You probably heard, but the gold and silver medals from our 5 finned Olympians were on display last night outside Section 125 (or thereabouts).  Here's a look:

Nice display, if you ask me

Joe Pavelski's silver medal

Left to right - Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau's gold

 

Medal madness!  (I watched one dude take twenty photos of the medals before he finally left the front - what a hog)

	@ 4:00 PST
39-11-9, 87 points		24-27-9, 47 points
1st in Western Conference		14th in Western Conference

Principal Ed Rooney: Are you aware that Ferris does not have what we consider to be an exemplary attendance record?

Mrs. Bueller: Uh, no...

Rooney: He's been absent NINE TIMES.

Mrs. Bueller: Nine times???

Rooney: Niiiiiiiine tiiiiiiiiimes.

*****

Imagine now that you're Mrs. Bueller, and I'm Ed Rooney on the phone, informing you of a previously unrealized God-awful truth while reenacting that immortal scene.

(waits patiently while Mrs. Bueller caps are put on....)

Principal do Mayo: Are you aware that the San Jose Sharks have been outshot in each of their last nine games?

FTF Crew: NINE GAMES???

Principal do Mayo: Niiiiiiiine gaaaaaaaames.

(damn - how did John Hughes do it?)

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• Hawks fans are always welcome on this site - but if you act like Redtribe14 (see comments) and post misogynistic sophmoric comments, fuck off. 
• [UPDATE] - Randy Hahn reports via Facebook that the Sharks raised nearly $15,000 last night for Haiti relief. (thanks to idunno723)
• Bummed about the comeback OTL against the Blackhawks?  Look on the bright side - Chicago went 0 for 13 on the power play against San Jose this season, and some guy that can't spell "Danny" got point number 600.
• Second City Hockey's take on last night's game includes one helluva prediction in the leadoff paragraph.  As a rebuttal I offer the above bullet point.  In short: it's on, bitches! (insert winking emoticon...)
• More from Second City Hockey, this time on the Patrick Kane controversy: Patrick Kane could snort a pint glass of coke off of a stripper's tits every night, and as long as he put up a point per game, it'd be fine with me.
• Is San Jose interested in Ethan Moreau? 
• Die by the Blade takes superstition to another level.
• Any other year and I would have coughed up my coffee at this question.  Well done, Team Tippett.
• This is for any American that's never read The Hockey Sweater - highly recommended.
• If you really want to impress your teal-blooded Facebook friends, type (^^^) in FB chat.  Trust me.   
• I can guarantee that Phoenix isn't southeast of Denver, but still - what a fucking long haul.
• 

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• 26 : 7 = goals for : goals against in the last five Sharks games (all victories, naturally).
• Torrey Mitchell will be at the Sharks Store signing autographs on Wednesday, January 27.  Anticipated ratio of women to men = 400 to 1.
• Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi and Kings defenseman Jack Johnson get into an argument over the University of Michigan.  Lombardi's a Buckeyes fan, you see, and.... nevermind.
• On the subject of the Kings - please welcome Jewels from the Crown to the SBN fold.
• One of the prospects from the Buffalo Sabres gets his ass suspended 20 games in the OHL.
• Tyler Myers vs. Zdeno Chara... your call.
• Jean Beliveau (Habs immortal, 38th all-time in both points and goals) is recovering from a stroke.
• Is Ilya Kovalchuk leaving the Thrashers?  If so, is it safe to presume that Atlanta will ultimately ship their NHL team to Canada... again?
• Fellow Sharks-fan and uber-blogger Mike Chen is joining From the Rink in Mirtle's absence. 
• Vesa vs. the Monster would be a great B-movie title.
• Your San Jose Sharks - proud co-participants (with the Colorado Avalanche) in Black Monday.
• Jean-Sebastien Giguere says he'll say "No" to any trade from Anaheim.  Great news, actually.
• What the Phoenix Coyotes think of Tooth Fairy.
• I'll have to admit, I was thrown off when I discovered Eric Fehr is statistically better in some way than Patrick Marleau, even if it's just by a little.
• A very thorough and recommended article by Broad Street Hockey on a biased media's distortion of events.
• The leadoff photo and caption are enough for me to link this post.
• It's a small world, after all... (h/t to SwisherThresher)

Courtesy of Earl Sleek at Battle of California - love it.

Game 7, 2008 Quarterfinals vs. Calgary = What a stud.

36th all-time in goals.

39th all-time in points.

40th all-time in games played.

Kryptonite to Kiprusoff.  Conqueror of Calgary.

The toast of Teal Town.

40 years old today.

Happy birthday, Jeremy Roenick.

• How you can help the victims in Haiti.
• Plank takes a look at the importance of secondary scoring for the Sharks.
• Dan Rusanowsky saves us all time by recapping the craziness that was this week in the NHL.
• Your San Jose Sharks - 2nd in SBN's NHL Power Rankings.
• RudyKelly envisions Battle of California as a movie - he's got the casting down for Anaheim and San Jose.  Casting Tilda Swinton as Corey Perry - sheer genius.
• What hockey ought to look like within the next 10 years, courtesy of Brandon Worley.
• Been meaning to put this up but haven't gotten around to it - the bust-out-the-tissues tale of a Blackhawks-Blues fan.  No, that's not a misprint.
• Could the BJ's be leaving town?
• Those Boston Bruins - what pranksters.
• Are Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire the worst goalie-tandem in Ottawa Senators history?  Safe money says yes.
• In his game against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, Mark Recchi (1,469) passed Stan Mikita (1,467) for 13th-most-points in NHL history with a goal and an assist.
• The green men at hockey games?  Apparently they're called Force and Sully.



Adam McQuaid checks Troy Bodie, awkward photograph results.

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Apparently this is the only photo of Danny Miller available online.  Note that he dressed for the occasion.

ElvisVF101 was an eyewitness to what we hope will be one of those stories we tell the kids around the campfire, involving San Jose Sharks in-arena host Danny Miller =

There will be stories told of this man very soon, but, here’s the scoop:

Bunch of us were at the Firehouse downtown before the game for Conico and Grays’ birthday. Big group too, about 14 or so.

We’re sitting in the back, and Danny Miller walks out of the bathroom. We all give him a cheer, and he is sortuv taken aback, and then says, "Let me guess, Shark’s fans?" And he comes over and chats with us for a bit. Tells us a bit about the situation with Joe Ike, asks us about FTF, and in general is pretty cool.

We tell him its Conico and Grays’ birthday. He says he’ll get them a drink. We can’t find the waitress, so he says he’ll catch her on the way out and leave some cash.

Also, Conico trades numbers with him in the hopes of getting on the ice between periods.

Come time to pay the bill, we found out Danny F***ing Miller left us $100 for our bar tab, well over half!

Ladies and Gents, please raise your glasses to Danny Miller!

 Damn straight.

Autographed by Joe Pawelski himself. 

[UPDATE] Apologies are in order I suppose =

Ok... first off you have an image of my boyfriend and his jersey on here.  And listen up... if you were a TRUE Sharks fan and actually knew stuff about the players and watched Shark Byte... you would know that Joe Pavelski's last name is truly spelled Pawelski.... He's Polish and his Grandfather changed it when he came to the United States so he could seem more "Americanized".  So instead of hating on someone's heritage and the CORRECT spelling of his last name, do some freaking research.  And when my boyfriend, who is freaking POLISH!!! got Joe to sign it he thought it was awesome and completely flattering.  Get educated and stop making assumptions.  People personalize their jerseys for a reason. GROW UP!

Can't promise anything on that last part, but rest assured we're not declaring anyone to be foolish - it's in the eye of the beholder.  I'm leaving the image up, however, as a warning to all and sundry = appearances can be deceiving. 

However, as a Danish-Norwegian-Dutch-Czech-French-Irish-Austrian-German-Polish-American (seriously), I wouldn't ever consider "hating on someone's heritage."  Lech Walesa, in the house.

We here at Fear the Fin are big fans of Jersey Fouls over at Puck Daddy, which chronicles the existence of shockingly horrendous - and humorous - personalized jerseys, from the handmade Ovechkin NY Rangers atrocity to the slightly more heartwarming bride and groom pairing. 

In fact, we're such big fans that we (ok - it was me) have found ourselves chasing suspected fouls into the restroom, just to secure that photographic evidence of a $200 investment gone awry.  I still have dents in my forehead from the bevy of purses that landed in protest...

Ahem. 

As Al Murray would say, "The point is this" = we're hosting a Sharks-specific Jersey Fouls, right here at FTF. 

Lest you think we're bordering on copyright infringement, here's Greg Wyshynski's (damn I hope I spelled that right) nod of approval =

Jersey Fouls must spread like herpes. Place them on your blog, and let the magic happen, good sir.

...He says after rejecting my submissions.... sniff. 

Moving on...

San Jose fans have been spotted in the field wearing God-knows-what-compelled-them jersey monstrosities - and we love them for that.  We've got our own McLovin 69 jerseys, our own Franken-jerseys, and our own 420 shoutouts.  But they're our OWN, dammit - and we're going to give them their proper spot in the limelight.

Should you recognize yourself in this collection of teal trash, don't worry = we're not questioning your fandom, we're simply laughing with you, while simultaneously emailing the pic to someone else who can laugh AT you, you poor sonuvagun.

If you're unsure of what constitutes a Jersey Foul, head over Wysh's way - otherwise, take a look at the above example (EGAD) before taking the jump.

Got a Sharks Jersey Foul image?  Email it to fearthefin@gmail.com. 

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This is your official gameday thread - get it done.

	@ 4:00 PST
25-8-7, 57 points		25-13-3, 53 points
1st in Western Conference		4th in Western Conference

After making franchise history with 2 penalty shot goals in the same game (first time since Feb. 11, 1982), as well as temporarily taking back the top spot in the West, the Sharks journey to Glendale for their third back-to-back home-and-away of the season, against the surprising 6th-best team in the NHL.  

Here are some bullet points to digest pre-game, pre-end-of-the-(faux)-decade... because you'll need something to help soak up all that alcohol.  

• The Phoenix Coyotes have won 10 straight at home - a franchise record, including the years in Lose-ipeg - while the Sharks have won 6 straight.  Obviously something's got to give.
• The Phoenix metropolitan area has started to take notice of the Yotes' success - attendance skyrocketed after Christmas (the difference a holiday will make - I was in Glendale on Dec. 23rd, and it was a fucking ghost town, apologies to OdinMercer).  Fortunately for the Sharks, butts in the seats are to their advantage.
• The Sharks' record against the Coyotes is 1-1-1, including a shootout loss after a scoreless game.  The one regulation loss featured Thomas Greiss in net.
• The Sharks' season record for the second game of back-to-backs = 3-1-2.  The record for away games in home-away back-to-backs = 1-1-0.  The one regulation loss?  In Glendale, naturally.
• Assuming Ilya Bryzgalov is in goal for Phoenix, it will be an Olympic matchup no matter who San Jose puts in net.  If it's Evgeni Nabokov, expect the eyes of Team Russia to be on this game, as they still need to pick their starter.
• Speaking of Bryzgalov, whatabeast.
• Dave Tippett's record against the Sharks = 25-13-6... to say nothing of the playoffs.
• The Sharks' record when HTML scores a goal = 22-4-5, or 25-6-6 when they notch any type of point (it's worth noting that every Sharks victory has featured a point from H,T, or M).  The Sharks' record when HTML is kept goal-less = 3-4-2.
• One of the 4 regulation losses in which HTML scored happened to be against Phoenix.
• The three-year anniversary of Coyote Ugly - never forget.

I'm going to be updating this as the Olympic rosters stories come in, so check back occasionally in the next 72 hours.

[UPDATE] - Pat Sajak is one helluva hockey fan, by game show host standards.

[UPDATE] - Norway, Latvia, and Slovakia have each named their Olympic rosters.

[UPDATE] - Logan Couture and Danny Groulx have been selected to attend the AHL All-Star Game.

[UPDATE] - Douglas Murray will be taking your questions, while Rob Blake already has your answers.

[UPDATE] - Puck Daddy lists the goalie saves of the decade... and unfortunately the #1 happened against the Sharks just a few games ago.

- Devin Setoguchi may have scored last night, but he's far from off the hook =

"It’s no secret he has been sent a message from the coaching staff," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said of Setoguchi. "He needs to pick up his game. He played pretty well the other night against Anaheim but we didn’t think he deserved a promotion. This time he came and had a couple of good early shifts. Now it’s up to him. I don’t care where he plays but we need him to play."

- Mirtle has your calendar of Olympic roster announcements - Belarus and Russia were first out of the gate.  Canada et al (except the US) to follow on Wednesday.

- Douglas Murray cracks Sweden's roster, while former Shark / Red Wing and current Canuck Mikael Samuelsson had some choice words regarding his snub.

Notably absent from the list is Detroit's Johan Franzen, who is currently nursing a knee injury. Another notable absentee is Vancouver's Mikael Samuelsson, who pulled no punches in discussing the snub.

"Probably going to get in trouble for this, but they can go (expletive deleted) themselves," was his reaction following the Canucks win over Calgary Sunday night.

- Jason Chimera heads to the Capitals while the Blue Jackets acquire Washington's captain Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina.

- Phoenix's AHL team to potentially move to Canada... sounds strangely familiar.

- Own goals - the quick path back to the AHL.

- Injuries - Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is out 4-6 weeks, the Kings' Jason Williams is out with a broken leg and Minnesota's Chuck Kobasew is out with a sprained MCL.  Vaclav Prospal is also out due to knee surgery.

- Paul Kariya had to stay a night in the hospital after being elbowed in the head by a Sabre.

- The Ducks had Kyle Calder placed on waivers yesterday - he has until this morning to get picked up. 

- Mike Cammalleri pots the 20,000th goal in the history of the Montreal Canadiens.

- Chris Chelios' heart - and AHL contract - goes on.  So does his chili, we presume.

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 Morti parades the effigy of CTGray down Santa Clara Street.

 Gray has a thing for opposing goaltenders.

 Jersey Foul #1

 Jersey Foul #2

 Gray is all smiles as she watches the Ducks being destroyed.

That's right - Fear the Fin, up there in the global economy with Siemens. 

 After party at O'Flaherty's - clockwise from left, SetoThorMarChooSki, a Sharks fan, Mike the Ducks fan, Fearless Leader Mr. Plank, and Ryan the Ducks fan

Ryan the Ducks fan passes out on a stool, is held up by Mike the Ducks fan and yours truly.

Mike and Ryan the Ducks fans sail off into the misty night... with help from O'Flaherty's bouncers.

THE END

Reminder - Manny Malhotra will be at the Sharks Store tomorrow from 4:30 - 6pm.  See you there.

Rudy Kelly is was savoring the fact that the Kings are were (temporarily) on top of the Western Conference, while his least favorite team in the universe is (still) at the opposite pole.

No, that's not a misprint - the Kings are on top of the West.  What is this, 1991?  (for the record, the Kings have never actually finished at the top of the West in their 42 year history)

[UPDATE, 10:47pm] The Kings' loss tonight propels the Sharks back to first place.  At least Rudy's dream came (briefly) true.

Is Marty Turco on the trading block?  Defending Big D with your info. 

One of the teams Turco might be sent to does indeed need a goaltender... so much so that they're looking at rec leagues, as well as the Thrashers.

[UPDATE] - The Flyers reacquire Michael Leighton from Carolina, where he'll reunite with Laviolette.

Five for Howling's primer on Ice Edge, the group purchasing the Yotes.

Mike Grier's importance to the Buffalo Sabres.

In the spirit of Christmas, the Dallas Stars have been giving away points to their W.C. opponents.

The Phoenix / Saskatoon Coyotes doesn't quite have that ring to it.... but it's going forward anyway.

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Thanks to Josh Dubow @ AP for the laugh.

There have been outstanding line names in the history of hockey, from the Production Line to the French Connection to the Cash / Pizza Line... the latter featuring none other than Dany Heatley.

Outstanding line names, not surprisingly, are reserved for lines composed of outstanding players in their prime... though the Shelley-Roenick-C. Lemieux line did receive the moniker Monsters of Medicare.

The Heatley-Thornton-Marleau line has been dubbed the *Burger Line* by Randy Hahn, after 100 votes swayed his decision. 

Wait - and with much due respect to Mr. Hahn - WTF?!?

Heated Jumbo Patty (occasionally with Pickles).  Clever... once you explain it.

Many of you here at Fear the Fin have expressed admiration over another name, one that needs less explanation.

The HTML Line.

Heatley-Thornton-Marleau, not unlike Krutov-Larionov-Makarov.  While the "L" is redundant, it obviously fulfills the Silicon Valley-themed pun... which is kinda the point.

Look, I don't want to sway your vote here or anything.... but the Burger Line fucking sucks compared to the HTML Line, acronymic redundancy be damned.

If I seem like too much of a dissident, just remember = if we had to leave it to a popular vote, our team would have been called the San Jose Blades.

It may seem ironic that I'm calling on a popular vote to overturn a popular vote... ah to hell with it, just vote.

• [UPDATE] - Happy 40th birthday, Rob Blake!  Love, Rudy Kelly (j/k).
• [UPDATE] - St. Louis Game Time (the newspaper which spawned the blog) reproduced a segment of "Ice Chips" - questions answered by none other than T.J. Oshie's dad - on the SLGT blog.  Highly recommended.
• In case you weren't aware, TCY's boy-toy Logan Couture is a great prospect.
• Manny Malhotra will be at the Sharks Store signing autographs on December 15th; if you're going, mention it in the comments, and be sure to contribute to Manny's tip jar.
• The Ottawa Senators are failing to get production from their high-priced acquisitions... and Jonathan Cheechoo's name doesn't even come up once.
• Rudy Kelly really, really, really hates Evgeni Nabokov... who may or may not be a lock for Team Russia.
• Ed Jovanovski gets suspended for 2 games, causing him to miss this Saturday's contest against the Sharks; meanwhile, Silver Seven gets irate at those defending JovoCop.
• J.R. chimes in on the recent suspensions.
• The Nashville Predators slowly climb towards the 14,000-person attendance benchmark required for full NHL revenue sharing...
• ...which leads us to yet another article on why Canada deserves a 7th team.

• Look, I hate Brenden Morrow as much as the next tealblood... but that's Corey Perry he just upended, so you have to smile just a little.
  

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• 1941 - Never forget.  And don't forget what happened on Dec. 8th, 1980, while you're at it.
• [NEW UPDATE] - Manny Malhotra will be signing autographs for free at the Sharks Store, Tuesday Dec. 15th, from 4:30 - 6pm.  Be sure to slip a few greenbacks in the change jar - homeboy's only pulling in 6 figures.
• [UPDATE] - McGinn and Vesce get reassigned... place yer bets on whether or not they'll be back by Wednesday.
• TCY examines Patrick Marleau's potential price tag after this season, while Ivano27 investigates what Igor Larionov (and his hottie daughter) has been up to lately.
• Devin Setoguchi answers questions from the masses, including the perrenial "Whose kitchen are you raiding this season?"
• Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau (plus a 4th Shark TBD) will be signing autographs for a cool $169 per 2 persons @ Dave & Buster's, on January 31st.  Reservations required.
• A look at former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as an Olympic hopeful.
• Is Peter Laviolette the right replacement for John Stevens in Philadelphia?
• The city of Edmonton begins preparations for the end of Rexall Place.
• Size does matter for Gary Bettman - and he likes 'em small and boisterous.
• For those that missed the Habs' 100th anniversary celebration, please consult Habs Eyes on the Prize (recommended).
• Die by the Blade believes Andrej Sekera is the Sabres' Dan Boyle.
• Signs your teammate is trying to kill you (big chuckle on the first one, huge groan on the last one).
• Kris Versteeg gets an eyeful.
•  

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• [UPDATE] - The NHL suspends Danny Briere for 2 games for his hit on Scott Hannan... is it just me, or has he been a little violent lately?
• [UPDATE, thanks to Section223] - Don't expect Torrey Mitchell tomorrow... and Dan Boyle is questionable. 
• [UPDATE, thanks to Tarlinian, Pizzle and Section223] - Torrey Mitchell is back from Worcester, though he might not be in Wednesday.
• [UPDATE, thanks to idunno723] - Benn Ferriero, Ryan Vesce, and Logan Couture are headed back to Worcester.
• [UPDATE, thanks to Nael M.] - The Sharks might be in Europe next season... dammit.
• Wooooo!  We're #1!  
• This day in history...
  • November 22, 1963 - does it need an introduction?
  • November 22, 1999 - Wayne Gretzky is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
  • November 22, 2008 - the Sharks had 35 points... in just 21 games.
• The Sharks Store is holding a Black Friday sale on November 27 - up to 33% off on jerseys.
• Broad Street Hockey's recap of a decisive Sharks victory.
• How are our former Sharks doing?  Five players of note.
  • #1 = A look at former Shark defenseman Matt Carle's success with Philadelphia.
  • #2 = Christian Ehrhoff is doing pretty well for himself up in Vancouver.
  • #3 and 4 = Milan Michalek scored his 100th career goal, while teammate Jonathan Cheechoo notched another goal for a season total of... two.
  • #5 = Steve Bernier has three goals in his last two games (both against Colorado).
• How awesome is this photo?  Thanks to the Sharks Foundation and the Reading Is Cool program.
•  

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• This story is just waiting to gain traction - Sharks co-owner (and Balsillie business partner) Kevin Compton blatantly suggests that it's not the NHL owners who blocked the Blackberry boss from taking over the Yotes.
• Jed Ortmeyer - risking his life every game to become the greatest Jed in professional sports (take THAT, Jed Lowrie!).
• The latest on J.S. Giguere as an Anaheim Ducks goaltender... however long that lasts.
• I was under the impression that Kevin Smith was a diehard Devils fan... which is why this contest by the Edmonton Oilers seems so unusual (and pretty awesome, granted).
• Daniel Sedin is eyeing a Sunday return... as is Conico's fantasy league team.
• Some striking figures behind the surging Atlanta Thrashers.
• Endorsed by Puck Daddy, beloved by FTF, I give you... mymclife.
• Unemployed, and in Worcester on a Wednesday?  Have I got a deal for you...

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• NOT HOCKEY, BUT PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT = Today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  (If you want an additional headtrip, see how often November 9th pops up in German history - whole lot more intriguing than some Mayan calendar date)
• Hell of a Hall of Fame class getting inducted today.
• Elliotte Friedman takes a look at the battle raging inside the NHLPA and furthermore offers up solutions to the problem.  Meanwhile, Buzz Hargrove resigns from said organization, and enter Donald Fehr.
• More than ONE HUNDRED players in the NHL are injured right now... and Nashville is struggling a bit more than most.
• Giguere to Toronto?  Marchant for Higgins?  Trade rumors abound in Anaheim.
• TSN's primer on all 30 teams' power play units.
• Has the Minnesota Wild organization resorted to ice girls because of low ticket sales?
• Note to self - don't let my agent diss my teammate via Twitter.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets are the next Phoenix Coyotes New York Islanders... or so Canada Kansas City hopes.
• 
• I have yet to do a proper fanpost of the road trip to Raleigh, but the above picture was taken AFTER the John Deere Olympia (i.e. a non-Zamboni) "resurfaced" the ice in the second intermission of the November 1st game vs. San Jose.  With Dave Valentine as my witness - EGAD.

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