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San Jose Sharks Blogger •
Everything was supposed to be different this season, with a new coaching staff, some young additions, increased spending and a revamped defense. This was supposed to be the year the San Jose Sharks found a way over the playoff hump. Instead, the Sharks took a major step backward, failing to advance past the first round for the first time since the 2000-2001 season.
San Jose has choked before, and the team made a habit of playoff disappointment, but this year Team Teal took failure and disappointment to a whole new level. The Sharks remain one of only five NHL franchises that have failed to advance to a Stanley Cup final, joining Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville and Phoenix. Unquestionably, the Sharks have been the most successful of those five over the last decade, adding to the frustration and anger sweeping through the Bay Area after the team's latest playoff collapse.
Monday night's 4-1 loss brought an abrupt end to the Sharks' season, making them only the fourth Presidents' Trophy winning team to lose in the first round of the playoffs. It also helped cement the franchise's legacy of failure. When most hockey fans think of the San Jose Sharks they think of playoff chokers and underachievers, a franchise that performs well in the regular season and stumbles in the postseason - not once or twice, but every single year, regardless of the personnel on the ice or behind the bench.
Anaheim played outstanding hockey; that can't be disputed. Jonas Hiller was the MVP of the series, the Ducks' top line outplayed every line combination San Jose assembled, and the Anaheim defense shut down the potent Sharks' offense. However, let's not give the Ducks too much credit. San Jose's effort was simply unacceptable. Once again, leaders faltered, and their failures spread through the entire roster. In the end, San Jose was outcoached, outplayed, outskated, outwilled, outskilled and outscored... again.
There will be several months to pick up the pieces, assign blame and make necessary moves, but it's obvious that the culture in San Jose has to change. Failure has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Expectations are always clouded by the inevitability of disappointment. Nobody who had paid attention could have honestly expected the Sharks to win the Stanley Cup, not when you look at the team's recent history. It would be like betting on the sun to rise in the west this morning. Sure it could happen, but it's not very likely.
The most disappointing part of Monday's loss wasn't the final score, since most people had expected the Sharks to lose after falling behind 2-0 in the series. The most disappointing part was the lack of fight, the heads that hung after Anaheim went up 3-1 and the absence of effort in the final minutes. The Sharks were fortunate to lose on the road, because they would have been booed off the ice during the last 10 minutes of their season.
Finally, fans are fed up with the poor efforts, lame excuses and awkward shoulder shrugs. Moving forward, the Sharks are going to have to earn the fans' trust. People are going to look at the team with a little more cynicism, bringing questions and concerns rather than blind adoration. That's actually a good thing, forcing the Sharks to take on more accountability.
The Sharks have featured the duo of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton for the last four years, and hoped to surround them with leadership rather than forcing them to step up and maximize their potential. The results haven't improved at all, and the fingers are always pointed in the same direction. It's time to ask the difficult questions, time to demand more, and time to say "show us" rather than "tell us."
The old saying is "one step forward, two steps back." Maybe after the disappointment has subsided and emotions have returned to normal, the Sharks can take one step forward after four steps back. It's time to put things in reverse, making real changes and discontinuing the San Jose Sharks' legacy of failure.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
San Jose has choked before, and the team made a habit of playoff disappointment, but this year Team Teal took failure and disappointment to a whole new level. The Sharks remain one of only five NHL franchises that have failed to advance to a Stanley Cup final, joining Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville and Phoenix. Unquestionably, the Sharks have been the most successful of those five over the last decade, adding to the frustration and anger sweeping through the Bay Area after the team's latest playoff collapse.
Monday night's 4-1 loss brought an abrupt end to the Sharks' season, making them only the fourth Presidents' Trophy winning team to lose in the first round of the playoffs. It also helped cement the franchise's legacy of failure. When most hockey fans think of the San Jose Sharks they think of playoff chokers and underachievers, a franchise that performs well in the regular season and stumbles in the postseason - not once or twice, but every single year, regardless of the personnel on the ice or behind the bench.
Anaheim played outstanding hockey; that can't be disputed. Jonas Hiller was the MVP of the series, the Ducks' top line outplayed every line combination San Jose assembled, and the Anaheim defense shut down the potent Sharks' offense. However, let's not give the Ducks too much credit. San Jose's effort was simply unacceptable. Once again, leaders faltered, and their failures spread through the entire roster. In the end, San Jose was outcoached, outplayed, outskated, outwilled, outskilled and outscored... again.
There will be several months to pick up the pieces, assign blame and make necessary moves, but it's obvious that the culture in San Jose has to change. Failure has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Expectations are always clouded by the inevitability of disappointment. Nobody who had paid attention could have honestly expected the Sharks to win the Stanley Cup, not when you look at the team's recent history. It would be like betting on the sun to rise in the west this morning. Sure it could happen, but it's not very likely.
The most disappointing part of Monday's loss wasn't the final score, since most people had expected the Sharks to lose after falling behind 2-0 in the series. The most disappointing part was the lack of fight, the heads that hung after Anaheim went up 3-1 and the absence of effort in the final minutes. The Sharks were fortunate to lose on the road, because they would have been booed off the ice during the last 10 minutes of their season.
Finally, fans are fed up with the poor efforts, lame excuses and awkward shoulder shrugs. Moving forward, the Sharks are going to have to earn the fans' trust. People are going to look at the team with a little more cynicism, bringing questions and concerns rather than blind adoration. That's actually a good thing, forcing the Sharks to take on more accountability.
The Sharks have featured the duo of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton for the last four years, and hoped to surround them with leadership rather than forcing them to step up and maximize their potential. The results haven't improved at all, and the fingers are always pointed in the same direction. It's time to ask the difficult questions, time to demand more, and time to say "show us" rather than "tell us."
The old saying is "one step forward, two steps back." Maybe after the disappointment has subsided and emotions have returned to normal, the Sharks can take one step forward after four steps back. It's time to put things in reverse, making real changes and discontinuing the San Jose Sharks' legacy of failure.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
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