The San Jose Sharks released information for their annual State of the Sharks event, where fans get to ask questions of Doug Wilson, Todd McLellan, and Team President, Greg Jamison. We went to this event last year and it was incredibly painful, mostly because of the abundance of lame questions from the fans who made their way to the mic. Their insightfulness included musing on the 49ers in the 80s, someone complaining about the water temp. in the bathrooms and a personal invitation for Cheech to visit them in Gilroy.

God help us all.

This year, the team is trotting out three players to sit on the panel to endure the torture – Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle to join team captain, Patrick…oh…sorry. Looks like Captain Patty gets a pass on this one…

Huh?

Shouldn’t the captain be on the podium to hear the frustration of the fans and take accountability for their collective failures? We know Marleau won’t have anything “quote worthy” to say in response, but he should be there, as the face of the franchise and team captain, right?

So, if we’re looking to read tea leaves and glimpse into the mind of Doug Wilson – is this an unspoken hint?

If you read only one thing about it (besides this post of course), read this.  There so much speculation and confusion about this whole RIM-Jim Phoenix cluster-<ahem> that I couldn’t make heads or tails of it until I read that article.

From my perspective, there are two major reasons why Balsillie will not end up owning the Phoenix Coyotes:

1. Gary Bettman will do everything in his power, and several things outside of it, to maintain the illusion that hockey can be an American entertainment powerhouse.
2. Gary Bettman hates Jim Balsillie.

You can’t get this kind of analysis just anywhere.

So I watched the WorSharks for the first time this year on the AHL streamer, playing $8 for the privilege, and I have to say, it was pretty successful.  The feed was steady and relatively clear.  The audio was the radio feed, and I thought the broadcasters were pretty good.

The game, however, was all too familiar.  The Sharks came out like gangbusters, dominated play in the first period, then made one bad mistake late in the first, and the Providence Bruins scored.  The Sharks came back to tie the game at one with a beautiful feed from Logan Couture to Riley Armstrong in the slot.   But then the Sharks seemed to lose interest.  The Bruins picked up steam as the game went on, and despite several spectacular saves by Thomas Griess, managed to extend the lead to two goals.  DeSilva had a laser wrist shot under the crossbar to make it 3-2 in the third, so there was a bit of drama, but Providence scored an empty-netter to put the game away.

Now the Sharks are down 2-0, heading to Providence for game 3.  They continue to face the hottest goaltender in the AHL, Tukka Rask, who hasn’t given up more than 2 goals this entire postseason.  These parallels are starting to get sickening.  I’m trying to get AWAY from the crushing playoff disappointment, dammit!

You may remember EJ from episode 38, and he’s back again. This time EJ Hradek of ESPN and NHL Live fame comes on to break down the Sharks first-round loss to the Ducks. Also, the inevitable questions are asked and answered about what specific needs the Sharks have, and where they might go from here.

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Check out this weeks podcast, where ESPN’s EJ Hradek breaks down the Sharks and what went wrong. Some extremely interesting observations by EJ – that should lead to some interesting conversations in the coming months. I’m still holding back from offering my suggestions on who must go, what the Sharks need, etc. until after the Calder Cup playoffs because I do believe this is a major piece of the offseason puzzle. Do the Sharks have anyone in their system that can fill the needs identified by Doug Wilson? Do they have enough depth at certain positions to make a trade from strength to address an area of weakness? It’s a crucial step in the offseason process, but not the first. I’ll take a stab at that first step in my next post as we all weigh in on how to make this team a Stanley Cup winner and not a first round loser.

Last night after referee Brad Watson blew his whistle too early (isn’t there medication for that?) and disallowed what should have been a game tying goal that sent the Ducks/Wings to OT in Game Three, it sure appears that Detroit is headed down the same path of the San Jose Sharks. TSN analysts were livid over the disallowed goal, saying it could cost Detroit the series and common sense should prevail in matters like this – when it’s a goal, it’s a goal. But Bob McKenzie said it best when he commented that you just can’t make up the rule book as you go – and when the referee loses sight of the puck, right or wrong, once the whistle blows – the play is dead – and so are the Red Wings. The Ducks are in a prime position. Detroit is clearly frustrated and the Ducks have already ousted “Detroit-Lite” in the Sharks, with the same general coaching system with similar roster players, except Detroit’s have a much better track record (obviously). The point is, the Ducks know how to beat this type of team, Anaheim just did it and did it well – so taking out Detroit isn’t as far-fetched as it looks on the surface. Add in the fact that the Red Wings are without Rafalski and that Hiller has a .949% save percentage in the first three games and continues to look like a world beater – it’s looking pretty darn good for those #&*-damn Ducks.

Game Two between the Providence Bruins and Worcester Sharks is today at 4pm, pacific. Keep the playoff fever.

Sharks playoff hockey isn’t over….

I am going to fulfill my hockey addiction by following the Calder Cup playoff chase and our very own AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, in their battle with the Providence Bruins. Game One has already been played, a 2OT loss in Providence where Jamie McGinn scored two goals, but the Sharks dropped the contest 3-2.

Why should you drop the $8/per game to watch AHL hockey online? Well, with the many roster decisions Doug Wilson has on the horizon, it will allow you a sneak peek into some of the prospects that will play a major role in what happens this offseason.

Exhibit A: Jamie McGinn – He is going to be on the big club next year. Will a top nine forward be moved in order to make room for him to get important minutes? I think it’s very possible.

Exhibit B: Thomas Griess – Better than 50/50 that Greiss is backing up Nabby next year and this kid could be the future of the San Jose Sharks in net. His 2.02 GAA and .922% Save Pct in seven Calder playoff games is the type of performance we could have used against Anaheim…..

Exhibit C: Derek Joslin, Mike Moore and Nick Petrecki – One of these three defensemen could find themselves playing a regular top six shift for the San Jose Sharks next year. Time to check them out and see what they have to offer when they play major minutes. Joslin and Moore both wear an “A” for Worcester, Joslin’s numbers and AHL All Star game selection suggest he could be an effective puck mover if given the chance. Moore just loves to lay people out. Petrecki has yet to suit up after signing recently….I would imagine DW demands he get ice time so the GM can take a look for himself.

Exhibit D: Logan Couture – I watched him dominate the OHL playoff game as the go-to guy for the Ottawa 67’s. He has size, speed and scoring touch. He isn’t afraid to play physical, from what I saw. Not too far fetched to think he might be a player in the San Jose Sharks future in the next year, or so….

Exhibit E: Any role player on the Worcester roster (Staubitz, Armstrong, Vesce, Cavanaugh, etc) will get a long look to see if they can play a role on a San Jose 4th line or as a healthy scratch. They have an opportunity to make a case for Plihal/Goc/Lemieux’s roster spot.

Check it out. Their next game is Tuesday, May 5 and you can watch it online for $8 at this website. I think it’s worth the money….then again I have a hockey problem. Sharkspage has great Worcester coverage and recaps if that’s more your speed.

So the playoffs aren’t over. I’ve always dreamed of Brad Staubitz raising the Calder in front of 2000 people wearing Red Sox caps, haven’t you?

After such a disappointing end to the season, we were both a little surprised you all were nice enough to leave appreciative comments on the last post.  Thank you all for that.  We weren’t going to record a podcast tonight, but it’s such a (crappy) momentous occaision, we couldn’t help it.  Here it is.  And stay tuned- it’s still “Sharks” Hockey Analysis, and we’ll be checking in on the Worchester Sharks, since they are still alive in the Calder Cup playoffs, and it will give us some insight as to the makeup of the SJ Sharks next season.

The title says it all.  The dudes break down yet another untimely Sharks demise.

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Here lies the body of the San Jose Sharks 2008-09 team. They died on the ice in a disappointing loss to the #8 seed, another early exit to add to their collection of post-season disappointments.

We’re disappointed, naturally as I’m sure all Sharks fans are tonight. So, instead of taking quick, cheap shots and proposing all kinds of wild trades and changes, I’m going to lie low for a few days. This punch to the stomach hurts more than years past. In the end, the Ducks were better. You can’t take that away from them and I think they’ll give Detroit one hell of a series.

To sum it up: This sucks.

Here’s Randy Carlyle’s post-game comments on Marleau’s OT goal:

The action that took place, the reason the puck went into the net was their player pushed our goalie’s pad. The puck was loose behind him, and their player pushed the goalie’s pad. As he pushed the goalie’s pad, the back of his foot, the back of his skate knocked the puck in the net. I think there needs to be some clarification because they are not allowed to push the goaltender and the puck into the net to cause a good goal.

The league didn’t elaborate, saying it was a good goal.  So I did the research, and let me take a crack at why this was allowed to stand.  Here’s the relevant line from the NHL Rulebook, Rule 79.5(ix), stating a goal is disallowed, “When a goalkeeper has been pushed into the net together with the puck after making a save”.

Here’s the video.   Ok, if I were a lawyer trying to defend the Sharks goal according to the this rule, I would state the following.

1. The goalkeeper was not pushed into the net.  His pad was pushed, but that’s not specifically prohibited.
2. Hiller wasn’t “together with the puck”.  The letter (and spirit) of this rule, in my view, is designed to prevent a goal to be scored when the keeper has control of the puck.  Hiller did not have control of the puck at any time during the play, nor was it attached to or tied up in his equipment.
3. For those arguing that banging away at Hiller constitutes goaltender interference, I might even argue against that.  They weren’t preventing Hiller from reaching back and grabbing the puck for the split-second it was there.  And even if it were interference, that judgment is made on the ice, and is not reviewable by video replay.

So Randy, there’s your clarification.