2010 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks Continue To Lack Postseason Bite

When the San Jose NHL franchise was first awarded to the Gund family in 1990, the team’s first marketing head, Matt Levine, said of the decision to name them the Sharks, “Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless. We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities.” I wonder if Mr. Levine would care to retract that statement based on recent playoff stumbles.

In each of the last 4 seasons, San Jose has finished the regular season with more that 100 points but have yet to make it past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Hands up everyone who thinks “relentless, determined, fearless” when asked to describe the post-lockout Sharks. I always feel like such an idiot when I’m the only one in the room with my hand up.

McLellan Could Find Himself Out Of Work If The Sharks Flop This Postseason

How many times have you heard it yourself? When it comes to the playoffs, the Sharks lack “heart”, especially Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau – the perennial whipping boys. I can’t say I disagree.

I’ve been a fan of this team for almost 20 years and for the last few, the Sharks have been tagged as “Stanley Cup Contenders”… until, of course, the playoffs actually start at which point that tag changes to “Playoff Choke Artists”. Well, I’m sick of it. So I’ve come up with a solution – one that is so simple, I’m sure Head Coach Todd McLellan would dismiss it at face value as pure idiocy.

You ready for the startling revelation? Make Thornton, Marleau and Dany Heatley the teams’ SECOND LINE and promote Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi to the FIRST LINE.

Now, I’m not just talking semantics here. When I say “first line”, I’m talking first line minutes, first line responsibilities, first line leadership. I’m talking about having Pavelski, Clowe and Setoguchi playing 20+ minutes per game, getting first-unit power play time, killing penalties and double-shifting late in games.

Setoguchi And Clowe - Along With Pavelski - May Hold The Key For San Jose

Granted, I can’t think of any team that has a second line with a combined salary of $21 million. But this is the playoffs, where players are now playing for the Stanley Cup – not a paycheque – and winning is paramount. The playoffs are a different, more intense brand of hockey from games played during the regular season, as players realize that fighting for that puck off a scrummed draw, winning a battle along the boards or beating out that icing could be the difference between going on and going home.

Now, in a short playoff series, coaches work tirelessly to formulate game plans to shut down and neutralize their opponent’s best players. The key to success? Your best players have to dig down and find a way to “fight” – not just “play” – through those opposing checks. To anyone that’s spent time watching the Sharks in the postseason the past few years, or Wednesday’s Game 1 loss to Colorado, it’s painfully obvious that Thornton and Marleau (and now Heatley) are not prepared to pay the extra price.

On the contrary, I’m damn sure that Pavelski, Clowe and Setoguchi will be more than willing to pay the price, gladly going to the wall to do the little things that always seem to lead directly to big victories. They are younger, very skilled and most importantly – hungrier.

The Spotlight's Also Squarely On Nabokov

They’ll work hard in front of the net to score those dirty, ugly goals from six feet in. They’ll take all that abuse, just begging for one of their defencemen to bank a shot in off their butt, arm, head – whatever it takes. They’ll even block shots in their own zone, not once viewing it as a sacrifice, but rather as a necessity.

You want to see the Sharks fulfill their potential in the playoffs? Stop riding the high-priced horses and climb on the ones that want to get you where you’re going – or at least die trying.

By now, you probably think I’m insane. That there’s no way in hell the Sharks would – or will – ever demote their superstars to the second line. Well, a much smarter person than myself once told me, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while always expecting a different result”. In a nutshell, that epitomizes the Sharks in the playoffs. And if that’s gonna change this year, they’ll have to start riding the horses that really want to run … and those horses aren’t named Joe, Patrick or Dany.

Other Related Articles:
Purdy: For Patrick Marleau, Each Series Could Be His Last With The San Jose Sharks (San Jose Mercury News)
Avs Stun Sharks In Final Seconds, Walk Out of HP Pavilion With 1-0 Series Lead (Fear The Fin)

Marc Teskey – The ‘Sharks’ Junkie – is the Program Director and Morning Host at CJTT FM (cjttfm.com). A lifelong hockey fan, Marc and TSJ often reminisce over a classic moment while watching a Leafs playoff game in the late 90’s during our time working together at a sports network. With a “no cheering” policy in effect in the newsroom, the Leafs scored a pivotal OT winner while we were on-the-air. I held my breath, pumped my fist a few times and exulted on the inside. Teskey, who was sitting next to me, stood up and cheered. Guilty by association, our News Director Richard came over, grabbed us by the back of our shirts, and told us to sit down and shut the hell up. All the while, Richard grabbed me with such force, he literally ripped the shirt right off my back. I was topless. Go Leafs Go.