The Bigger Picture

This is my first and probably only shot at a post, because I will probably make all some of you upset.  There has been a lot of hand wringing (myself included) at the play of our Sharks the last 6 weeks.  But I wanted to try to put things in perspective. 

I have been watching hockey for longer than a lot of you have been alive.  In my life, Hull, Orr, Esposito (both of them), Dryden, Richard, Shack, were household names and I was honored to see them play in person.  Watching goalies play without masks, players without helmets, is an experience never to be forgotten. 

The team we have this year in San Jose is probably one of the best I have ever seen in my life, and I've been an East Coast season ticket holder for the Pens and Caps, for many, many years.  Step back for a minute.   We have 107 points, and we've had almost 30% of our team injured in one fashion or another for the last 6-8 weeks!!  Can you imagine what any other team in sports would be like missing that many players (New England didn't even make the playoffs this year missing Brady, one player!).  The players and coaching staff of the Worcester San Jose Sharks are to be complimented every which way for adjusting, pulling together, and putting a quality product on the ice, night in and night out.  Especially with the bulls-eye that the Sharks have had on their backs from every team wanting to prove their mettle.

In relation to the last two games specifically, sure, we got 1 point.  But we lost in the crapshoot shootout, and by one goal to a Nashville team that is incredibly desperate.  I travel professionally.  For those of you that don't, let me tell you something.  Travel two zones east when your body is on Pacific time, then play a body bruising game against the Blackhawks, then get in a plane, who knows what time you got to the hotel, then play another game that next night, and tell me how much energy YOU have left by Period 3.  Not much.   Not only does it suck to travel, it sucks incredibly to do the West to East time zone thingy.   Other than the first 10 minutes of the Chicago game, when we were bitch-slapped, and all of the players we were missing, I feel incredibly fortunate we got one point out of that mess.

Now, we all feel 'entitlement' to the Presidents Trophy for this year, and I feel the same way.   Not only because of where we were in the standings all year, but we want home ice in the Stanley Cup Finals conference championship against Detroit, and then, oh yes, the next round.  But the fact is, it doesn't matter.  If we finish second, we should be able to beat Detroit in the Joe.  We don't deserve the Cup if we can't.  And the same in reverse.  This isn't the fricking NBA, where home court is a gimme.   And as to who we play in Round 1, who cares.  Yes, I don't wanna play Columbus.  But no one does.  I'd much rather play the Quackers only because of travel and staying rested for the further rounds.  Even Edmonton or Minnesota would be better than Columbus.  But the bottom line, after the day is done, we need to focus on getting ALL of our players healthy, focus on focus (which we seem to lose at random moments), and not losing an edge for those things we do fabulously (PP and PK come to mind). 

This is OUR year.  I cannot think of any other franchise in any sport that has been beset with the problems we have this year, and is still at the apex of the league.  Hell, we'd probably have 125 points by now if we had been healthy.   Let's all be incredibly positive, and let the coaching staff do the heavy lifting here! 

Thank you all for reading this post (it was meant to be positive), and keep the second week of June open on your calendar for the CUP CELEBRATION at the Tank!!