Mike and Doug break down all the trades and goings-on of the NHL draft, and take a look at the top UFAs.

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The Dudes talk about the upcoming draft, Brad Stuart vs. Barret Jackman, and some possible trade partners for a certain Sharks veteran.

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It’s a milestone episode, and the Dudes have to face the fact that the Kings are the Stanley Cup Champions, and the long term de facto Pacific division favorite.  But in Sharks news, Brad Stuart is back, and the Dudes figure out what that means for the rest of the defensive corps.  Finally, Mike and Doug cover the entire Sharks lineup, particularly the RFAs and UFAs, predicting which will be retained, and which will be free to test the market.

Correction: Brad Stuart was a #3 overall pick, not #6 as we said in the podcast. (Matt D’Agostini)

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In the last podcast of this hecto-podcast, Doug and Mike talk about the news of the day, the Stanley Cup finals, and take some listener emails.

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Mike and Doug are back again, talking about the Kings being the favorite to win the Cup, the Devils-Rangers series, and the continuing non-info about the Sharks’ coaching situation.

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I'm just like the Coyotes. I feel a blowout!

My daughter is now 16 days old and I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe. My days revolve around keeping track of how many times this small version of me poos and pees, singing silly songs about poos and pees and washing poos and pees off my Dudes on Hockey t-shirt, which appears to be her favorite target….not sure what she’s saying about our podcast….

I’m also pretty sure that I feel fairly poopy and pee-pee about the LA Kings making the Stanley Cup Finals, which is a virtual certainty at this point. Is this really happening? Are the Sharks really keeping T-Mac as head coach and thinking that adding Bryan Marchment will fix the disturbing penalty kill? Why am I still covered in doo-doo?

As I stumble into next weeks podcast, we are creating two Dudes on Hockey award categories and we would like your help in forming the nominations. Let us know your nominees in the comment thread below and we’ll run with it.

KING DOUCHEBAG

What NHL player is the lamest, either on or off the ice? An obvious nominee would be Patrick Kane, for his drunken escapade after Round One in the playoffs coupled with his classic Vancouver limo incident and punching a cab driver in the face in his native Buffalo. Plus he’s just a tool in general. That’s my nominee.

Who is your King Douchebag? State your case and provide your evidence.

THE DIRTY DIAPER AWARD

Which current San Jose Shark player would you like to see NOT return next season. No rules apply here, no logic, or trade clauses. Just you being able to toss this player into the Diaper Champ like a nutty surprise on the NHL landfill. With the new CBA, there could be an amnesty clause that would allow you to dispose of this dirty diaper. You could also choose to not resign this players soiled baby shorts as a UFA or RFA.

Who is your Dirty Diaper and why do they stand out from the other Pamper nightmares?

We will be back next week. Until then, my hockey friends…I reek of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste.

I read this after we recorded the podcast yesterday, that the Sharks are raising ticket prices, but only for some.  If you sit on the end where the Sharks attack twice, you will pay more than those that sit at the other end of the arena.  Of course this will affect us- we are in the ‘best’ corner, facing the benches and the opposing goalie two out of three periods.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first- the reason ticket prices are raised is because the team believes the market will bear it.  The amount of winning the team does is a minor factor, if at all.  Although running a sports team isn’t exactly the same as running a business (read the great Malcolm Gladwell piece on it and try to ignore the fact that it’s about basketball), the owners are still trying to make money.  I’m sure they considered the public relations fallout, but I imagine the owners know that the price elasticity here is rather low.  In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they have it calculated to the third decimal point.  This is the only major sports team in San Jose, and while this past season is disappointing, the team overall in the past decade has been very competitive.  The Sharks couldn’t raise the prices by 20% without fallout, but they probably could raise prices more than, say, the Stars, who are in a very competitive sports environment (with hockey probably a distant third or fourth) and not a stellar track record these past few years.

From a fairness perspectice, it’s certainly a supportable argument that the seats at the ‘good’ end are more desirable, and thus worth more.  The problem is who it affects the most.

Me.

Well, that’s true, but not really my point.  As is the case for most teams, the Sharks’ season ticket holders gain seniority the longer they hold their seats, and your appointment to choose new seats, should you choose to do so, is directly tied to your seniority score.  Thus, up until now, it was the most senior fans that had the seats in the best spots. Consequently, this new ticket pricing scheme is directly and disproportionately screwing the people who have held season tickets the longest.

This is not the best public relations strategy.  Many businesses realize that the most loyal customers are the customers that provide the bulk of the revenue to the business, and many times smart businesses make choices that reward repeat and loyal customers, even at the expense of newer or drive-by customers.  This is precisely the opposite of what the Sharks are doing.  I’m not sure what is worse- that the ownership group realized this and doesn’t care, or it didn’t occur to them that the most loyal fans are taking it in the teeth.

In essence, this is the Sharks:

I have yet to decide if I will or won’t.

But the new Santana addition is in.  Despite a lack of sleep, Doug joins on the phone, and the Dudes break down the remaining teams in the playoffs, the pool situation, and more Sharks conjecture.

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No baby yet, so I thought I’d kill some time.

I noticed this release today on the Sharks official website, confirming what we all assumed was Step One in the offseason plan. Doug Wilson’s J-O-B is safe and he will be the point man for the changes this summer.

STATEMENT FROM THE OWNERSHIP GROUP OF SHARKS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT:

“The on-ice results of our team this season are not acceptable to our fans, our organization or our ownership group. We will not lower our expectation that every San Jose Sharks team we put on the ice is capable of winning the Stanley Cup. Despite the fact that our team has experienced a tremendous amount of success over the past eight seasons, we are not satisfied with those results and neither is Doug. The ownership group has confidence that Doug will make the necessary changes to ensure our club remains among the NHL’s elite franchises.”

So Step #2 we’d all assume is will Doug Wilson continue with T-Mac as the teacher in his hockey classroom? You’ll notice T-Mac did not get the same vote of confidence from the ownership statement.

Mike and I are on record on this weeks podcast that we think it’s time for a change. Despite four years of making the playoffs, the lack of consistency, the brutal drop off on the penalty kill, and the apparent change in winning style in the NHL could steer DW in a different direction – especially if he’s stuck with many of the same players. It certainly will be easier to change the coaching staff than trade some of these contracts (Marleau, Thornton, Niemi) in an unknown CBA climate.

If T-Mac gets thrown overboard, one name I want to throw out is St. Louis Blues assistant coach, Brad Shaw.

Who the hell is Brad Shaw? Well, he’s an assistant coach on a team that whipped the Sharks fannies eight out of nine times this year and we know what a fan Doug Wilson is to paying homage to teams that are successful. Brad Shaw was voted by the 2011-12 NHL Players Association players poll as the assistant who most deserves a Head Coaching job. He played 377 NHL games as a defensemen and was Co-Captain of the Ottawa Senators in their second year in the league, something DW can relate to as a Captain of an expansion team himself. Maybe the most important connection between the two men is they both were dominant defensemen for the Ottawa 67’s under coach Brian Kilrea, a brotherhood that DW appears to take pretty seriously when evaluating hockey talent given his draft history. Maybe he would consider it when looking for another coach…

Nothing to see here yet…but if T-Mac gets canned, I would see if Doug Wilson has Brad Shaw on speed dial.

After more than a week to reflect, Mike and Doug don’t have the raw emotion anymore, but the initial reaction still stands.  The Dudes talk about the coaching staff, T-Mac, the inevitable Patrick Marleau bashing, and other changes that might take place.

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