All Entries Tagged With: "Joe Thornton"
Come a Long Way
The San Jose Sharks off-season is one defined by a team that could be dramatically changed by just a few minor moves. However, instead of harping on the “inevitable” defenseman acquisition that the Sharks still need, let’s focus on an area that use to be their biggest weakness.
In the past the Sharks were a well-noted [...]
Sharks roster looks better or worse?
The San Jose Sharks roster looks vaguely familiar at this point in the off-season. Perhaps that’s because it’s virtually the same team that took them to the Western Conference Finals last season.
That finish warranted few alterations to the roster, but are the Sharks in any better shape to improve on last season’s breakthrough in the [...]
Who should be the next Sharks Captain?
Rob Blake served as San Jose Sharks captain for just one season before retiring. Now the keys to the car are available for the second straight off-season. The question is who takes over?
The importance of the little “C” that’s patched to a players sweater is debatable.
There’s evidence of a team’s captain being completely meaningless, especially [...]
Sharks again look to fill glaring need for defenseman
The Chicago Blackhawks matched the San Jose Sharks offer sheet for Niklas Hjalmarsson, leaving the Sharks biggest hole still empty in the form of a top-4 defenseman.
There are a billion reasons why the offer sheet made sense.
It subtracted from the team that blocked the Sharks road to a Stanley Cup birth, improving their own roster. [...]
Sharks roster taking shape
The San Jose Sharks filled their goaltender vacancy by signing 30-year-old Antero Niittymaki to a 2-year deal worth $4 million. Niittymaki will get a shot at the Sharks starting job in goal and he’s had experience in that position, at least more so than either Thomas Greiss or Alex Stalock.
When the Sharks were eliminated from [...]
Bittersweet Symphony: The 2009-10 San Jose Sharks
All of the Bay Area has gone into rain-filled slumber as the beloved San Jose Sharks 2009-2010 season is over.There is a bittersweet taste in the mouths of Sharks fans world-wide.Though the team exorcised it’s playoff demons by advancing to the Western Conference Finals, they ultimately fell short of their goal of winning the first [...]
Sharks Last Stand
Are the San Jose Sharks ready to play do-or-die hockey for the first time this postseason? Though the coaching staff and players have never acknowledged must-win games to this point, there’s no doubt that Game 4 in Chicago is just that being down 3-0 in the series.
Game 3 was a great effort. Virtually everything went [...]
BATTLE STATIONS: BLACKHAWKS-SHARKS WCF ‘10
When Troy Brouwer scored the first goal of the Blackhawks’ 5-1 series clincher, he put the game of hockey in perspective. With his father recovering from surgery to alleviate a blood clot in his brain, Brouwer showed courage, coming back from his absence while he stayed with his father, and getting his game in focus. “It feels great,” he said. “Sitting out those couple games gave me a little bit of perspective and thankfully the coaches stuck with me. I didn’t want to disappoint them or the team or my dad.” Now the perspective switches to the Hawks’ second consecutive WCF and a first playoff meeting ever with San Jose.
This Conference Final brings together the number one and number two Western powers, whose final standings were separated by a single point. Tough to imagine two clubs more evenly matched.
The history between the Hawks and Sharks, then, is limited to their regular season contests, though there are some interesting relationships.
Playoff Chokers advance to Conference Finals
The San Jose Sharks are entering uncharted waters. They’ve only been to the Western Conference Finals once in the franchises history. Try telling them that.
After years of watching the team look like fish out of water, Sharks’ fans are pinching themselves trying to let the thought of this team advancing past two rounds register.
This arguably [...]
Octopuses, Mules, Sharks, and Zebras
The San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings Western Conference semi-final series is slowly turning into a zoo!
There’s already been an array of mollusks thrown onto the ice. After the Wings’ 7-1 trouncing in game 4, that’s probably doubled or tripled. The catalyst of such events was “the Mule.”
Johan Franzen put in 4 goals, and [...]
Joe’s lead Sharks to 2-0 Series Lead
If Joe Pavelski and his linemates continue to play the way they are, there won’t be much need for the superstars to start leading this team.
Pavelski contributed his third straight multi-goal game to give him an NHL-leading 9 in the playoffs thus far. He’s the first player to do so since Mario Lemieux back in [...]
Sharks move on to 2nd Round
The San Jose Sharks got virtually everything they needed to experience to go deep in the playoffs during their first round match-up with the Colorado Avalanche. Which makes moving onto the second round after a 5-2 victory in game 6 even better.
A surprise invitee to the playoffs based on season-predictions, the Avalanche provided multiple tests [...]
Avs Can’t Hold off the Sharks
The Colorado Avalanche didn’t start game six the way the wanted to, allowing an early goal by the San Jose Sharks. It didn’t end the way they wanted it to either.
The San Jose Sharks came out in the third with the Thornton line reunited and buzzing around the Avs’ net. It foreshadowed the future.
The Avs [...]
Avs as Ugly as a Great White
That was about the ugliest game I’ve seen this team play. As an Avs fan I’m tempted to think that the Avs made the Sharks look good.
If I’m a Sharks fan I’ve got to be thinking, “Finally, a dominating performance!”
Realistically it’s in between. The Avs really let the Sharks take it to them and were [...]
Sharks “Feel Good” About Themselves
Fans of the Colorado Avalanche can feel good about how this team is performing so far in the playoffs. The players obviously feel pretty good about how they have played so far. Despite the game two OT loss, there was little talk of one that got away, blah-blah-blah. They know the deal; they weren’t even [...]
Sharks Best Line Shines In Game 2
For the first three quarters of the season, the Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau line was one of the best. However, since the Olympic break the Sharks’ best line has easily been Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe, and Devin Setoguchi and that showed in the first two games of their series with the Colorado [...]
Avalanche in the Playoffs
If you are a fan of the Colorado Avalanche you have a vested interest in who they are going to face in the playoffs. But you don’t have any say in the matter. Doesn’t keep the fans from speculating.
Some argued that the Blackhawks are a vulnerable team with the defensive injuries and the questionable goaltending. [...]
You’re going to need a bigger box
If Roy Scheider thought the Shark in Jaws was big, he should count the gam of San Jose Shark players that were piled in the penalty box during Thursday’s tilt with the Vancouver Canucks.
The final period was a completely different game altogether. A total of 76 penalty minutes were dolled out in the third period [...]
Sharks clinch Pacific Division
The San Jose Sharks have won the Pacific Division for the third straight season. They won’t match last season’s President’s Trophy, or the point total. However, there are encourages signs about this years team entering the playoffs.
The Pacific Division was a highly competitive division from top-to-bottom.
The two teams expected to compete with the Sharks for [...]
Jumbo Joe II?: Bruins Sign 2008’s 1st Round Pick Colborne
When the Bruins originally drafted 6′5″ center Joe Colborne in 2008, the comparisons to former Bruin Joe Thornton were drawn. Scoring 138 points in 108 games with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, Colborne joined the Bruins system as ‘property’ and left his home province of Alberta to join the NCAA with [...]
Sharks getting boost from Torrey Mitchell?
Arguably the Sharks weakest link for the majority of the season, Torrey Mitchell seems to have found his game and it’s coinciding with the team’s turnaround.After roughly two years of set-backs in still a young career, Mitchell is beginning to show flashes of the player that made him a fan favorite in his rookie season.
A [...]
No Confidence
A descent down the Western Conference standings may do the San Jose Sharks some good at this point. After falling to the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 tonight, the Sharks have lost six straight.
They’ve seen their Pacific Division lead disappear. The Phoenix Coyotes have overtaken them and are playing much better hockey. In fact, most of the [...]
Sharks rally around missed call
Scott Nichol is usually the driving force behind the San Jose Sharks’ energy and physical play. In another game where the Sharks came out a little sluggish, it was an injury to Nichol in the third period that sparked a comeback. After falling behind by a goal twice, the Sharks were able to tie the [...]
Nabokov sets NHL record in style
San Jose Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov became the first goalie to win 11 straight road games in NHL history. Nabokov made a career-high 50 saves and shut down all three shootout attempts in a game where the Sharks were completely outplayed by the Detroit Red Wings. Thanks to his play, the Sharks pulled out a [...]
Titan Clash didn’t disappoint, but still just game 54
You wouldn’t know it from the build-up, but the San Jose Sharks clash with the Chicago Blackhawks was just game 54 of the regular season. These teams might very well meet in the playoffs and at this point it looks like the route to the Stanley Cup for a Western Conference team is through one [...]
My 2010 All-Star rosters… if there were actually a game
Below you will find my potential all-star selections if there were actually a game this season instead of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Each is comprised of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies. Every NHL team has at least one representative at the game; therefore some players had to be left out of the [...]
Shorthanded Bruins Shock Thornton & Sharks
As if losing four straight wasn’t painful enough to swallow for the Bruins, late word before puck-drop revealed that David Krejci would miss tonight’s match-up with the San Jose Sharks with an undisclosed injury. The B’s number-three center turned number-one courtesy of injuries to Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard, Krejci apparently injured himself in the [...]
Shark Experience
Game-day:
Nothing like smell of game-day to get you going. The San Jose Sharks were welcoming not only myself, but the Boston Bruins to the Shark Tank. I was graced by the company of some twenty or so employees of the Trader Joe’s crew that works with my dad, many of whom were going to their [...]
My Bruins Team of the Decade
Well this past decade didn’t bring a Stanley Cup to Boston, and overall it was a pretty poor decade. The Bruins only managed to win one playoff series despite appearing in the playoffs several times. The Bruins did have several good teams though.
The Bruins have had a ton of excellent players though through this decade, [...]
Burger Line carries Sharks through two-game trip
Someone keeps heating the grill. The San Jose Sharks “Burger Line,” accounted for four of the five goals scored on the recent two-game road trip. The result was two wins over Pacific Division foes Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Dany Heatley scored once in Los Angeles, and then followed that with a goal and an assist in [...]
Sharks’ streak stumbles in Kings’ moat
Riding an eight-game win streak, the Sharks couldn’t have felt more confident facing the Los Angeles Kings at HP Pavilion for another Pacific Division showdown. Apparently the Kings didn’t feel like obliging because the Kings throttled the Sharks 6-2 behind Quick’s 45 saves and Drew Doughty’s four assists.
Though they more than doubled the Kings shot [...]
Pacific division battles
Sharks vs Coyotes recap:
The San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes played a playoff-type battle that was highlighted by a goaltending duel from two of Russia’s Olympic netminders. The Sharks would win the tilt in the shootout 3-2 (1-0).
Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov were at the top of their games in a Pacific division showdown. Bryzgalov [...]
Team Canada 2010 – My Picks
As I mentioned earlier this year when I made my pre-season picks, the Canadian Olympic Hockey Team has never been under more pressure to perform. By the same logic, the pressure has never been greater for management to pick the appropriate team to take Canada to Olympic glory in Vancouver. Steve Yzerman, Mike Babcock and [...]
Sharks get holiday gift on empty netter; “Burger Line Reunites”
In a game that featured 42 combined hits, the San Jose Sharks drew zero penalties against the Dallas Stars for the first time in seven years. Another physical battle between the Pacific division rivals ended with a nice gift for the holidays.
Holding a 3-2 lead in the final minute, the Sharks tried to avoid collapsing [...]
Candidates for Team Canada’s roster for Vancouver 2010
Steve Yzerman, Team Canada’s GM, is planning on making the announcement of Canada’s final roster on December 30, 2009, a little more than a week from now. Yzerman will name his 23 man roster during the World Junior tournament in Saskatoon, Canada.
Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:
GROUP A: [...]
A Phoenix Coyotes Holiday Wish List
With the holiday roster freeze coming into play Friday, I figure now is as good a time as ever for us to gather around the fire and sort out a wish list for Jolly old Saint Nick to bring the Coyotes for the upcoming New Year. Obviously the ‘Yotes are performing well above expectations thus [...]
Sharks comeback from two down, but lose in OT
The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings went back and forth in a high-scoring game. The teams exchanged leads and chances throughout the night. Dustin Brown would score the OT winner unassisted just 1:16 into the extra period to give the Kings a 5-4 win. The Sharks have now dropped 4 of 5.
Brown carried [...]
Don’t play fancy when you lack finesse
To the Toronto Maple Leafs: Don’t play fancy when you lack finesse. Two examples of how the Leafs over-complicate simple hockey plays.
“Globetrotters” blow late lead for Sharks, lose in shootout
The San Jose Sharks blew a 2-1 lead to the St. Louis Blues with just over 6 seconds left in the game, and would eventually lose in the shootout (2-1). To make matters worse, the tying goal surrendered occurred while the Sharks were on a power play.
Sharks coach Todd McLellan refers to his first power [...]
High Energy Game at Shark Tank; Win for the Fins
Energy ran high on a game that featured the two teams involved in one of the blockbuster trades of the offseason. The San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators squared off, and anyone who believes the game didn’t mean a little extra to certain players on each side didn’t read the script for this film. This [...]
Short Canada trip gets Sharks to 40 points first
It’s not exactly the record pace they set last season, but the San Jose Sharks again find themselves at the top of the NHL standings. With a 5-4 shootout victory against Edmonton on Friday and a 4-2 win over Vancouver tonight the Fins became the first team to reach the 40 point plateau.
The Edmonton game [...]
The Joe Thornton Phenomena: Pass or Pass?
During the San Jose Sharks’ annual “State of the Sharks” address in the off season, there was a promise made to fans. One that virtually every Sharks fan wanted to hear.
“I’ll shoot more for you next year,” said Joe Thornton.
Granted this promise came before the acquisition of Dany Heatley, so a little change of thought [...]
Heatley Gets Second Hat Trick in Quirky Game at the Shark Tank
The bizarreness that occurred in the San Jose Sharks’ 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers is almost inexplicable. The odd and unfathomable filled this game. Probably the most predictable part of the game was who did the scoring.
Dany Heatley covered the spectrum netting his second hat trick of the season on an even strength goal, [...]
