Camping In Cali

Stalock and Nabokov - photo by Author

Three straight days of waking up at the crack of dawn and spending the day teeth chattering, blue lipped but too engaged to walk outside for a minute to thaw out, I can confidently say the Sharks (and roster hopefuls) looked phenomenal. Now I knew that I certainly was impressed, but as a self proclaimed homer, I even take myself with a grain of salt…but I knew that it wasn’t just me when half way through Day 2, my dad (who is a real-life skeptic and sports hater…yes, they exist) turned to me and said,
“You know, I’ve really got a new appreciation for this sport…I just can’t believe what amazing athletes these guys are.”

Bam! Hockey for the win!

Now, maybe it was denial (actually in looking back, it was denial) but it certainly seemed to me as though the Sharks made it through the offseason with little to no roster changes to be concerned about (sans the news of losing Milan Michalek which greeted me as soon as I landed in California)…ok, stop laughing…I swear, I’m credible.

photo by Author

But it wasn’t until Day 3 of Training Camp that I realized there were guys missing out there…there’s no Christian Ehrhoff, no Marcel Goc, no Brad Lukowich, no Jonathan Cheechoo, no Brian Boucher, no Tom Cavanaugh, no Riley Armstrong, no TJ Fox…(no Taylor Dakers either but really, no one said anything about missing him) and then all of a sudden it felt a little bit weird. I admit, I am not one who adapts well to change…and especially when said change involves the Sharks. I mean, they almost threw me in a straight jacket when Steve Bernier left. However this time, the depression only lasted until the Day 3 Group A – Group B scrimmage. Then I saw the magic that was taking place in front of my eyes…and suddenly all was right with the world once again…actually, maybe even more “right” than it ever had been. It was like a perfectly orchestrated symphony on skates…right down to the sweat on their jerseys.

To even the amateur fan, the difference on the ice was evident. You could see a complete shift in the dynamics of the team as they hit the ice together at camp, and as one sat and observed, you could pick out the differences one by one.

Boyle and Pavelski - photo by Author

Dan Boyle at the helm…from the very first second he took the ice, everyone could see that something was different. He didn’t hang back the way he did last season…he was hands on. He watched as every single player performed drills. He joked, smiled and talked with all the guys around him. He demonstrated. He interacted. Patrick Marleau seemed comfortable and at ease in his new role (whatever that may be) and really, all the veterans took the same care and seemed to really enjoy bonding with the rookies. They knew this camp wasn’t entirely about them, and they made sure to do what they could to illuminate the strengths of the new guys.

Defensively speaking, Dan Boyle only seems to have more up his sleeve. Known to Shark fans as the “D who splits the D”, he has already left his offensive mark on the rest of the blue line and in watching both camp and preseason, anyone could attest to it. With Christian Ehrhoff gone, the realignment of defensive pairings means that we should be seeing the blue line crank out points like a well oiled machine. With huge defensemen like Joe Callahan, Douglas Murray, Derek Joslin, Nick Petrecki and Joe Loprieno getting comfortable in front of the net, the Sharks defense could easily become a fierce two sided coin.

photo by Author

Offensively it’s hard to say what I really think without completely jinxing the Sharks chances to hockey hell. If the Sharks go with offensive lines like this, we could see an EPIC season ahead.
Heatley-Thornton-Marleau
Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi
McGinn-Mitchell-Ortmeyer
(McGinn and Mitchell are the two to watch skate together…CONSIDER MY WORDS MARKED.)
Shelley-Nichol-Staubitz

If we know Todd McLellan (and I like to think we do) then we know that he will probably switch it up an awful lot -just enough to get the guys comfortable with each other, but not too much to keep the chemistry from flowing. But in watching the boys skate together one thing was pretty evident. They really have gotten better through the offseason. Watching Brad Staubitz skate faster, Jamie McGinn with silly amounts of confidence and now Dany Heatley who isn’t comfortable unless he’s shooting, there’s no doubt that the Sharks are ramping up their game. They’re increasing their size, they’re increasing their finesse, and they’re increasing their chances.

The only worry many a Shark fan have is that of goaltending. While Nabokov is one of the most elite goalies in the league, his endurance needs to be at the highest level to be able to compete all season long. With the loss of Brian Boucher this offseason, the Sharks only back up is that of Thomas Greiss…the thought of which, makes almost anyone nervous. Greiss has yet to prove his ability to stand back up for even a game against the Islanders. His inconsistency is something that needs to improve in order to truly keep the Sharks’ goal protected…until then, it’s up to the blue line to keep Nabby well rested.

As training camp and preseason ends, we look forward, make predictions and talk trash. With the season opener in a couple of long, excruciating days, hopes are being held high throughout the league. From Detroit to Tampa…the truth is, we’re going to get let down. We’re going to curse, we’re going to cry, we’re going to threaten to cancel Center Ice…but then, when we least expect it, we’re going to be amazed. But the best part of hockey season is the part where we see our hopes realized…the part where they do us proud and we remember why this is the best sport in the world.

Posted by The Hockey Writers on Sep 29 2009. Filed under Pacific, San Jose Sharks, Western Conference. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.