It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. There’s no better way to describe the Patrick Marleau era, which came to a predictable and disappointing end yesterday with the news that the San Jose Sharks forward had been stripped of the captaincy. Those who chronicled the Sharks up and downs over the last few years have been characterized as bipolar, claiming the team was bound for the Stanley Cup one month and wondering if they were a playoff team the next. However, the Sharks’ performance has rebounded from one extreme to the other over the last five seasons, ultimately ending in playoff disappointment.
Marleau personified that roller coaster, and the team followed his lead for better or worse since the day he assumed the captaincy midway through the 2003-04 season. When he performed well, the team followed suit. When he puked all over himself, there wasn’t a cleaning product powerful enough to erase the lingering stench. Eventually, Marleau’s inability to raise his game became painfully evident, even predictable, and the team followed that poor example right up to their first-round playoff upset against the Anaheim Ducks.
You can’t point out his playoff failures without giving Marleau credit for his successes. If he hadn’t performed as well, the Sharks probably wouldn’t have five playoff series victories over the last five seasons. However, his annual disappearing act also doomed the team when greater competition came calling.
In playoff series victories:
2003-04: 11 games, 7 goals, 3 assists, 10 points, +4
2005-06: 5 games, 7 goals, 1 assist, 8 points, +1
2006-07: 5 games, 3 goals, 3 assists, 6 points, 0
2007-08: 7 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points, 0
Total: 28 games, 19 goals, 11 assists, 30 points, +5
In playoff series losses:
2003-04: 6 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, -4
2005-06: 6 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points, +1
2006-07: 6 games, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, -5
2007-08: 6 games, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, -2
2008-09: 6 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, 0
Total: 30 games, 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points, -10
The 2005-06 playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers was the only losing series when Marleau played anywhere close to an adequate level, but he came up short after the momentum shifted in Game 3 and couldn’t reverse the Sharks’ fortune.
Perhaps he just wasn’t cut out to be an NHL captain, lacking the personality or leadership ability to navigate a team through the perilous playoff waters. Certainly you can’t heap all the blame on his oft-shrugging shoulders, but the captain is the one teammates look to when the going gets tough and Marleau came up woefully short more often than not, contributing to a culture of failure and the Sharks’ current reputation as playoff choke artists.
With the Sharks’ captaincy up for grabs, a trade wouldn’t surprise anybody. Marleau’s name has popped up regularly in trade rumors for the last couple seasons, and the Sharks could garner a strong return for a player whose best days could very well lie ahead. He was named the Sharks’ most valuable player last season, turns 30 in September, and could represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Assuming Marleau stays in San Jose, you have to figure there are two ways the season could play out. Either he could flourish without the mental burden of the captaincy, putting together another strong season and entering the playoffs without such high expectations, or he could flounder after being stripped of the captaincy — a move that displays the coaching staff and management’s lack of confidence in him. Marleau is entering a contract year in 2009-10. The last time his leadership was questioned and trade rumors surfaced he endured the nightmare 2007-08 season — amassing 48 points in 78 games — and didn’t pull out of his extended funk until after the trade deadline had passed.
More changes are certainly on the way in San Jose, and they’re necessary for a team being suffocated by salary cap constraints. General manager Doug Wilson has to find a way to clear cap space while replacing some of the talent he lost when Travis Moen, Mike Grier, Marcel Goc and Jeremy Roenick left town. There’s also the question of who will replace Marleau as the team’s captain, and the search begins with a shortlist of candidates.
Joe Thornton – The team’s leading scorer and most consistent player each of the last four seasons, Thornton has previously served as a captain in Boston. He (BOS/04) and Marleau (SJ/07) share the dubious distinction of captaining their teams to over 100-point seasons, but failing to record a single point during a playoff series loss that spring. He would be the obvious choice, but he’s hurt by his checkered playoff past, lack of conditioning or work ethic, and the fact he ducked the media on two separate occasions during the Anaheim series.
Dan Boyle – Seems to be the overwhelming favorite among the fans and media because of his intense personality and the passion he showed during the Anaheim series. After the first two losses, when most of the players (and coaches) were saying the Sharks should stay the course he was railing against the team’s poor play and calling people out. Boyle is the only player on the team you’d be afraid of if you saw him in the locker room after a preseason loss, and that’s a great quality if you’re looking for a captain who can turn the franchise around.
Joe Pavelski – Might surprise a few to see Pavelski on the list, but he’s the same age Marleau was when he took over as captain and has already put up a higher regular-season point total at the same age (59 to Marleau’s 57). Unlike Marleau, Pavelski has won championships at multiple levels of organized hockey and served as the captain of nearly every team he’s played for. His resume includes the Wisconsin State Hockey Championship, the USHL’s Clark Cup, and an NCAA National Championship. He’s a great two-way player and could represent the U.S. at the 2010 Olympics.
Rob Blake – The best hockey player ever to come out of Bowling Green University, Blake is a Stanley Cup winner and a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Even at age 39, he’s a productive defenseman who has adjusted well to the rule changes instituted after the NHL lockout. I’m not sure if the Sharks will look his direction, simply because of his age and his oncoming retirement, but Blake is a leader in the locker room and a mentor for younger players. He took a backseat a little bit vocally in his first season with the Sharks, but that could change this season.
Stripping Marleau of the captaincy brings an era of both unparalleled success and disappointment to an end. It’s a difficult move when you consider that Marleau is in the prime of his career, he’s the team’s longest-serving member, and he’s also the holder of numerous franchise records, but Shark fans are hoping the change can signal a new direction and increased success for Team Teal.
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