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Let it be known that I have complete faith in what moves that Doug Wilson makes.  I, like everyone else was livid about how last season ended but unlike others, I was (and still not) in favor of blowing up the team.  I don't subscribe to the thinking of make a trade just to make a trade.  I am probably in the minority right now but I would not be against going into next season with the team as it is currently constructed.  Scott Nicol brings the agitator we have always needed and there are a few rosters spots for the young guys to fight for.  If you believe some of the reports, the NHL is in the middle of a possible armageddon salary-wise.   That would put us in a good position and very flexible to do some things with Marleau, Blake and Nabby's contracts up after next season.  That is roughly 16 million coming off the cap if it becomes lower next year. 

If you have been followingthe Heatley sopa opera he has asked for a trade, Ottawa has obliged him by trading him to Edmonton only to have Heatley invoke his no-trade and veto it.  It is rumored that he would like to come to the Sharks and he is known to love California.   With EDM GM Steve Tambellinicoming out publically and saying they are no longer pursuing Heatley, OTT GM Bryan Murray is in a tough spot.  I can't imagine OTT welcoming back Heatley and if no other teams come forward he might be obliged to accept any reasonable offer.  The latest rumor coming out of OTT (take it for what it is worth) has the Sharks offering Ehrhoff, Cheechoo and a 1st rounder for the sniper.  OTT has thought to have no interest in Cheechoo so they are trying to bring in a 3rd team (MONT?).  From the outside, Heatley doesn't seem to be a Wilson type player (perceived locker room cancer, known to complain about ice time, etc).  This doesn't even take into account his salary and cap implications.  Heatley's salary cap figure is 7.5 which would top Joe's, but with OTT paying a 4 million dollar bonus earlier this year, the Sharks would only be on the hook for 4 mill this year which is more than reasonable for a player of his ability.  Wayne Thomas, Sharks assistant GM, was a college roommate of Heatley's dad so maybe the Sharks have some insider information about Heatley's makeup as a player.  Being up to the cap like we are this trade cannot occur without some salaries going to OTT or elsewhere so that makes Ehrhoff, Cheechoo and Michalek prime trade chips.  I am still not sold on acquiring Heatley for various reasons (length of salary, reputation, etc) but if we can get him without giving up Patty or Milan then Wilson has played a nice game of chicken and waited out Murray and got Heatley at a good price.  Sounds somewhat similiar to a trade for a much maligined BOS star that Wilson pulled off a few years ago and that seemed to work pretty well.  Here would be a possible opening night lineup:

Thornton-Marleau-Heatley

Pavelski-Clowe-Michalek

Mitchell-Mcginn-Setoguchi

Nicol-Shelley-Staubitz

 

Vlasic-Blake

Boyle-Huskins

Murray-Lukowich

 

Nabakov-Greiss

Not a bad opening night lineup.  Whatever you do Doug Wilson, I have faith in your judgement. 

I have been sitting here for 1/2 hour trying to figure out what to say.  If I started writing after the game it would be just a bunch of swearing.  How the hell do you come out in a playoff game and play like that.  I always hate when people say you have no heart but what can you say.  Show some passion...anyone.  They come out and played well for the 1st period.  It was almost like they could not score after a strong start and then just laid down.  Somebody needs to step up and lead.

Marleau: probably injured, sick father but if you are the modern day Steve Yzerman, do you think Steve Y would let a team show no passion and energy?

Thornton: wonderful pass tonight........ to Getzlaf    

Cheechoo: if you are looking for your jock, you left it on the ice when Ryan skated around you to score the game's 1st goal.

I'm just speechless.....I've got nothing   

First the good things.  Dan Boyle was all over the ice.  The players played with passion and were physical.  After G2, Boyle was the only player who seemed to be pissed off and let his feelings be known after the game.  He backed up his talk with the best game of the series.  

Leave it to a Sharks fan to focus on a negative when so many things went well tonight.  When did Joe Thornton become the NHL's version of A-Rod?  For you non-baseball fans, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is known to have monster regular seasons (sound familiar?) and come playoff time he becomes invisible.  Sure Joe had a nice assist on Boyle's first goal but he seems like he doesn't want the puck.  When he gets it, the Ducks rush 2 guys at him and Joe wants to get rid of it quickly and is making careless passes to noone in particular.   Joe has to make himself a factor in the series.  If he doesn't score or pass he has to stand in front of the net or become a physical presence.  The Sharks (and Joe) play so much better when the game is physical and they use their size.  Message to Joe: SHOW US SOMETHING DURING G4....PLEASE!!!!!        

As I was driving home from the game tonight my first thought was what the hell just happenend the last few days.  Then I starting thinking.

-the Power Play looks like it has 5 guys who have never worked together ever.

-Why is Ehrhoff playing?  The Ducks have a great game plan of letting him play the puck.

-Why do our D-men drop back and let the Ducks play with the puck? 

-Getzlaf and Perry are unstoppable and outplaying Marleau and Thornton

I always defended Thornton when Boston fans criticized him for his lack of playoff success.  If you are one of the top players in the league you have to show it in the playoffs.  Joe has been invisible these 2 games.  Randy Hahn was on sportstalk radio a few days ago and made an interesting observation.  He mentioned how the Ducks were making a conscious effort NOT to hit Thornton since he plays better when he is physical.  What the hell?  Getzlaf and Perry are doing what Marleau and Thornton should be doing, controlling the play. 

I went into this series thinking it would be a war with the Ducks playing like they do in the regular season and trying to muck it up.  They have not even had to resort to this type of play the 1st 2 games. 

Looks like it is time to get the golf clubs out.   

  

With one week to go until the "real" trade deadline, Doug Wilson resorts to his favorite tagline.  The Sharks are in an unusually situation, not needing to do anything but knowing the MO of Wilson, you can expect a few minor tweaks.  I can see bringing in more Stanley Cup experience.  Not being a salary cap guru, I am not sure how much salary they can take back without going over the cap.   Without going into specific names, I think they need a veteran D-man (a Havelid or Sydor type).  When Semenov is your 7th D-man, I am not too comfortable if/when a top 6 guy goes down.  Semenov has been playing better lately but everytime I see him on the ice all I can think of is the OT game last year when a puck went off his skate in Anaheim and a game earlier this year when he gloved a shot into his own net.  You might be able to get a depth D-man without giving up a regular but what if Wilson thinks big and goes for the knockout blow trade.  There are simmering rumors about Pronger being available but I doubt Anaheim trades him within the division and it would take quite a package of young players to get that done. 

How important is tomorrow's game versus Detroit?  A Detroit win would make it a 2-2 season series with the home team winning both games.  For the first time, both teams will be rested as neither team plays the night before.  Interesting to see what happens.           

I spent half the season wondering where Cheech has been.  I think all Sharks fans gave him a pass last season because of the hernia surgery and he just never looked healthy all season long.  This was to be his bounce back year.  Reunited with Thornton nobody expected 56 goals but 30 would of been nice.  Cheech's slow start was masked by the team's fast start and Seto seemed to settle in on the Patty/Joe line.  Another injury seemed to slow him down again this year but he seems to be finally coming around.  2 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games doesn't sound like much but you always know he is playing well when he is around the puck and the puck seems to hovering around him like the old days.  Plus it doesn't hurt to have Joe feeding you the puck.  It will be interesting to see what happens now that Seto is back.  What does McClellan do now?  The last game versus Minnesota there were times Joe was playing w/ Cheech and Seto and Patty seemed to be on the 4th line.  (The game was not on TV so it was hard to tell if he was just double shifting of being punished.)  It will be a nice problem to have but is it possible to have 4 guys on 1 line? 

Young D-man Derek Joslin was brought up today and it sounds like he will get a chance to play.  I was hoping another Dman would be brought in just so Semenov doesn't see the ice again..  With Murray nursing an injury and Ehrhoff being his old inconsistent self Joslin will get a chance to prove himself.

Interesting article on ESPN about the next Winter Classic location. 

I think the Colorado Avalanche are pretty interested. Believe it or not, so are the San Jose Sharks. And the believe-it-or-not rumor this week was a possible game in SoCal involving the Los Angeles Kings. But as our colleague Mark Spector of Rogers Sportsnet argued this week, it's not about the 100,000 crowds.

I am guessing they meant having a game at the LA Coliseum.   That would be interesting but I am guessing that won't happen anytime soon.  I would guess the next one would be at the new Yankee stadium or Fenway.   

I owe you an apology Doug Wilson. We traded a #1 pick and Bernier for "the missing piece". Brian Campbell became the best D-man we ever had. He was going to lead us to the promised land. Then the playoffs began, I defended Campbell thinking he was injured when he just sucked and could not stand up to the rough play of the Calgary Flames. You wanted to go back to the East to be closer to your family when in reality you took the highest offer and took your spin-o-rama to Chicago. Can't blame you for taking that contract but F-you anyway. I am thinking what do we do now. We sign an "over the hill" Rob Blake..ok fine. Then 2 days later we trade Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a #1 pick and a #4 pick for Dan Boyle. Are you out of your mind?

5 months later the Boyle trade looks like a steal. Boyle is a better D-man than Campbell at 500k cheaper. Boyle is the "point guard" for the Sharks, always knowing where everyone else is and controlling the PP. Thank you Campbell for being greedy and leaving and thanks CHI for offering such a ridiculous contract.

Opening night is always a fun time. It was a little subdued, no laser light show or other pre-game theatrics. Can anyone tell me where the Sharks head was? The players skating out without it was kinda weird. It was nice to see an unveiling of another division banner but that is not the banner that we want.

The "new" style of play was pretty evident. Centers were driving toward the net and players seemed to be moving all the time. Somebody must of put a picture of Ron Wilson's face outside the crease as Patrick Marleau was actually seen in front of the net screening Giguere. The power play was generating scoring chance after scoring chance. Noticably absent from the half wall, Joe Thornton played more like a power forward. Last year it seems the power play was "let's get Joe the puck and let him create." Sure it is only one game but there was a decided effort to get the puck to the point and let Rob Blake fire away. Opposing defenses will have to start respecting our point men, which they never had to before. Even if Blake's shots were off target, just the threat of him back there seemed to give the forwards extra space. Dan Boyle seemed to never leave the ice and looked like the puck mover we have always needed. Good riddance Brian Campbell.

On a lighter note and Rudy should love this one. This guy behind me was explaining to his girlfriend about all the different players. When he got to Rudy's favorite Corey Perry here is his description: "That guy is a really good player, 50 goal potential, one of the best players in the league (all which is debatable)........but he is a real PRICK. That got me laughing. This weekend is a home/home with the Kings. Rob Blake's homecoming on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see the reaction he gets.

Mark down Nov 5th Kings fans, as your beloved will be on an episode of "The Price is Right." Luc Robitaille, Derek Armstrong, Denis Gauthier, Kyle Calder, Dustin Brown and their mascot Bailey will make an appearance with host Drew Carey. (Boy I miss Bob Barker and his pencil thin, long microphone, not to mention all the sex stories about him and Barker's Beauties...but I digress). It will be funny to see Calder playing Plinko or Brown guessing how much a blender costs. They need to have the Sharks, Ducks and Kings on an episode of Family Feud to settle the BOC for real.

For those keeping score, Rob Blake is wearing #5 for the Sharks. That is until Kyle McLaren gets shipped out and Blake can have his number back. I am sure several season ticket holders were surprised to see a guy with McLaren on the back skating around the practice on Tuesday. Don't be alarmed, it was only Frazar McLaren, a rookie goon trying to make the team.

Who are they guys? It sounds like a comedy show on VH1. Sounds like more depth for the Worcester Sharks.

The schedule was announced today. Highlights:

-Eastern teams coming to SJ include: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, Toronto, NY Rangers, Tampa Bay. Greg Jamison must be doing cartwheels in the front office. He could not ask for a better group of eastern teams to visit.

-The longest road trip is only 5 games? We are so used to seeing 8, 9, or even a 10 game trip each year during February.

-Opening night versus the Ducks. I don't remember the last time we have ever opened versus a division opponent.

Rob Blake has finally made his way on to the roster on the Sharks website. The big question is what number he will be wearing. If we cannot get rid of the human pylon Kyle Mclaren, Blake will be forced to choose a new number. #44? Sorry, Vlasic has that one.

Is anyone else concerned about the lack of a Ryane Clowe contract? A few weeks ago both sides said they had a handshake agreement and the only thing left was Clowe to decide how many years he wanted. This better get done before Kevin Lowe comes in and offers him and 8 year deal for $80 million.

Went to Tahoe for the celebrity golf tourny last weekend and got some good pictures w/ Roenick (playing golf w/ a stogie in one hand and a Bloody Mary in the other..nice), Sakic, Lemieux. Big disappointment to not see Gretzky on the day I was there. Will post some pictures once they are uploaded.

Only a few days ago Sharks fans were wondering what Doug Wilson was doing (or not doing) as every team in the league seemed to be doing something in Free Agency. I mentioned here how I was glad Wilson was being fiscally responsible as other GM's were throwing money around. Well, in the last 24 hours the Sharks have 3 new D-men and (if I am doing my math correctly) 4 Stanley Cup rings. To summarize:

-Sign Rob Blake (1 yr/5mill): overpaid for an aging D-man but it will be nice to have a D-man who will shoot from the point. (I can picture Kings fans now "but who knows where the shot is going?")

-Trade Matt Carle, Ty Wishart and picks for Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich: At first I was happy about this trade, but including Wishart is a hefty price. I was thinking Wishart was one of the closest we had to being brought up and given a chance. Wilson must have a lot of faith in youngsters Petrecki, Joslin and others. For the 2nd year in a row, Mike has gotten one of his favorite players on to the Sharks (JR, now Boyle). NO! we better not be getting Forsberg next. The random Dan Boyle superhero action figure he bought on eBay a few years ago needs to be brought out.

-Trade Craig Rivet for two 2nd rounders: I figure this is a salary dump. Lukowich bascially fills the role of Rivet at 1/2 the price. Rivet makes 3.5 per while Lukowich makes 1.65 then 1.8.

All of this movement and I don't think Wilson is done. If the rumored signing of Bret Hedican is true, that would give us 8 D-men. Here are the proposed lines as I see them.

Thornton-Cheechoo-Michalek
Pavelski-Marleau-Setoguchi
Mitchell-Grier-Clowe
Roenick-Goc-Shelley

Blake-Vlasic
Boyle-Lukowich
Ehrhoff-Murray

Hedican?-McLaren

Nabby-Boucher

Not a bad lineup. Kudos to Doug Wilson. It is up to you boys!!!!

Today was the 2nd most exciting day of the year (only to trade deadline day). I am thinking that NHL GM's were fooled into thinking that Free Agency lasted only 1 day and all shopping had to be completed today. Going into today I was already thinking that Brian Campbell was signing elsewhere. All last week we heard "family issues" and "wanting to be closer to home." Sure Chicago is closer to Ontario than San Jose but don't tell me that 8 years and 56+ million dollars didn't have anything to do with that. I actually applaud Doug Wilson for not shelling out that much money. That being said, Chicago looks like they will have a pretty good team next year. But note to Campbell, don't look for a comfortable reception when you come back to the Shark Tank next year. Signing closer to home in the eastern conference is one thing, but signing in the west for supposedly the highest offer just makes you look greedy.

Other random thoughts from Free Agency Day 1:

-Where is all this money coming from? I know the salary cap is going up once again, but some of these deals are obscene.

-Did Vancouver really offer Sundin 20 mill for 2 years?

-Sean Avery should sign with Colorado. Can you imagine a line of Darcy Tucker, Ian Laperriere and Avery? That would be the most annoying line ever.

-Dale Tallon is funny. He kept saying how he was keeping Khabibulin even after the signing of Huet. Um, yeah he really wants a cap hit of 12.375 for his 2 goalies.

-Who are Jeff Finger and Mark Streit and why are they getting big money? (Yes, I really do know who they are)

So my plan going into free agency was:

A: sign Campbell
B: sign Redden if Campbell screws us
C: trade for Zidlicky

I hope Doug Wilson has a plan G and H since all his early options are gone.

So the Sharks lost Campbell, Rissmiller and signed.........um

That being said, I still have faith in Doug Wilson but the declaration to us season ticket holders of spending money doesn't look so truthful right now.

Tomorrow at 11:00 we will start the Todd McLellan era. He has cancelled his trip to Atlanta and the Detroit Free Press has reported that he has signed a 3 year contract. Can I be happy with someone who I have never seen? Well..yes. This was the guy I was rooting for the whole time. The only thing I know about him is his Detroit pedigree and he coaches the offense and power play for the Stanley Cup champs. That is enough for me. I didn't want a "retread" like Tortorella or Quenneville even though they are proven winners. I will have to do some more research on McLellan but looking at his resume, he is a proven winner...in the minors. I am curious to see what kind of style he is? Player's coach? Hard-ass? hopefully he is a combination of the two.

With the Red Wings and Penguins turning the Semis into a preseason morning skate, there is not much to talk about except for the Sharks new coach. The San Jose Mercury News has 2 separate articles saying that the "perfect" candidate is Pat Burns. Ex-Cop, Stanley Cup Winner, 3 time Jack Adams winner, Ties to Joe Thornton, it all makes sense. With the majority of the team in the prime of their career, it makes no sense for Doug Wilson to bring in a 'young" coach who will take 1-2 years to integrate his system. The only issue is that he is still under contract to NJ till July 1st. Does Doug Wilson want to wait that long to find a coach? Does Burns really want to move West? Those are things that Doug Wilson needs to find out.

The coaching search is not the only issue to resolve. Changing the coach and not the players will show that Ron Wilson was used as a scapegoat for the season. With the cap expected to rise, the Sharks will have plenty of cap space (10 million plus the rise of the cap). Most of that money will go to Brian Campbell if he decides to re-sign. Raises will be expected for restricted free agents Pavelski and Clowe. But that still leaves enough money to sign another scoring forward and some more blueline help.

To almost nobody's surprise Ron Wilson was relieved of his duties today. I don't necessarily blame him but this had to be done. I don't know if the players had stopped listening to him but a new voice was needed. I have faith in Doug Wilson so he is sure to have some names in mind. I just hope it is not one of the retreads...Burns, Maurice etc. I don't think giving the job to Tim Hunter or Rob Zettler is the answer.

I like Ron Wilson, he knows his hockey and brought high-tech teaching techniques to the Sharks, but there comes a time when the voice in the room needs to be changed. There are stories around that Ron was rough with the players and even called them out in front of the rest of the team. There is one story I read where he wrote Carle, Vlasic and another player's name on the board and bluntly told the rest of the team that those guys were letting everyone else down. If true, no wonder Carle and Vlasic regressed this year. I immediately don't have a successor in mind but I am sure the names will be flying and this will be a well-sought after job with the talent on this team.

I have given up trying to figure out this team. Before game 4 I didn't have any grand illusions of any miraculous comeback. All I asked for was a good effort and play for PRIDE. If you were going to go down, go down fighting...or at least competing in the corners. Through the first half of the game it looked like more of the previous 3 games, losing battles in the corner, can't get the puck out of our own zone, stupid passes. The worst had to be Seto's great centering pass to Lehtinen for the 1st goal. At that point I was done. Ron Wilson was going to be fired, there would be massive player movement, the Sharks would be known as a great regular season but chokers in the playoffs. Then something happened, don't ask me what it was, it just did. Zubov made like a Sharks D-man and coughed up the puck and Patty scored. Then I thought "great, now you guys are getting my hopes up again just to come crashing down in the 3rd." Then once again something happened to start the 3rd period. A different team came out.. and played like.. well the Sharks. The puck was leaving the zone, players were fighting for possession in the corners, Ribeiro and Morrow were being pressured, Grier looked like well..Mike F'ing Grier.

Now believe me, I am not thinking this has changed everything and we are going to steamroll Dallas 3 straight. This all could go for naught if we come out and lay another egg tomorrow, but as Sharks radio guy Jamie Baker said, "all you want to do is plant a tiny seed of doubt in Dallas' mind. Winning game 5 would plant another and put all the pressure back on them for game 6. Ron Wilson lives for another day.

Sleek/Rudy: Feel free to update the picture. I felt like adding player's heads but could not figure out who would be Heckle and who would be Jeckle.

[Sleek Edit: I'm not touching that cartoon; I think it's best left to the reader to fill in. However, the Sharks' win was the subject of today's PuckToon at Fanhouse. Enjoy!]

What is this team I have been watching for the last 3 games? It certainly is not the team I have been watching all season. Even during their inconsistent Round 1 you saw glimpses of brilliance. I don't recognize anyone in teal in this series. This series is pretty easy to figure out. Dallas forechecks the hell out of our D. Our D coughs it up and Dallas capitalizes. The odd thing is that the people making the errors are players I never thought would have problems. Grier looks in a daze making terrible decisions with the puck and in the defensive zone. Was I just seeing things or did he just let Ribeiro just skate around on the game winning goal in OT? Sure, Dallas is getting all the bounces, but you know what they say "you create your own luck." All during the third period and OT I never thought we were going to win. I can remember only once good scoring chance (Milan in OT) in the 3rd period or OT. The whole team is just skating around in a fog. You see Ron Wilson on the bench yelling "wake up" to the team but no reaction. It seems that this team has tuned him out and has no motivation to play for him or each other. I am just at a loss for words to describe this team.

As Mike and I walked back after the game, we tried to explain to each other what had just happened. Whose to blame? The D-men?, the coach?, the refs?, global warming?. There is no simple answer. Dallas is sitting back waiting for us to make a mistake and capitalizing. Ron Wilson might blame it on Dallas lulling us to asleep but they are basically beating us at our own game. They own the corners and Morrow/Ribeiro are not even being touched. Where are the adjustments? Whose job is it to make those adjustments? the players? the coaches? So many questions, not many answers. It doesn't help that the atmosphere in the arena is one of a preseason game. I expected a slight letdown after the excitement of game 7, but the players seem to be taking a cue from the fans and not playing with desperation. The concourses between period used to be packed with fans (mostly bandwagon) but these last two games have been clear of slow moving bandwagon fans. The seat next to me has even been empty for both games.

As I got home and turned on the end of the basketball playoffs, one of the announcers was making a point about the Detroit Pistons that I feel explains the Sharks present situation. "They are like the kid in school who doesn't study and gets "B's". If he studies and works hard he is an "A" student but feels a lot of times that his "B" effort is enough. As shown in game 5 and game 7 of the Calgary series, when the Sharks work hard, they are unstoppable. On the flip side is game 6. Someone needs to motivate the Sharks to bring their "A" game every night. They need to work hard and their talent will take over.

That was the sentiment of 17,496 fans as the final seconds ticked down last night. Mike has done a good job of describing the scene on the ice so I will concentrate on everything else. I can't imagine how the players were feeling before game 7 as I was nervous, anxious, and full of anxiety. The national anthems were played instrumental and during the Star Spangled Banner the crowd spontaneously started singing out loud. There were several rows of Calgary fans scattered throughout the arena. From my vantage point, they were respectful and took all the shit that drunk bandwagon Sharks fans threw at them. As much as I appreciate all the support from around the city, but "where are you guys during the season?" but that is a rant that I have been on before. Some couple in front of me even had the gall to yell to their friends that they will meet up after the 1st quarter..are you F'ing kidding me. But I digress.

My first game 7 experience was exhilerating and the walk back to the car is always a blast with cars honking, people yelling and towels waving. Usually I have to temper my excitement by saying under my breath "this is only the 1st round people" but even I gave into the excitement and joined the mob mentality. I even went home and watched the game again to see if I missed anything. Nolan: you kicked that goal in you bastard.

Bring on Dallas...the fun continues Friday

Tonight was the epitome of the Sharks season. The story was there to be written. The Sarich hit on Marleau was to be the turning point of the season. From that point on the Sharks grow up and win the Cup...oops! Coming off their most impressive performance of the post-season, the Sharks looked like they could throw their sticks on the ice and win this in 6. There was no passion and no energy shown. Earlier in the day I was watching the Wings/Preds game 6. The Wings showed what you should do to an inferior opponent. At the end of that game I wondering to myself. "Come on boys, that is how you close someone out." Again, watching the Ducks/Stars I saw the desperation the Stars played with knowing they didn't want to go to a game 7. Instead the Sharks flew to Calgary and played like "well if we win, great, otherwise we have game 7 in our barn." The inconsistency they have shown all season was there again tonight with no passion and energy.

-Campbell is playing like he has 2 broken arms. He was fumbling passes all night long. He was not alone as the Sharks were once again playing hand gernade hockey.

-Michalek has continued his disappearing act. Tonight was the ultimate as he led a 3 on 1 break only to stick handle the puck into the corner. Even Randy and Drew were speechless after that one. It felt like their was 5 mins of dead air after that play.

I am curious to see the stats on scoring chances as we had very few. Same old story, Sharks have more talent, yet their opponents are working harder and it shows.

It will be fun (but nerve racking) on Tuesday to have our first ever home game 7. If you believe in the Big Mo, you have to think Calgary has the advantage. The pressure is on the Sharks as they are the pre-playoffs Cup favorites so the Flames should be loose. They know they can win in the Shark Tank and the Sharks have to play like they did on Thursday.

Will both the Sharks and Ducks lose in the 1st round? What will become of BOC if that would to happen? I hate to find out......

Not much to say about last night's game except Nabby saved our asses. Where is our vaunted D that was in the top 5 in GAA throughout the year? It seems Calgary has guys in the slot uncovered all the time. If not for Nabby's save on Sarich early this could of been a different game. I think the D is hibernating like our PP. How can you get 10 PP chances and convert only once...and that was with :09 left. We had an extended 5 on 3 and I swear we would of not scored if it was 5 on 1 cause they would of just passed it around and then Kipper would of made a save. If not for the Mitchell goal at the end of the PP, I kinda felt the energy being let out of the arena. All those penalties by Calgary (deserved or not) only leads to Keenan pulling out his mind games again and questioning the officials. I can only assume what they are saying in Calgary right now. "The Sharks didn't beat us, the Refs did."

Sombody needs to wake up Cheech and Milan and tell them the playoffs have begun. They just don't look like themselves out there and invisible. Being at the game you can see Calgary taking late shots after the whistle to Cheech's head since they know he is probably still suffering from the Kunitz injury. No word on Ehrhoff's injury but hopefully he can make it back soon.

The Sharks winning streak is over thanks to fellow blogger and friend Mike Chen......oh yeah, outstanding goal tending my Roloson helped also. I think the streak was 4-5 games in when I realized that the Sharks had not lost since I had last blogged......and getting that Campbell guy didn't hurt either. Being the superstitious person that I am, I decided to leave things status quo until they lost. Of course my biggest mistake was mentioning this to Mike who decided to screw up the winning mojo and post a blog avoiding the topic....kinda. But what can you say, being down 11 pts in the standings and all of a sudden you look up and we have a small lead in the standings in the race for the #2 seed with games in hand. Dallas and Anaheim play this week and who do you root for? Just don't go into OT.

One interesting take from last night's game. If anyone saw the Sharks TV broadcast there was an interesting point in the game where Randy and Drew discussed the Pronger suspension. Randy mentioned he thought the penalty was light and it deserved more. To my surprise Drew had the opposite view. He explained he thought it deserved no suspension and that he was just trying to extricate his leg from Kesler's leg lock. This was the first time that I noticed a little tension in the broadcast as the fun-loving duo turned a little testy. Randy continued that he thought Pronger was a "bully" and needed to be punished. Drew countered with Pronger being a tough hard-nosed player and a major component of his team winning the Stanley Cup. Hard to argue that last point but anyone who saw the clip, knows that Pronger did that on purpose. 8 games compared to Simon getting 30? I think the answer is somewhere in between.

8:00AM: Driving to work and thinking to myself "I wonder if there are any trades yet." No use listening to sports talk cause they never talk about hockey.

8:30AM: Receive my first text message as I am powering up my computer. "We got Campbell, no word on what we gave up." Good news, I just hope we didn't trade Carle or Marleau.

8:35AM: Go to TSN's Trade Center coverage Live Streaming. They are talking about the Campbell trade. Still sweating out what we had to give up.

8:37AM: Bernier and a #1 pick. I must be dreaming, Doug Wilson I love you!!!!!

8:39AM: Start sending texts and IM's to everyone I know. Boy, I am not gonna get any work done today.

8:55AM: Keith Jones is talking about how the Sharks overpaid and Bernier is going to be a stud and is great in the corners. Um, has Keith Jones been watching the same player I have?

9:10AM: Brad Richards is on the move. "Don't be Dallas Please!!"

9:11AM: Dammit!!!

10:01AM: It is reported that Foote and the Blue Jackets have broken off talks. He is only willing to be traded to the Av's. What is with everyone wanting to go back to the Av's? Is Patrick Roy and Ray Bourque coming back also?

10:35AM: Receive another text message. Oh Oh did we make another trade? "Yao out for season stress fracture" At least that is good news for the Warriors.

10:51AM: The TSN guys are interviewing Campbell. Wow, he sounds like someone in his family just died. Does he realize that San Jose is like 70 degrees warmer this time of year?

11:10AM: I have been at work almost 3 hours and have not completed much. We need a depth forward with some grit. Let's get Martin Lapointe.

11:11AM: Lapointe goes to OTT for a draft pick.

11:30AM: Where did all the trades go? Nothing has happened for awhile. This sure is boring listening to TSN dissect the Huet trade.

11:50AM: 10 mins left till the deadline and Hossa is not traded yet.

11:59AM: It sucks having a noon meeting. Better take my phone with me in case there are any last minute trades.

11:59:30 AM: Hossa to the Pens? Holy Cow!

12:23PM: ANA gets Marc-Andre Bergeron. How many Dmen do the Ducks need? Damn I hate Brian Burke for being so smart.

Still cannot believe we got Campbell without giving up Carle or Marleau. After seeing what Hossa went for, we got a steal. Go Doug Wilson!

If you believe TSN.ca (and I have no reason not to) Wade Redden was asked to waive his no-trade because the Sharks called and asked about his availability. Sources claim the offer was Matt Carle and a draft pick. Carle was just signed to a 4-year deal and has the potential to be ...well Wade Redden in about 3-4 years. Doug Wilson has not denied the interest in Redden and has not denied the trade offer. This trade would be similar to trading for Rivet last year. Trade for a veteran D-man who is scheduled to be an UFA after the season. DWilson is betting on getting Redden out of the media spotlight in Canada and once Redden sees California, he would be happy to re-sign after the season (and hopefully a long playoff run). Of course all of this is an ideal situation. The other option would be that Redden turns into Bill Guerin. Comes over in a trade, gets hurt/plays poorly and then leaves after the season to sign with another team, and Carle becomes the next Brian Leetch. It will be interesting to see how Carle plays now that he knows how close he was to being traded to another team.

Born and raised in California, I am the first too admit I don't know what cold is. I am the idiot who wears ski jackets and ski pants while travelling to the East Coast. What do I know about cold you ask? I watch Packers games in the snow and shiver while sitting in a 70 degree house. What do our boys encounter in the first game out of the All-Star break? -24 degrees F are you kidding me? This short 2 game Alberta road trip before coming back to the tank for 6 in a row at home. This game being on Versus we have to endure announcers that are not our beloved Randy and Drew. Tonight we get John Forslund, Daryl Reaugh and Bob Harwood calling tonight's game for Versus. (Thanks to Steve Lepore at Kukla's Korner for the info.)

No word on if McLaren is back from his knee surgery a week ago. Coming off 2 wins I would guess Ron Wilson would stick with his lineup from last week as he rarely changes the lineup after a win. Hopefully Cheech can keep up his strong play and it will rub off on Marleau.

Can you call a team that has the 3rd most points in the league underachieving? After demoralizing losses at home to Dallas and Detroit, the Sharks ended the pre-Allstar break with 2 victories. Granted, the 2 wins were against Chicago and St.Louis, but that just tells the story of the season. Beat up on the lesser teams (good) and lose to the elite teams. (bad) Fans can complain all they want about what trades we need to make, what is wrong with Marleau, and should Ron Wilson be fired but look at the standings and there you see San Jose at the top of the West standings. You can still see signs of inconsistency but the Sharks must prove they can beat the elite in the league. If you watch Dallas, Detroit and Anaheim play the Sharks, all you see is domination and the Sharks not playing up to that level. By watching these games , one wonders how any of these teams ever loses a game. (In Detroit's case it seems to be true). With one month to go till the trade deadline, the playoff push starts next week.

When Eastern conference teams visit the Shark tank, you always see your share of their jerseys. When that team is the Maple Leafs and they have not been in San Jose since 2003, well you get tons of Leafs diehards. I think I saw a Leaf jersey of every player who has played in Toronto in the last 50 years. The most random and entertaining had to be the Potvin, Clark, and Sittler. The Toronto media must be going crazy after the Leafs went 0-3 in California. It doesn't help when you get blown out by LA and Anaheim and lose a 2-0 3rd period lead tonight. Mats Sundin looked frustrated and I even saw him push away a linesman as the final horn was blown. It will be interesting to see if he waives his no-trade clause to go to a contender. If you believe the rumors, Toronto is ready to clean house both player-wise and the front office.

Speaking of rumors, there was word of Cujo deciding between the Sharks and Flames for his comeback. Ron Wilson and Sharks insiders seem to dispel these rumors and had some entertaining quotes regarding this. I tend to believe them as Doug Wilson's MO seems to be quiet and under the radar. If you look at recent history, he seems to make moves that noone else is expecting. Remember early on when Mark Recchi was put on waivers? The Sharks were mentioned as front runners for claiming him. Of course that didn't happen either. It will be interesting to see who the Sharks are rumored to be interested in come the trade deadline. Don't expect them to be coming to San Jose.

Now we will see if the Sharks have finally turned the corner or will the season of inconsistency continue. After a 10 game road winning and compiling a ridiculous 16-3-2 road record overall, the Sharks come home for 14 home games in the next 18 games. Can they continue to play the patient style that has worked so well on the road? If you listen to Ron Wilson, his reasoning for the Sharks shaky home record is that they want to entertain us the fans and if something doesn't go right, they fall apart and put pressure on themselves to do more. I don't see a big difference in style of play between the road and home, but the players themselves seem to think they relax on the road and play a simple game. This is an important stretch of games as when this stretch is over, there will be 10 days left till the trade deadline. If the Sharks continue this inconsistency, moves will be expected. There are only so many "team meetings" that can be called and Doug Wilson can only talk to the players so many times. It is up to the players now.

Random Thoughts:

-The Winter Classic was a fun event to watch. Too bad the conditions didn't help out the players. Towards the end of the game players seemed to be pushing the puck as snow flurries made stick handling difficult unless you are Sidney Crosby. Is this kid really only 20 years old?

-The Sabres need to bring back their old "retro" jerseys (hint to the Sharks also). I kept expecting Pat LaFontaine to skate out there.

-The Red Wings are playing great (even without Zetterberg) I don't see anyone catching them for the President's Trophy. Watching their Power Play looks like they have a 2 man advantage all the time.

-Ducks traded Shane Hnidy for Brandon Bochenski. Does this clear room for the return of Teemu?

I am not a capologist so I will leave that last point to Earl Sleek to tell us if that does anything to clear cap space.