When the San Jose Sharks lost the second round series of NHL Playoffs last year to Edmonton (4-2) after lead
We waited for Doug Wilson to show his can do attitude punctuated by a really sharp and effective coach in Ron Wilson. While Ron was tightening the loose strings, Doug provided the likes of Mike Grier (a great penalty killer and an effective short-handed goal scorer) during the summer. Season started and Sharks seemed to be doing reasonably well and hopes were rising high. After all, this was the youngest, fastest and biggest team in the NHL. With a prolific goal-scorer (Jonathan Cheechoo) and a great play-maker (Joe Thornton) playing on a team that could proudly roll 4-lines back to back having superb goal-tending who was there to stop Sharks from going all the way. To strengthen the defense Doug brought Craig Rivet, and as the final piece of the puzzle came the center Bill Guerin just before the trade-deadline expired. Awesome! I kept recording the matches and as much as my wife would hate it watched the games late at night while still trying to finish off the homework and reading. I kept saying to myself, "We are going to have a party in the downtown and I will finally, after almost a decade of following like crazy, be able to say SJ Sharks has won a Stanley Cup."
Sharks did not enter the playoffs with the bang that I had hoped for, yet it was a reasonable 5th spot (in a total of 8) in the Western Conference. Darn! We meet those (Nashville) Predators (4th seed) again. But hey, we had whipped them last year and it should not be that difficult this time around either. Although Preds did get Foresberg, Sharks almost steam rolled them. The Shrek look-alike coach of Nashville should gracefully quit and go somewhere else (hint: Ogres live in a swamp!).
Unfortunately for the Sharks fans, the history was to repeat itself. The good win and momentum built over Preds series was squandered away in no time. A good start by winning against Detroit Red Wings (a formidable opponent) in their building allowed Sharks to get a head-start. Yet, Sharks' inability to close out during critical moments, lack of concentration, lack of stepping up to the plate allowed Detroit Red Wings to take the critical 4th game in San Jose and get leveled (2-2) in a series that had no place for lapses. [Whoever threw that dead shark on the ice that night, you should find the nearest and deepest spot somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and jump into the cold water!]
There wasn't a whole lot after that 4th game - either in the Sharks' legs, spirits, or in the series. Sharks went on to lose 4-2 in San Jose within days of that 4th game and called it a year that could have been...
When the year started, we had great hopes, lots of dreams. Alas! All of it turned out to be more of a hype than real guts! Sharks have a long way to go, the question is what would it need to turn the Kan(not) do mentality around?
I believe the answer is simple - "hunger for touching/holding the Lord Stanley's Cup!"
Will it be 2008? Let's at least hope for that...
PS: Good Luck to Ottawa! I hope they can bring the glory back to the town that started this all and in the meantime - have roasted Ducks for lunch!
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