Defenseman13

Hopefully none of the 10pm EST games go to triple overtime!

In another thread I stated that the last two games lacked the MOJO for the losing teams... the extra inch, the lucky bounce, the pucks finding their way in etc. Wings rang two or three off the post tonight, and SHarks had a few like that last game. Its up to the hockey gods I suppose.

One thing that both teams lacked through the last two games were MOJO.... that wierd kind of luck that only the hockey gods can give. The lucky bounce, that extra inch. Wings rand like two or three off the pipes in the 1st... as we did last game. Very very tight.

There was a great quote earlier in the season by Randy (color guy) talking about Joe's dad, who was yelling at him all game to SHOOT. One would think that a guy who could put an impossible pass on the tape could pick a corner. He can... but hey, I'm not complaining. Ok, a little. I think he's a little better at that this year...

Big Joe has been known to take a few bad penalties, but yes... the goonery of Iginla was surprising. Iginla is the guy you do NOT want to get pissed off, as he usually steps it up and scores. And yes, I'm a bit nervous about that lurk that's going to be in front of our net for game 4...... That's a safe bet. And kicking up the physical play. Those guys on the SJ boards take things SO seriously. It's no business over there.

I was born in Alberta, I'm 33... and most hockey talk before 1991 (birth of the Sharks) involved the Wings. After even... except for that playoff win in 1994, which incidentally was followed by a wings sweep the next year. While I'm not a die hard, I'm a fan of their system. They've always been about skating and passing and pretty goals. Federovs drop pass... you name it. Playoff hockey is too good to not have a team to root for, and I'm always curious when fans of expansion teams like myself go beyond the friendly hatred to outright disrespect... and wonder who they were rooting for before their team was born. I hate to see it, but I always see beating the WIngs as an amazing game... regardless of who is more "worthy" these days. While the number of Wings fans in San Jose is unreal (their chants can get quite loud during the regular season) there are a lot of Sharks fans that respect the team. ENough that a lot of fans specifically go to see WIngs hockey... those are always busy, sell out nights. Of course it's all about the Sharks win, but it's great seeing WIngs hockey. There's a certain magic seeing an original six team in the building, and with these new schedules, we won't be seeing much of Toronto, Piitsburgh, etc. Then there's always these hosers... you guys have alot of history and a lot of great stories. Konstantinov and Aurie are missing... must be hung somewhere else, no?

oh wow... that video is classic. I love how the one guy puts up his dukes. Too bad he blew that hip out hitting the cement. Old jokes aside, Chelios is inhuman. The guy brings the exercise bike into the sauna and turns up the heat. Inhuman I tell you.

It's passion, baby....passion! THat's why we boo Pronger every time he touches the puck, or Belfour. Trust me.... there's nothing like hearing the boos of the opposing crowd... it's just like the cheers of the home crowd.

I have the relationship-testing magic channels known as Center Ice, and I've been following all the games. I'm not sure if a lot of Wings fans have been following the Nashville-Sharks series, so I'm posting this to catch everyone up. I'm also posting here becasue the sjsharks.com boards are a freakin disgrace and in now way representative of our fanbase. SJ vs NAS was a great series, but marred by some questionable hits. Hartnell hit Cheechoo knee on knee and in the same action elbowed a tooth right out. While the news/boards/players were crying "dirty, dirty!" our color commentator McSorley made a great point. He pointed out that the team pointing the finger that cries cheap typically is not in charge of the series. For those who missed it, this is how game two ended. A boarding penalty on Bernier caused a game suspension, but despite the NHL rulebook, other players weren't suspended. Game 5 ended with a spearing that caused another ejection, not unlike what the Calgary goalie did to your guy. While a lot of Sharks fans considered this a dirty series, I really didn't find Nashville themselves to be a dirty team. So, now we face you hosers in Round 2. Here's what to worry about. 1) Joe Thornton. Most teams worry about Joe, or what to do about him. Well, you don't do anything about him. He has 114 points, and 92 of those are assists. So instead of playing Joe with anything more than one guy, cover the lanes and the slot. Most teams are busy watching Joe and the puck instead of the forward on your back door. 2) Steve Bernier and Ryan Clowe. These are big boys who love to hit and can score. Bernier has a move where he stick handles with one hand and moves behind the net. This works... he got one in last game against the Preds. He is also one of the more physical players out there. Same for CLowe... he's also been the one dropping the gloves. The other two scrappers, Davidson and Murray (our biggest hitter) have been healthy scratches. Bernier's move 3) Kyle McLaren's butt. Haven't seen anything out of him yet, but he's always looking. 4) Scorers: Michalek, Cheechoo, "little" Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau. Michalek is FAST, as is Marleau. Marleau was #2 fastest skater in the All Star game. Joe Pavelski is an amazing player, and was a healthy scratch up until the injuries received in round 1. He has contributed enough to stay in the linup. This guy is a playmaker and is always in the middle of things... keep an eye on him for sure. Cheechoo is warming up, but he is an amazing player even when not scoring. He loves to shoot, but also finishes almost every check. Expect him to be a physical presence. This will be a great series. Although the Sharks are touted as the biggest and youngest, the Wings can take advantage. If I were the Wing's coach, I would advise them to come out strong and hit the crap out of the Sharks. Even though Guerin (ugh) and Rivet are filling in a much needed veteran/leadership role, the youth of the Sharks comes through when they get rattled. I've spent countless hours this year yelling at our boys for not showing up or returning physical play. That may be your key. Other than that, it's too even to tell. Here's the tape-to-tape. Tale of the tape Good luck to everyone watching. This will be epic.

agreed.... here's a link to that move used in Game 5 against Nashville that resulted in a goal. He also drives behind the net sometimes, and passes out in front. Bernier's move

hey OSF! What's up. I prefer to think of you as my Myspace Sharks friend rather than from the boards.... you also have the best Sharks store on the net.... I might be up there for game 4, tickets have been sold out since last Tuesday though. LAME.

I sure hope not, they've been blacking out the games here in L.A. I really don't want to watch the finals on Sopcast....

well, well... if it isn't the latest offering from sjsharks.com... In case you missed the point of this post, it was my first post on these boards, and it was intended to fill in some gaps and give an introduction to the team for those who might not have followed us previously. This thread is not about Sharks fans, BTW. I read this post over there.... http://boards.sjsharks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1440 and I think that really sums up why I chose to register here for two weeks and talk some hockey instead of jumping into the high school clique that is the shark boards. Every thread I read eventually just turns into some pissing contest. You guys are so focused on who so and so is and what they said....WHO CARES! Talk hockey! Maybe I'm just not into posting on boards that much, or caring how many posts I have, or whatever drives you guys over there. At least I can have my little avatar and signature here. I do blame moderators though for letting the boards go down the last time... spammers/ads were being posted right and left, and the shsharks posters were not at fault. Good choice by closing your boards for playoffs. My philosophies on treating other people come right from the game of hockey itself. Treat everyone with respect, and represent your team well. Any time an opposing fan comes into the Tan, you treat them with respect, get to know them, and even buy them a beer. Then when they go home, they can talk about what great people SJ fans are and what a great venue the Tank is. The same goes for anywhere in life. So have fun.... lots of hockey ahead. Starting...yikes, at 12 noon tomorrow.

My Wings buddy from San Jose and I are having our annual slam fest too...this is something he just sent me. Too funny.

Those are a bit pricey, but whats a few hundred to see the playoffs? Something else that bugged the hell out of me was how many fans left the arena only down two goals with like 5 minutes left. This has happened in SJ of course (anywhere really) and I've seen miracles happen, like the Ricci hat trick with seconds left against Dallas, or the 3-1 comeback with 33 seconds left against LA. Hell, even if we're doomed, I never leave...it's hockey for pete's sake. ANYTHING could happen. Not to mention the Wings are notorious for comebacks in the 3rd. LA Miracle, after Brad Stuart scores a few seconds previous.... this was also the last game of the year, fan appreciation day, and we won it in overtime. I've never heard the building that loud. We went on to lose to Calgary in the WC finals. LA Miracle Ricci's miracle goal with 4 seconds left...hat trick, on hat night, as tons of fans stood up in front of me to leave a minute before. Then came running back. Suckers. Riici's miracle Don't leave early!!!!!

Those are a bit pricey, but whats a few hundred to see the playoffs? Something else that bugged the hell out of me was how many fans left the arena only down two goals with like 5 minutes left. This has happened in SJ of course (anywhere really) and I've seen miracles happen, like the Ricci hat trick with seconds left against Dallas, or the 3-1 comeback with 33 seconds left against LA. Hell, even if we're doomed, I never leave...it's hockey for pete's sake. ANYTHING could happen. Not to mention the Wings are notorious for comebacks in the 3rd.

And it's not even a Photochop...it's just a picture.

yeah.... this was more a matter of finding cool stuff on Google image search that I could chop. Also, I made this with the approval of the hockey gods, so as not to jinx our chances of wining again now that you guys are on to us. EDIT...WINNING, not WINING..... haha no Wilson jokes, eh????

That is amazing. No kids here, but it's definitely being thrown around. I must say, every time we are at the Tank, the "baby discussion" looms it's head when we are in the gift store and see all the baby Sharks gear. "oh, how cool would it be...." I say this with the mutual understanding that opposing fans dread seeing helpless infants in opposing gear...but you gotta love it.

Not to lowball the SHarks efforts tonight, BUT.... we were greatly outshot and pretty much useless in the 2nd and 3rd period, and our goalie was the player of the game. Lots of hockey left!!!

THe CHeech and Chong thing was brilliant. My buddy sent me a fairly boring "desktop" of sharks swimming, so I kicked it up a notch. All in fun.

there is so much history in that cephalopod, it really upsets me that Vs. makes no mention of it. If you go to the Wings team site, there's a whole page dedicated to the history of the octopus, and apparently the record breaking size and weight thrown got no media coverage as well.

Kid rock is no son of Hank...... ... I really wouldn't be too proud of that.