This week we have an important announcement to make along with the usual SPG standings. Join us after the jump to find out how you could win a Joe Thornton autographed mini-stick. Yeah, yeah, all the boring stuff.

What, tables of numbers and names don't get you going?

With 17 Sundays left in the regular season it's a good enough time to let you in on a little secret- we like you guys. In the spirit of the holidays it was decided (over a fair amount of hard cider's I might add) that an autographed Joe Thornton mini-stick would be given away for the winner of this specific contest. What does this contest entail? So glad you asked.

1) Every Sunday at 5 PM we will post three trivia questions about the San Jose Sharks and/or NHL in general. They will be asked at the beginning of the SPG Standings post (i.e. "before the jump"). These questions will vary in difficulty.

2) Questions may include the current Sharks roster, news around the NHL, Sharks history, and anything else concerning the fair game of hockey. For the sake of disclosure, here are three examples of possible questions:

• Who scored the final goal of the Sharks game last night against the Blues?
• Who leads the Sharks in overall points?
• In what stadium will the Winter Classic be held this season?

Since I'm sure all of you are familiar with the cheating capabilities of Google, most of the questions won't be as simple. We trust you as far as we can throw you. And since we're unable to throw you (because we're unable to see you), your general expectation should be that these example questions will be the easiest ones you will see. Hit the books ladies and gentlemen.

3) The scoring system is as follows:

The first one to answer all three questions correctly will earn three points, the second two points, and the third one point. The point allocation will be based on the time you entered your answer. This means that it will be possible for two users to enter their answers at the same time- whichever correct comment is the "highest" in the thread will win the most points.

In the event of no fully correct answers (2/3, 1/3 etc), the same point allocation based on time will apply.

4) The contest closes 24 hours after the post, at 5 PM Monday. You are only allowed one answer, so make sure you are completely sure when you submit your answer. If the answer is a name, the full name is necessary. "Thornton" will not be accepted, but "Joe Thornton" will. If the answer is a team, "Stars" will not be accepted, but "Dallas Stars" will.

This is only so we can make sure everything is fair and not left up to interpretation. Please make a note of this- it would be a damn shame if you don't get your points due to something so small.

5) The user with the most points at the end of the season (ending April 12th) will be deemed the winner. Authors are not eligible (due to the fact we are compiling the questions).

Any questions should be asked now in order to make sure we are all on the same page. Good luck guys!

Go Sharks.