Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the ten-year anniversary of what was arguably the most tumultuous time in San Jose Sharks’ history. You Sharks neophytes have heard the rumors and likely done your own reading up on it, but this Flashback Friday, we’re dishing the dirt because there are some classic lines in this melodrama that bear repeating from the 2014 offseason and the season that followed.
Plot twist
Like so many soap operas, everything seemed to be going fine until, gasp, the plot twist. In this case, the San Jose Sharks were up three games to none against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. The Sharks looked to have the series wrapped up, but the Kings had something else to say.
The Sharks collapsed. There’s really no other way to put it. San Jose lost the next four games, allowing the Kings to pull off the rare reverse sweep. The Kings skated on to win the Stanley Cup that season while the Sharks cleaned out their lockers and were left wondering what the hell just happened.
The breakup
They say time heals all wounds, but the summer simply wasn’t long enough to heal the raw, open wounds left behind by such an epic defeat. Something drastic needed to be done, and so, on Aug. 20, 2014, Sharks management broke up with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
In a very public move, then-Head Coach Todd McLellan stripped Thornton of the “C” and took away Marleau’s “A” for good measure.
Both players had no movement clauses, and while General Manager Doug Wilson tried to find a way around it, there were no takers. So, instead, the two were stripped of their letters and then shuttled back into the lockerroom in disgrace.
Seeing your ex
The trouble is, seeing your ex every day can be tough, which is why tempers flared in the fall of 2014.
General Manager Doug Wilson wasn’t afraid to talk about what went wrong, offering up an, “It’s not me, it’s you,” reasoning for the very public split. Animosity simmered below the surface and began to boil over as training camp started.
Emotions were raw, and Thornton also went to the media to share his feelings about the breakup.
“I have enough motivation. I don’t need somebody else telling me we can’t do it,” said Thornton.
More from #SJSharks Thornton on GM's summer comments: “I have enough motivation. I don’t need somebody else telling me we can’t do it.”
— David Pollak (@PollakOnSharks) September 19, 2014
Things didn’t get better during the season. The Sharks started out so-so and aside from a string of wins in December, never truly found their footing.
In mid-March of 2015, everything had gone from bad to worse. And that’s when Wilson made comments at a season ticket holder event about stripping Thornton of his captaincy, saying because “when stress comes on him [Thornton], he lashes out at people and it kind of impacts them.”
Thornton was blunt in his response.
“Doug needs to shut his mouth,” said Thornton.
Simmering issues boiling over in SJ. #SJSharks Thornton on latest from GM Wilson on taking away the 'C': "Doug needs to shut his mouth."
— David Pollak (@PollakOnSharks) March 13, 2015
The Sharks missed the playoffs that spring for the first time since 2003.
The new beau
People eventually move on after a breakup, but it’s a delicate process, especially if your ex is still in the picture. While McLellan was no longer there, ousted after missing the playoffs, Wilson was still present and the relationship between him and Thornton was still less than ideal.
But, no matter the hurt feelings, the Sharks needed a captain, and so, with maybe a little less fanfare than would be expected of naming a new captain, Joe Pavelski was named the 9th captain of the San Jose Sharks in October 2015.
#SJSharks name Joe Pavelski team captain. pic.twitter.com/BntYsuuA1J
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 5, 2015
Ironically, after all that drama, Thornton received an “A.”
The happy ending … sort of
All good stories need a redemption arc, and the Sharks found theirs in the 2015 season. With Pavelski now wearing the “C” and a new head coach in Pete DeBoer, the Sharks channeled the frustration of their lost season into the 2015-16 campaign.
While there were ups and downs along the way, San Jose finished the season third in the Pacific Division, setting the team up for a new showdown with the LA Kings.
The Sharks won the first two games, lost the second one in overtime, and then rallied to win game four. That’s when the media demons reared their ugly heads. Could they … would they … collapse again?
But the Sharks proved the detractors wrong, dispatching the Kings in five games and then beating the Nashville Predators in seven games. A 4-2 series victory over the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals punched San Jose’s ticket to the team’s one and only Stanley Cup Finals.
Sadly, that’s where the season would end. The Sharks could not complete the fairy tale ending, losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. With tears streaming down their faces, they watched Crosby & Co. lift the Stanley Cup at SAP Center.
