conference. It would leave us roughly 17 million to resign RFA's Carle, Michalek, Bernier and Clowe. It makes sense for the team to win now while not giving up too much of our future. If we deal with Toronto, we have been rumored to be linked to Pavel Kubina, who I don't see as a solution to our problem. Marleau for McCabe - now we're talking. I don't see what Montreal has that we would want. Ryder is on a one year deal, so there is no advantage to adding him for Marleau - you may as well keep the captain.

Doug Wilson is clearly working to improve the roster. With the Ducks losing ground, I think he can smell the chance to become the front runner in the Pacific. Do not give up the captain unless we get extreme value in return! If Jovo-Cop is on the block, make an offer of some young players to get him on the team. Let's get defensive!

Big Daddy Drew

2007-08-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

No, not that one. Although KSK is must reading. In particular, this post, which left me laughing for about ten minutes, and I still laugh out loud every time I read it, which is fairly often.

But I digress. Drew Remenda is back! He signed a multi-year deal with Fox Sports to go back to being the color guy next to Randy Hahn. I'm so tortured- I want to know so badly what became of Marty McSorely, who left suddenly during the playoffs. No word has come why Marty left, whether it was personal, professional, or a combination of both nobody knows. And nobody seems to really care, except me. I guess life is full of little disappointments. I'll get over it.

I think Drew is better in the booth, though I did like Marty. And Shark Byte without Drew was completely unwatchable. With Drew, it was merely lame. Don't get me wrong, Shark Byte is a good program- any exposure the Sharks and hockey in general can get is a good thing. But I'm not the right audience for it. As someone who plays hockey, watches hockey, goes to hockey games, and thinks about hockey a fair amount, the show is a little boring sometimes. But it's going back on the TiVo now. I can just skip past the segments where Rob Zettler talks about how to block shots, with the lesson being to get yourself between the puck and goal. Thanks for the revelation.

New Logo

2007-07-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Sharks announced their new logo today, along with several accompanying logos, to be used either as patches on the sleeve, or for merchandise. If you are a Sharks fan, chances are you've already seen it- it's been leaked for a couple of weeks now. It's quite similar to the old logo. The triangle is more curvy, the shark itself is going more down than to the right, and there's more teal in the shark. Also a yellow-orange is introduced as an accent color, which I kind of hate. Too much like the Ducks. I like this shield crest the best:

This isn't the right logo for the jersey though. It would be cool as a small front logo on a shirt or something. I might need to get myself a new hat, I lost mine last year. But looking at the online store, they're still using the old logo, and don't have any merchandise with the new designs. Way to bungle a sales opportunity, guys.

Worst Signings

2007-07-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Now that Grier is off on a much-deserved vacation for the next week or two, it's time for me to pick up some slack. And because there is so little Sharks news happening, I'll have to turn to league-wide news and controversy. This is something I've been thinking about for a while, and I finally have a little bit of time to write about it.

So Rudy Kelly at BoC wrote a post called "Anger... Rising" (great title, by the way) about Adam Proteau's article naming Lubomir Vishnovsky as one of the offseason's 5 worst signings. First of all, I agree with Kelly that Vish shouldn't be on the list. He's an oft-overlooked defensemen, mostly because he plays for the Kings, who aren't any good.

Actually, I think I agree with Proteau on only one of his 5 'worst' signings, and that is Todd Bertuzzi. $4M per year is a nice lottery win for Bert, who's managed to do just about nothing good in the league since the Steve Moore incident. He was part of a huge trade that brought Roberto Luongo to Vancouver, hurt his back, then was quickly run out of town in Florida. He landed in Detroit, where he played uninspiring minutes the entire postseason. Maybe he's worth throwing a couple mil at, in hopes he can return to his dominating style when he had Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund at his side. Doubling that number is nothing more than wishful thinking, idiocy, or both.

Here's four others, in no particular order

Chris Drury - 5 years, $35.25M ($7.1M per year). I think I've made my thoughts on Drury fairly clear before. I like him. I think he's a fine player, and a leader. He's a good faceoff man. But he's never scored 70 points in any one of his 8 full NHL seasons. Spending that kind of money on a second line center is stupid. Ranger stupid.
Scott Hartnell - 6 years $25.2 million ($4.2M per year). Hartnell's had 6 years in the bigs, and hasn't even topped 50 points. He's only 25, so I can imagine future upside, but we'd have to see a major rebirth to explain that kind of money.
Cory Sarich - 5 years, $18M ($3.6M per year). Played less than 20 minutes per game his entire career, only been a plus player once, never scored more than 20 points in a season. If you said "who the hell is Cory Sarich?" I would understand. Only my obsession with hockey and my brain's freaky ability to retain names kept me from saying the same thing.
Bill Guerin - 2 years, $9M ($4.5M per year). This makes Keith Tkachuk (2 years, $8M) seem like a bargain. Guerin is 38 years old. Why the Isles didn't throw this money at Jason Blake is beyond me. Guerin will help a struggling team win nothing. You want a better leader for less money, go get Mike Keane.

One thing I've thought about is in these long term contracts the team might be hoping that the player 'grows into' it, and the last couple of years in the contract they are a bargain. First of all, this might very well be offset by overpaying the first few years of the contract. Secondly, that's assuming that these players will still be that good in a few years. I don't know of many players you can be that sure about.

Rumor Mill

2007-07-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Just to keep the pot officially stirred - I read an interesting rumor posted by Eklund on hockeybuzz.com that the Sharks are close to making a deal for (wait for it) Wade Redden. He says the asking price might be Marleau, which doesn't make much sense. Ottawa could not afford to keep Marleau, so he would purely be a rental where the Sharks would make every effort to sign Redden right away to keep the #1 defensemen Wilson covets. I am guessing there is a third team involved here that wants Marleau (Edmonton? Montreal?) that has the pieces that will make sense for Ottawa in this deal.

We shall see...if Redden comes, remember you heard it here first! Let's hope it can happen without giving up the Captain.

Poor Man's Sean Avery

2007-07-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Sean Avery. He's got it all. Big time hockey career that has taken him from Hollywood to the Big Apple. Talent and grit that allows him to score or fight, whatever suits his mood. A hot girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert, that sweet piece from 24 and a host of slasher films where you see her running in the wood, boobies bouncing in the breeze.

For Doug Wilson, Sean Avery was not availabe as a restricted FA for the Rangers. Wilson obviously covets the trio of skills listed above and instead signed the next best thing. Sharks fans meet....Brad Norton. Let's examine.

BIG TIME CAREER - Um...not really. He did play four games for the Red Wings last year getting into four fights. The ones I saw on You Tube show him getting his ass kicked pretty regularly by mid level tough guys. Result - negative.

TALENT - Not really from the research I gathered. There's a reason why he's played for five NHL teams and bounced around the IHL and AHL. Does he like to fight, apparently. 124 career NHL games and 287 PIM. Cheaper than Scott Parker I suppose, but Parker actually seemed to win his fights.

HOT WIFE - Check! Bingo - thank you Doug Wilson. Brad Norton's wife is Tiffany Granath, model and host of Playboy's afternoon radio show on Sirius. Heard her on Howard Stern and she is HOT! I hope she gets seats in my section! MAHALO!

http://www.tiffanygranath.com/

Sad when this is the big news of the week, but alas, it is. We look forward to watching you fight, oh brave Brad Norton. Whether you win, place or show - you will always have a hot piece of ass wife for us to stare at. Amen Sharks fans. Amen.

Souray wants his mommy

2007-07-12T16:38:00.001-07:00

So instead of coming to a team on the cusp of winning a Stanley Cup, Souray showed his true colors and played it safe by going home to Edmonton to play for a bottom feeder team that is headed nowhere fast. Congrats to Kevin Lowe for getting someone to take part of the 20 million he has to offer. I am disappointed, but I still trust Doug Wilson and we have no reason not to. We know he takes pride on building from within, he pulled off the biggest heist in league history by landing Big Joe and he has had excellent draft after excellent draft. My man Mike is upset and he has every right - but to say the Sharks are a border line playoff team and that we have "the worst D in the division" I think is just the piss and vinegar talking.

Here are the Sharks current top six defensemen.

Vlasic, McLaren, Rivet, Carle, Ehrhoff and ??? (Wilson is going to add another veteran defensemen - I stand by this statement)

Now take a look at the rest of the division and how I rank the units.

#1 - Dallas Stars - Stars have a strong veteran group and are five deep.
#2 - Los Angeles Kings - Kings have improved considerably on the blue line and will have Jack Johnson for a full year.
#3 - San Jose Sharks - We have two rising stars in both All Rookie defensemen from last year. No other team in the division can stake this claim.
#4 - Anahiem Ducks - Schneider for Neidermeyer is not an equal trade. The Ducks have become considerably less scary and just as old. They don't have a young core of D.
#5 - Phoenix Coyotes - Yikes! After Michalek, JovoCop and Morris, is there anyone left??

Now that Souray has signed, the rest of the UFA crop will fall into place. Sopel, Markov and Sutton will find homes now and we'll see what Wilson has up his sleeve. So put the shitburger back Mike and don't forget how good this team is. I still believe that Wilson has something in the works that will not only make the Sharks better, but the Sharks will take a step closer to the Cup. Whether it is trading for a Redden or adding a C+ veteran like Sopel, the Sharks will contend for the Pacific Division crown.

Cancel that, the saga is over

2007-07-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Souray signs with the Oilers. Sportsnet reports it as a 5 year, $27M deal. That comes out to $5.4M per year. So I can revel in the fact that I was right, and now that we went 0 for 4 on the guys I mentioned, the Sharks need to scramble to hold on in the Pacific division.

Some thoughts while I'm still nice and bitter:

Have fun with that 9 month winter
Enjoy playing for a team that couldn't sign their captain or best defensemen, and replaced the D with two players that were a combined -53 least season
I can't imagine the Sharks offered less than that kind of money, which probably makes Souray the 2nd player in two years to take less money to not play for the Sharks.
Rob Davison or Doug Murray? Kind of like, should I eat a shitburger or a tofurkey for lunch?

Unless Doug Wilson pulls another Thornton-esque trade out of his ass, we'll have the worst D in the division, while watching several other teams in the West get better. If Carle and Ehrhoff don't step it up in a major way this season, the Sharks could be fighting for a playoff spot. Figure the Wings, Ducks, Avs, Flames are locks, with Dallas, Minnesota, and Vancouver likely.