It’s My Fault
April 16th, 2010, 9:32 am
It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for what happened at the Tank of Wednesday night and I’m prepared to make amends.
It was my playoff beard – or lack their of. I’m not a morning person, and in my haze on Wednesday AM and deprived of all caffeine, I shaved the beginnings of my fighting facial follicles – and the Sharks lost. Rest assured that this has been corrected and because of my two day old beard, the Sharks will win four games in a row and right the wrongs and heckles from Sharks haters that we as loyal fans have been subjected to the last 48 hours.
A few other thoughts before I wander to the Tank tonight:
It didn’t make me feel much better this morning to see Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau both proclaim that tonight’s game is not considered a “must win” in their minds. Really guys? I guess we shouldn’t expect anything else from them, but I certainly hope they play with a different intensity than that quote. If not, we’ll all be pointing to those comments as the slogan for why this team fails in April.
I’m not sure what Todd McLellan doesn’t see in Jamie McGinn but he played the fewest minutes of any player on both teams in Game 1. Based on reports from practice yesterday, it appears that Ortmeyer will be in for Game 2. Does that mean we’ll see two guys glued to the pine in the 3rd period? I thought this roster was deeper than last years, but the lack of love for his 4th liners is a consistent theme from McLellan this time of year.
If the Sharks have any hope of advancing, they need to make a statement tonight. There have been lots of Game 1 upsets this week and as Bill Shakespeare once said, “One game does not a series maketh, Hamlet”, but another bomb on home ice won’t have this team feeling lots of love from their home fans as they leave the Tank and head to enemy territory.
Respect the Superstition. Grow Beard Grow.
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I think you’re wrong about the beards.
http://vimeo.com/7117832
However, that quote is extremely disappointing. Yeah, no big deal! Lose two at home in a row, who cares?! Not the end of the world! Just means we have a snowball’s chance in hell at winning the series!
Of course, I haven’t shaved since Saturday.
Some of the guys on this team need to take a media lesson or something. Obviously the pre and post-game quotations are fairly meaningless. But don’t you think there’s someone around to tell them that the fans want to hear them fired up, urgent, and accountable?
This gem from Big Joe last week was also disconcerting:
“That fire that was there before the faceoff in Game 6 last year – This year, do you say ‘We need to bring it sooner in the series?’
“When you get down in a series like that, you’ve got to step outside your comfort zone and do things you don’t normally do and that was the case there,” Thornton said. “As far as lighting the fire under your ass a little bit earlier . . . I thought we didn’t play too bad. We outshot them in games 1 and 2 but it just didn’t go in the back of the net for some reason.””
Get some media training guys! You’re making it worse.
I’m gonna defend Joe and Patty on this one. First off I agree in a way…I’d like to see them get emotional and speak in the same way. But isn’t everyone else on this team, hell the whole NHL, saying thecsame things??
To parse words too, it isn’t a must-win, by definition. It’s not an elimination game. I’ve heard Drew and Jamie make that argument. It’s a little weak but that’s the prevailing logic in the culture of the Sharks right now.
It’s all part of this, “we have to stay even-keel and unemotional at all times” mentality that has infected the Sharks. I don’t like this culture at all and I can’t bring myself to single out Patty and Joe. Blake and Pavs spew the same crap.
I’ve often wondered if this reason is why Dan Botle isn’t captain. He is so frank and emotional at times, and it seems so counter to the culture the coaching and management doesn’t want. I don’t give the guys a total pass on this but I do blame the culture more.
I think Boyle isn’t captain because if the sharks should fall short this team is going to get blown up and he will be the Captain of the “Clean Slate” Sharks since Boyle contract is one of the longest on this team. Or the post Blake winning sharks. I hope the latter.
Dan Botle of course…. The identical Swedish twin of our all star D man Dan Boyle.
At the risk of being labeled a heretic, I wanted to chime in on the “hater” and “not a fan” business. I see where you are coming from, but I feel justified after all these years to be ready to move on, turn the page, and root for a major housecleaning of this organization.
Been a fan since day 1, will probably always be a fan. But come on, after years of these performances and idiotic comments after the games by key players, it’s hard to not want change.
Ted, I understand how you feel. There may be a time coming when this will be the conversation that we all want to have, and I would never personally tell ya what to feel or think. Its just that between Game 1 and 2 seems a tad premature.
Yes the comments are idiotic, not a must win… Please…
But until its golf time hang in there 🙂
Ted, if the Sharks do bow out early again, I’m with you 100%. Since they are still alive, I want them to win. I’m not accusing you of wishing they would lose to the Avs here, but I don’t understand the thinking of Sharks fans who want the Sharks to fail in the playoffs. We’ve seen many lower seeds over the years make it to the Cup Finals and even win it, so it’s never a done deal until that last loss.
I find a huge chasm between that and say, wishing a 35-45 team to lose their last two games to get a better chance at the #1 pick.
Sharks with the first goal tonight… Ryane Clowe.
Predictions?
I agree but I am calling Boyle.
Couture
I agree but I am calling Boyle.