http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/index.xmlOne loyal fan's blog about the San Jose Sharks' quest for the Stanley Cup.en-us10 March 2010I'm not sure what was being said in the locker room, or at the players' homes, but the San Jose Sharks were playing angry last night...and I'm not going to lie...I really liked it. As the game got chippier, the chirping got louder and you could just see the anger on some of the players' faces. Both squads were slashing, cross-checking, tripping, punching...it was awesome. From a Montreal Canadiens perspective, I imagine their passion came from simply needing the points to get into the playoffs. As of this morning, Montreal is in a three-way tie for the final playoff spot in the East with the New York Rangers and Atlanta Thrashers. In regards to Team Teal's display of a mean streak, I think they were just tired of losing having dropped three out of the last four games.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=251Game Summaries5 March 2010Well, the San Jose Sharks opened up thier post-Olympics season with a loss against the New Jersey Devils. Thanks to give-aways, bad face-offs, and some questionable goaltending, Team Teal found themselves deep in a hole. Fortunately, San Jose rallied late in the third period...not enough to win, but enough to give Sharks fans something to cheer about.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=250Game Summaries2 March 2010What a game...the scene could not have been set more perfectly...for Canada that is. I can't imagine that there is anything better than winning an Olympic Gold Medal in hockey against the United States of America on home ice. Well, that's what Team Canada did yesterday and fortunately for us Sharks fans, four of our boys got to celebrate. With the number of players we had headed to Vancouver, it was all but guaranteed that a Sharks player would come home with the Gold. With players on Team Canada, USA, Russia, and Sweden, San Jose had a very good shot at bringing home some Olympic hardware. In the end, the San Jose Sharks collected a total of five medals; four gold and one silver...not bad at all.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=249Unsportsmanlike Conduct1 March 2010Well, if there's a silver lining from last night's game between Team Russia and Team Canada...at least only one San Jose Shark finished his run at the gold medal...instead of four. However, to see Evgeni Nabokov get torched out there was tough. We all know how strong Number 20 is mentally, but after an outing like that, I still worry about how it may affect him once he's back in a San Jose sweater. Granted, it was essentially an All-Star game out there...a ton of shots coming from Canada and very little defense coming from Russia. More specifically, Evgeni saw 23 shots on goal in his 24 minutes of ice time...that's almost a shot a minute. You translate those numbers into a full 60 minutes and you get a 57 shot night! Unfortunately, Nabby didn't get to see 60 minutes as he was pulled after letting in a sixth Canadian goal. Granted, the Russian netminder couldn't stop the puck like he normally does, but the commentators made it seem like it was all Nabby's fault.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=248Player News25 February 2010Well, it's been just under a week since I last posted and you can blame the Olympics. Every two years, I find myself in a fog...unable to focus on anything else but the Olympic games. Between the Winter games and Summer games, Winter is my favorite for obvious reasons. The level of hockey has simply been amazing. Not only has the play been great to watch, but the Olympics has given me the opportunity to pay attention to players who I never get to really see on a consistent basis. Pool play allowed me to see the Eastern young guns such as Crosby, Malkin, and my personal favorite...Ovechkin. There is just so much talent in the NHL and the Olympics do a great job of showcasing it. Unfortunately, like all good things, the Olympics will eventually come to an end. Tomas Greiss of Team Germany was the first San Jose Shark to finish his run at the gold medal, but after tonight, he will have some company.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=247Unsportsmanlike Conduct24 February 2010With Team Sweden taking on Team Germany, San Jose Sharks fans were confronted with a difficult choice to make for the first time during these Olympics. Who to root for? Well, maybe it wasn't that difficult a choice for some, but last night's game did mark the first time that a Shark faced another Shark in Vancouver. Fortunately for Douglas Murray, Team Sweden ended up on top in what proved to be a much closer game than anticipated...much of that is thanks to a strong performance by Tomas Greiss.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=246Player News18 February 2010In the first day of Olympics Men's Hockey, six out of the eight San Jose Sharks Olympians took to the ice. Not playing against one another, it was easy to root for Team USA, Team Canada, and Team Russia as they took on Team Switzerland, Team Norway, and Team Latvia respectively. For Team Teal fans, all of our boys won last night which was great as this experience will hopefully give them confidence throughout the Olympics and Stanley Cup playoffs.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=245Player News17 February 2010The Ottawa Senators put former San Jose Sharks forward and Rocket Richard Trophy winner Jonathan Cheechoo on waivers last week. Given his lack of production and $3.5M contract, Cheech cleared waivers and was sent to the AHL's Binghamton Senators. Though it is tough seeing our former Number 14 hit such a low point in his career, it shouldn't surprise his fans that Jonathan is not giving up. In his first game, down on the Ottawa farm, Cheechoo put up a goal and an assist in a victory over Rochester Americans. XS3QUXTZY533http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=244Player News15 February 2010With the NHL in hibernation and the 2010 Olympics rolling along, it's time to change our jerseys from black and teal to...well, whatever colors you're favorite country is wearing. Luckily for San Jose Sharks fans, we have the opportunity to cheer for our guys in four different sweaters. So, if you're looking to grab your 2010 Olympics jersey for the USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, or Germany, check out the links I found below.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=243Unsportsmanlike Conduct14 February 2010With the Olympics going, the recent trade of Shelley, and the long exhausting road trip behind them, the San Jose Sharks ended their East Coast journey with eight out of 10 points...the same point total they started with before taking on the Buffalo Sabres. Team Teal skated relatively well early, but just couldn't put the puck in the back of the net. Though it was a disappointing loss, I'm not going to worry about it too much.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=242Game Summaries13 February 2010Yesterday, the San Jose Sharks traded forward Jody Shelley to the New York Rangers for a conditional 6th Round Pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. I trust General Manager Doug Wilson and the moves that he makes, but I'm guessing that this deal was more about subtraction than clearing room for potential addition.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=241Player News13 February 2010Well, the San Jose Sharks kept from being swept by the Detroit Red Wings, but only by the skin of their teeth...and you know what? I'll take it. After watching the game, you could tell that this match meant a lot to both teams. For Team Teal, a chance to fight back against their bully and prove to themselves that they can defeat Detroit. For the Red Wings, an opportunity to showcase a healthy team that is ready to beat the best and make their final push towards the post-season. With so much at stake, both squads came out skating really hard and it made for some fun hockey to watch.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=240Game Summaries11 February 2010Similar to the last game, the San Jose Sharks came out sloppy and sluggish against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, this time around, Team Teal wasn't able to muster up a last minute win against the home team. Instead, the Sharks played ugly hockey for 40 minutes...and good hockey for the last 20. As for Columbus goaltender Steve Mason, he played a solid 60 minutes and made 40 out of 40 saves earning his second shutout in the last three games.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=239Game Summaries10 February 2010This afternoon, the San Jose Sharks took to the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third game of their current six-game road trip and defeated the hometeam by a final score of 3 - 2. With the victory, Team Teal is guaranteed a .500 record on this 11-day tour of the NHL's East Coast...which is awesome. However, I think that most would agree with me when I say that the win wasn't pretty.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=238Game Summaries8 February 2010The San Jose Sharks have made a trade, one that received a lot of attention and press even before it was finalized. Essentially, Team Teal receives veteran defenseman Niclas Wallin and a 5th rounder in this year's NHL draft from the Carolina Hurricanes for a second rounder (originally owned by Buffalo) in the same draft. I wouldn't call this deal a blockbuster, especially after the Phaneuf and Kovalchuk deals. However, I would call this one an extremely smart trade for the Sharks as General Manager Doug Wilson was able to add another Stanley Cup ring to our blue line without having to give up any current personnel. And for those of you who are counting, we now have four Stanley Cup ring holders, out of a possible six spots, protecting our own zone...not bad at all.http://www.sanjosesharksblog.com/post.php?id=237Player News7 February 2010