Let the Debate Begin: The Sharks Mt. Puckmore

I think, as this is a Sharks Mt. Rushmore, Patrick Marleau needs to be on it somewhere. Probably instead of Ricci. He is the Sharks leader in pretty much every category ever, was a C for ages, and has evolved into a top notch goal scorer. Patrick Marleau is the Sharks.

Marleau
Thornton
Nabby
Nolan/Ricci/Damphousse

Or alternatively

Grant Stevenson
Niko Dimitrakos
Vlasti Kroupa
Jim Fahey

I think, however, that at least one person I’d consider worthy for an honorable owner George Gund. You mention for Doug Wilson that a small-market, small-revenue team thrives on success. However, long before Wilson was ever GM, the Sharks were in a position similar to Phoenix, Atlanta, et. al. were in – playing in a small arena and stinking up the ice every night. Unlike other owners who would give up and threaten to move their team, George Gund keep on supporting the team in San Jose and did his damndest to turn them into a success, overcoming 72-loss seasons and front office rifts that cost the team the 95-96 and 96-97 seasons to keep them competitive from a hockey perspective; and from an organization perspective, working with the city and community to make them a local institution.

Hell, if it weren’t for Geroge and his brother Gordon wanting to move the Minnesota North Stars in the 1980s, we might not have had the chain of events that led to the creation of the Sharks. If anything, he’d probably be my pick to the George Washington of the franchise.

Completely agree with this list, and like many have echoed, great reasons for each person. I’d actually switch Marleau and Thornton because Marleau has been a Shark his entire career and has defined what it means (for me) to be a Sharks fan. Jumbo deserves it as much as the next guy considering his on-ice performance, but between the two (speaking from a purely emotional standpoint, which is how I tend to define these things), I pick Marleau.

Front-paged for sure.

Ricci, while a fan favorite, wasn’t an impact player. After all, that was the reasoning for leaving Marleau off the podium… Ricci wasn’t even the third or fourth best player on his teams, so it doesn’t make sense to put him on the Mount.

No way should Nabby not be on the mountain. He WAS the defense for the team during the last decade. A guaranteed 40-win season for him every single time.

My honorable mentions are: The Russian Line (Larionov, Makarov, Garpenlov) – you can’t take one without taking the trio, Vinny Damphousse, Joe Thornton, and Arturs (“NO, don’t play the puck behind the net!”) Irbe.

Doug Wilson, Marleau, Owen Nolan, Nabokov, Thornton, and Ricci should all be on there.

Doug Wilson: He was our first C, and our first real face of the franchise. As Elvis said, his presence legitimized a brand new franchise. And after retiring, he became our GM, where he has traded for some of our best players today and built a prerennial winner. Any Sharks Mountain needs to have Wilson on it.

Owen Nolan: Dude was the Sharks for almost a decade in the mid to late 90s and early 00s. I mean, shit, in the 1999-2000 season, dude had 44 goals, 40 assists, and 110 PIMs! That’s such amazing numbers for a power forward. He was the leader of a Sharks team in need of a brash, smash mouth, power forward kind of leader, and added a level of respectability to the Sharks that they had yet to achieve. Represented San Jose well with the C on his chest.

Patrick Marleau: Patrick has quietly been the man for the Sharks now for 12 seasons. He’s been a force on both ends of the ice as a center and a winger since he came into the league. Recently he’s really come into his own. Over the last 5 seasons, he’s had 4 over 70 points. He’s had 7 total seasons over 50 points. All this while being a force on the PK as well. He leads the Sharks franchise in pretty much every significant statistical category (although expect Thornton to pass him for Assists this season). He’s been the Captain (and in the eyes of many Sharks fans should still be the C), and is a class act in the community. Any Sharks Mountain needs to have Patrick Marleau on it…our only major lifetime Shark.

George Gund: George and his brother Gordon were awarded an expansion franchise in the San Francisco Bay Area after they were not allowed to move the North Stars there from Minneasota. That expansion franchise became the Sharks! The Sharks were dreadful for the first two years, and were playing in the entirely unsuitable for hockey Cow Palace for those years. The Gunds were the driving force behind the building of the San Jose Arena (their intent to move a hockey team into the building helped move the project along), and were then able to start spending more on the team, and make them respectable. While the early Sharks weren’t always very good (despite some early playoff upsets as the 8 seed) they were always popular…in part because of the loyalty the Gund brothers showed to the area. They were marketed well, and San Jose was starved for a professional franchise. It was the perfect fit! Without the Gunds, there are no San Jose Sharks…and thus I’d think George Gund deserves to be on the Sharks’ Mountain.

Honorable Mention:

Evgeni Nabokov: I almost put Nabby up there instead of Gund…but since Gund is the reason we are even here, I felt obligated to put him up there. Nabokov has been our rock between the pipes for the last decade, though. He helped lead us out of the doldrums and into contention in the early 00s, and was arguably the best Goalie in the league heading into the lockout. After the lockout, his reflexes started to go a bit, and his 5 hole seemed to widen a bit, but he was still the backbone of a Sharks team that was very, very dominant.

Joe Thornton: Joe Thornton was already seen as a superstar of sorts when DW traded for him, and his stock only grew once he got here. He’s won a Hart, an Art Ross, and helped Cheechoo get the Rocket Richard. Still the only players in Sharks history to win those awards for the franchise. Thornton’s arrival from Boston transformed the Sharks from Playoff Contender to Stanley Cup Contender. And despite our inability to win it all yet, you can’t deny the fact that Thornton’s arrival helped spark a winning streak that has led to San Jose being considered an elite franchise in the NHL. He’s only been here 5 seasons, though, and therefore just misses the cut for me.

Mike Ricci: He has always somewhat been a face of the Sharks’ franchise…probably because of his awesome smile! His work ethic was second to none, and he’s always been a fan favorite. Now he works in the front office with DW. Not sure that’s quite enough to get him onto the Sharks Mountain, though.

Kovy and then three big sacks of money. ;-)

Someone over at Sharkspage.com has been asked already to write up the offical one for PD….

But here is my list…

1. Patrick Marleau
2. Mike Ricci
3. Evgeni Nabokov
4. Owen Nolan

If we are adding non-players, or at least people who made their biggest impact not as a player, i’d swap Doug Wilson for Ricci or Nabby…

NOT JUMBO….

My personal Mt. Puckmore would be:

1. Doug Wilson
2. Patrick Marleau
3. Owen Nolan
4. Joe Thornton

To me, all of those players/eternally tanned GM define the Sharks. DW went from first captain and the first all-star to being the GM under which the team has had the most success. He wasn’t the best player in Sharks history, but he arguably impacted the franchise the most. Patrick Marleau holds the franchise record in pretty much every offensive category. He IS the Sharks, as far as I’m concerned. Owen Nolan is the fan favorite, the guy that people still talk about fondly years later, the first guy to make San Jose his permanent home despite being traded away. Joe Thornton is the first superstar of the Sharks, the guy who became the immediate face of the franchise to the rest of the league once he came here.

Honorable mentions go to Arturs Irbe, Evgeni Nabokov, Mike Ricci, George Gund, and Jamie Baker. The two goalies, IMO, are the two closest to being in the top four. I mean, I could redo this tomorrow and feel like putting Nabby or Irbe up there instead of Nolan (the iffiest one of the four I chose).

You just can’t leave Marleau off, IMO.

It’s Marleau, Thornton, Nolan and Wilson

I’m probably in the minority here, but I’ve always felt that Nolan only had one really good year with the Sharks. The rest of them involved offensive slumps (remember when he was “The Post-man”?) or injuries or a combination of. That one year was Hart Trophy-worthy, including his dynamic performance against the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs. Outside of that, though, I always expected more from him.

It didn’t help that he took bad penalties and/or suspensions out of frustration (decapitation attempt on Grant Marshall). Plus, if you ever met him back in those days, he was a real jerk to a lot of fans (I’ve heard he’s mellowed out a ton).

I’d still put him on the list, though. Not so much because of his numbers but because he defined that era of the Sharks, for better or worse. VD was more quietly consistent, Ricci had more heart, but the team centered around Nolan. As his moods went, so did the team.

I’d pick Marleau, Nolan, DW, and Nabby. Patty and Nabby over Jumbo for longevity, though this whole thing could change five years from now. Plus, everyone gives Patty so much grief over the years and he’s pretty much been consistent since 03-04.

…but this is the next best thing — an ancient Sharks coffee thermos on my desk:

Jeff Friesen
Bryan Marchment
Mike Ricci (twice!)
Patrick Marleau (#14)
Marco Sturm
Mike Vernon
Mike Rathje (#40)
Steve Shields
Ron Sutter
Stephane Matteau
Ron Stern
Owen Nolan

Thought you guys would get a kick out of that.

DW is awesome, but I’d argue that being the first captain in team history doesn’t necessarily qualify him as being one of the faces of the franchise. Though, the mark he’s made as GM does. The only question is – should Mt. Puckmore contain anyone other than individuals that have made a huge mark as players? I say no, so my list would be:

Nolan
Nabokov
Marleau
Thornton

And by “made a real playoff run” I mean carried a team to the SCF.

I’d definitely say DW. Having met the man, I know he bleeds teal and his time as both player and GM was/has been a lot of the foundation for what this team has become.

After that, I’m not totally sure. Marleau, Thornton, Nabby, Irbe, Nolan, Ricci, Baker, and Gund all rank pretty high on my list. And there’s that part of me that raises enough nostalgia in me to want to say Friesen or Cheechoo. And yet another part that says that maybe there should be an asterisk for players of the now/future who have a solid chance to be there some day like Pavelski or Boyle.

If I had to pick, I’d probably say DW, Marleau, Ricci, and Nabby. But that’ll probably change about 30 seconds after I post this and remember someone else’s awesomeness.

Not like the Senators or BJ’s who I think might as well have added their equipment manager on the list.

While I love Thornton (he is my icon after all), I don’t think he has been here long enough to warrant placement on our Mount Puckmore. Ricci was a great player and definitely deserves an honorable mention, but I wouldn’t put him above Marleau or Nabokov.

I nominate Eddie Belfour (Ed-die… Ed-die…), Pat Falloon (Fat Balloon remains one of the best nicknames ever), Mike Rathje (6’6" and he STILL hasn’t bodychecked anyone), and Alexi Semenov.

Pat Falloon was the SECOND pick in the entire draft, right behind Eric Lindross. Hmmm, that seems fair.

This is really hard. For me, Doug Wilson and Patrick Marleau are definitely top two. After that I start having trouble. Can’t we just have a list of people we really, really like?

No Nabby and Marleau? That’s plain wrong man.

1. Thornton
2. Marleau
3. Nabokov
4. Ricci

I’ll explain my Owen Nolan omission. Nolan had one very, very good year where he finished as one of the Hart Trophy finalists in 1999-00. That season was epic for so many reasons, not the least of which was Nolan’s GW goal against Turek in game 7 of the first round.

But remove that very good year, and what do you have? You have a lot of other years where he under-performed and didn’t play anywhere close to what his talent level suggested. The two seasons prior to his 44-goal season, Nolan scored a total of 33 goals combined. The season after his 44-goal season, Nolan played only 57 games and was barely on pace for a 30-goal season. Nolan’s Sharks career sums up like this:
1 40-goal season
2 30-goal seasons
3 20-goal seasons
2 10-goal seasons

And you know, during Nolan’s time in San Jose, he was always sharing the spotlight with arguably, San Jose’s more beloved son, Jeff Friesen. Friesen never had the full package, but unlike Nolan, his commitment to the team never wavered. Friesen always endeared himself to the fans. When Friesen was first drafted, he slipped down to 11th overall because of questions of his work ethic which then GM Dean Lombardi dismissed as absurd. Friesen worked hard to become an effective two-way forward, which was more than what Nolan was. It speaks volumes that when Friesen was traded, more of Sharks nation was stunned than when Nolan was traded.

Sure, Nolan was flashier, had the greater pedigree. Nolan was a former 1st overall pick. He had played with Sakic and Forsberg. He fought, he hit, when he was on his game, he was a top 5 power forward. But just how often was he on his game? Injuries. Scoring inconsistency. Nolan was never that good a leader. He was a failed mentor. If not for Nolan’s longevity, he doesn’t make this list. However, longevity itself isn’t a good enough reason to list Nolan on Mt. Puckmore. Nolan was far too mercurial for the player he was billed to be when he was traded to the Sharks.

Thornton is the face of the franchise now, and has been since he was traded here.

Marleau is the face of the San Jose community. While Thornton is more well-known, Marleau is no slouch either. Over the past three years, Marleau has gotten the league-wide name recognition he deserves.

Nabokov was our first, legitimate all-star. An all-star is consistently good from season to season. Nolan was the token all-star in the 97 all-star game when every team was required to represent at least one all-star. Nabokov was our first, franchise player. All the hopes on past players like Pat Falloon, Jeff Friesen, Owen Nolan to be the franchise player; they all kind of fell short. Nabokov put it all together. He gave us respectability at a time when the Sharks were slowly turning things around.

Ricci is one of my top 5 all-time fave Sharks. He is a Shark.

Mt Puckmore
Thornton
Marleau
Nolan
Wilson
HM: Nabokov
Irbe
Ricci
Mt SUCKMORE
Brian Hayward
Pat Falloon
Alexei Semenov
Lukas Kaspar

Worst captain: Todd Gill
Strangest career: Andrei Nazarov
Yellowest laces: Johan Garpenlov
Best season on crappiest team: Kelly Kisio, 92-93
Boringest coaching style: Kevin Constantine’s “left wing lock”

Having had about half a day to digest the discussions, I stand by my picks for the most part.

The harder I think about it, the harder it is for me to leave Evgeni Nabokov off the top 4. I would supplant either Owen Nolan or Mike Ricci for him. At this point, I lean towards bumping Nolan for Nabby.

Some very passionate arguments have been made for Patrick Marleau. And I’m sure whoever does the official version will include him. I will simply have to respectfully disagree. I’m very fond of Marleau. He’s one of my favorite Sharks. But I can’t say I’d bump anyone else to make room for him. Even Mike Ricci, who is clearly not nearly as talented, as tenured or as prolific as Marleau. But to me, Ricci embodies too many intangibles, intangibles that I think Patrick Marleau simply lacks. Marleau is statistically a great player. Mike Ricci is intangibly a great player. Emotional argument with very little basis, but it’s my list and I stand by it.

Missed honorable mentions:

The Gunds. Without them, there literally are no San Jose Sharks.

Randy, Drew, Dan and Jamie. The voice of the Sharks to masses of uninitiated hockey fans. And the first portal to the wider world of the NHL to a non-traditional hockey market.

Jeff Friesen. For a time, he was to this team a combination of Patrick Marleau and Mike Ricci; a bright young star with loads of potential who worked hard every shift and never took a game off.

For everyone who would put Patrick Marleau in the top four, I’d love to see a “Top 5” list of favorite Patrick Marleau moments/memories/highlights/stories. Might be an interesting and fun way to strengthen his case.

1. His 44 goal season last year
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv2xhFd8hWE&feature=related (His Hat Trick)
3. His rebound against losing the captaincy
4. This (His most awesome goal)
5. And he’s not just great at offense, hes good on defense too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImkDw7czzHU
AND, as an added bonus, his OT winner against the Wings in the playoffs.

He’s the reason why I became a Sharks fan. Also I would put Marleau on the Mountain and Thornton at the base.

nuff said :P

Is there a more (how shall I say this?) indelible face in the history of San Jose Sharks hockey than that of Mike Ricci?

Seriously, though, Ricci belongs on the list. It’s not about the “best” players: it’s about an iconic individual in franchise history who resonates with the fanbase. Ricci certainly fits that mold.