THE SAN JOSE SHARKS HAVE WHAT MOST FOLLOWERS OF THE NHL WOULD CALL A "STANLEY CUP CHAMPION CONTENDER", ESPECIALLY THE PAST TWO SEASON WHEN THEY ROLLED INTO THE PLAYOFFS WITH ONE OF THE FASTEST SKATING TEAMS, HIGH POWERED OFFENSIVE PLAYERS, GOOD DEFENSE, AND SOLID GOALTENDING, ONLY TO EVENTUALLY LOSE IN WAYS THAT LEAVE YOU SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD.
THIS SEASON WHILE THEY ARE UP OR NEAR THE TOP OF THEIR DIVISION, THEY ARE PLAYING WITH A LOW SCORING OFFENSE. JONATHAN CHEECHOO, WHO SEEMED LIKE A PERINNIAL 40-50 GOAL SCORER HAS LOST HIS TOUCH, AND PATRICK MARLEAU WHO HAS AS MUCH SPEED AND TALENT AS ANYONE IN THE LEAGUE, IS ALSO INCREDABLY INCONSISTENT. THE ONLY CONSTANT HAS BEEN JOE THORTEN, WHO CONTINUES TO DO WHAT HE DOES BEST...GET ASSISTS, AND SCORE BIG GOALS NOW AND THEN. ALSO GOALTENDER NABAKOV HAS BEEN EXCELLENT WITH A FEW LAPSES HERE AND THERE, BUT IT STILL LOOKS LIKE A TEAM THAT HAS NO CHEMISTRY AND TEAM THAT WILL SIMPLY "NOT SHOW UP", ON MANY NIGHTS DURING THE SEASON. IN FACT THE SHARKS OFFENSE WAS SO BAD AT THE START OF THE SEASON THAT JEREMY ROENICK WAS THEIR BEST SCORER !
SOMEHOW OR OTHER I THINK GM DOUG WILSON NEEDED TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT REPLACING RON WILSON AFTER LAST SEASON'S PLAYOFF EXIT, BUT WILSON IS A GOOD COACH, AND THE SHARKS HAVE DONE THIS WITH EVERY COACH THEY HAVE HAD. UNTIL THESE GUYS DECIDE THAT THEY WANT TO WIN THE CUP AND THAT THE SACRAFICE AND HEART NEEDED TO DO THIS IS GREAT..THEY WILL ROLL INTO THE PLAYOFFS ONCE AGAIN WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS, AND FLAME RIGHT BACK OUT. I MEAN THEY CANT COUNT ON MEETING NASHVILLE EVERY YEAR IN THE PLAYOFFS !
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