Posted by The San Jose Sharks have now choked two years in a row. Yes, only two years…
- In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers were a completely different team after acquiring Dwayne Roloson at the trade deadline. While they barely made it into the playoffs, they would have won the Cup if Roloson did not get hurt—after his injury, Ty Conklin misplayed a puck that allowed a game-tying goal in a game they then lost in overtime in a series they lost 4-3. If Roloson is in, that goal never happens and the Oilers win Lord Stanley’s Cup in six games.
- In 2007, the Sharks were 35 seconds away from a commanding 3-1 lead in the series; even after the Capitals comeback this year, history shows that teams have only a one in eleven chance of coming back. Instead, Detroit’s Robert Lang scored and the Red Wings win in overtime, then win the next two games. But Detroit was the highest seed in the playoffs, and the Sharks were the fifth seed. That is not a choke.
But in 2008, they had added the puck-moving defenceman they needed. Because of it, the Sharks were the best team from mid-February on and the second best team in the league, and played two lower seeds.
Yet in the first round, they dropped a game they were up 3-0 without a fight once Calgary lined them up for physical play. They managed to win that series, but then dropped the first two at home in the second round against Dallas. Why? They failed to do the little things that help a team win: block shots (Patrick Marleau even jumped out of the way of a shot, providing a screen to his own goalie, in a one-goal loss), battle in front of the net, and win races to loose pucks.
The hole was too big for them to dig out of, and they lost an epic 4OT thriller, 2-1. One reason was the blueline, which had only one player 30 or more years old and was outplayed in both rounds. Another reason was their lack of past big-game success, with no Stanley Cup champions on the roster.
So in the offseason, they went after both problems by signing Rob Blake, then trading for Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich. All three were over 30 and between them, they had four rings. Even when the Sharks had the best record in the league, they added Claude Lemieux (four rings and a Conn Smythe Trophy), then traded for Travis Moen and Ken Huskins to give them even more championship talent.
The result: San Jose won the President’s Trophy, and was in the top eight in the league in all significant categories: scoring, defence, shots for, shots against, power play, penalty kill, and faceoffs.
Nevertheless, they lost to the team with the worst record in the playoffs without much fight. Just like the previous year, they did it by dropping the first two at home, being out-fought in front of the net, and not getting to loose pucks. (They did do a pretty good job of blocking shots.) Down 2-1 and 3-2 in the series, they were blown out on the road. Even in Game Five, going into the third period with a two-goal lead, they needed overtime to win.
No fight, no focus, no fear—after Game Two, Joe Thornton said they would be fine as long as they kept doing what they were doing, even though they had scored just two goals in about 80 shots. Finally they admitted after losing their third game that they had not played “deperate hockey,” making it clear they were overconfident.
If you have been reading my columns, some of this might seem familiar, but trust me, from the perspective of a Sharks fan, it bears repeating. And it lays the groundwork for the series I will be writing between now and the NHL Draft in late June.
What has happened to this point has not worked. The mindset of these players is soft. Thus, it is time for the clash, and therefore, The Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? I will be examining every player whose contract is up this off-season, plus a couple other key players, to determine what would happen if they walked into my office and asked that question.
Here are the players whose contracts are up…
- Restricted: Ryane Clowe, Marcel Goc, and Torrey Mitchell; only Mitchell is not eligible for arbitration.
- Unrestricted: Mike Grier, Jeremy Roenick, Travis Moen, Tomas Plihal, Claude Lemieux, Rob Blake, Alexei Semenov, Kent Huskins, Brian Boucher
I start by the end of this week with one article on all three restricted free agents.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Shark Bait? Coyotes Head Into Shark Tank
Grebeshkov Burns Former Team
Bett (on this) Man, No NHL Team in Vegas
A couple of wonky ankles in Montreal.
The Capitals Lose Their Captain
Rangers continue slide…3-2
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
I look forward to this series MJ. Mr. Thornton is getting quite the reputation for himself. I didn’t see much of the series, how was his effort?
thanks—i should have more time to write now and my hand is healed enough to make it easier…like the rest of the team, joe’s effort was inconsistent.
I’m sorry, but the Oilers BLEW A THREE-GOAL LEAD in that game — with Roloson IN NET! (Almost a Sharks-like choke, one might say…)
If *that* doesn’t happen, there’s no tied game, and Conklin’s mistake (with which he got *no* help from Jason Smith, incidentally) isn’t the GWG and nowhere NEAR as infamous.
And aside from conveniently and not-very correctly blaming Conklin, claiming that Edmonton would have won in six with Roloson when they went to seven games with Markkanen (against Conn Smythe-winning Cam Ward) is specious at best and stupid at worst.
No, it wasn’t the game winner, which you would have seen had you actually read my article without prejudice. They had a lead up until that point, it was VERY late in the game, and once it was tied, they lost in OT. They blew of the lead was Conklin’s misplay, and the point is that Rolo doesn’t make that mistake and they hold the lead. That’s why that game absolutely CAN be put on Conklin—it never even goes to overtime.
And Rolo also was so outstanding through the rest of the series that there is NO reason to believe he would not have done at least as well as Markkanen. Thus, if they win the same games with him in net—not a given, but probable, since throughout his WHOLE career, Rolo has been a better goalie than Markkanen—they win in six.
Thanks for your read, even if your comment was incredibly biased and condescending.
Nice reply MJ – thought you might let it fly after reading that comment.
Nah, I’m an enforcer, but the gloves don’t always have to come off—often, a good facerub does the trick! Especially when I’m in the lead, and clearly, my point was stronger than that person’s.