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Viperar

Sharks Falling Apart?

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So i just stumbled across this and it is a truth and rumor article obviously, but it says Ron Wilson ripped Marleau and Guerin after the game. Calling out his players, they seem to me in shock mentally.

Sharks coach furious at players

Posted: Thursday May 03, 2007 07:50AM ET

Sharks coach Ron Wilson didn't call them out by name, but he let it be known he's unhappy with a couple of his players. In his postgame press conference, Wilson said two of his players have had poor showings in both of the losses to the Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinals. Linemates Patrick Marleau and Bill Guerin appear to be the players Wilson targeted. Both were on the ice and closest to the Wings' Valtteri Filppula when he fed Robert Lang for a game-tying goal at 19:26 of the third period.

Here

Wilson was referring to "Riss".... he actually said the name. Rissmiller for short. While Guerin and Marleau HAVE to score and contribute, this is a deep team that should have won two of these come-from-behind games. Patty and Billy were not responsible for what happened with the goalie pulled... at least not directly. Just as a team. I only say "should" because I feel we let the foot off the pedal and failed as a team. But hey... it's so close, so many shots off the post... good lord, how close was that last game? The Wings won because they deserved to because of hard work ethic.

As for being shook up, nah.... these are NHLers.

Saturday is the true test of the Sharks worthiness, as well as a true test of the young player's hearts. It will be a great game regardless of the outcome. No blowouts yet, eh?

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I don't buy it. Ron Wilson, for all the crap he's taken for the "Today is a good day to die" spiel, is too good a coach to let his team fall apart like that.

Coaches play mental games with their players all the time (see Scotty Bowman). Wilson had good reason to call out some of his players to the press the way he did. Sure, it's a gamble, but it might just be enough to shake his key players out of their fog, and get them back in the series.

If you want to see what a team looks like when they're shaky and on the brink, look no futher than our first round opponent. THAT'S a team that fell apart. (I'd wager even the Calgary fans who are members here will agree to that)

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Guest Crymson

Hm. Are you sure you didn't just go back a few pages and pull those off of the post-Game 4 comments in the Calgary series? (I'm only half-kidding.) Of course, we didn't have to watch our team lose in such dramatic fashion, either.

Those comments were just as inappropriate.

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Hm. Are you sure you didn't just go back a few pages and pull those off of the post-Game 4 comments in the Calgary series?

Are you kidding? :D Try Game 4 of this series on this board after the second goal went in! The tidal shifts in this series have been so enormous, so dramatic, to say the least. It got so ugly in the GDT that I dared not post (names not quoted):

NOW it's over....

Anyone want to debate it?

i hope the ducks kill them next round .......its time to be realistic ....series is over

f*** its over

This game is finito. It pisses me off because I know they can play better than this. There's always next year. Go Wings!

Not today i predict a 3-0 shutout

Another good regular season but more playoff failure.

This bandwagon is looking pretty empty.

Kind of sad, really. :/

Blah. I'm getting too negative even for my tastes. I'm done with following this series.

Happens everywhere. Nobody's immune.

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There's a universe of difference to me between reservation and pessimism. However, if it's truly a feigned pessimism, as a withdrawal of emotional investment, then I think you have a point. I don't know if I would call it cowardice on anyone's part; that's something I can't readily buy into, nor would I consider the over-the-top fans who predict equally over-the-top blowouts to be any more emotionally invested than a fan who is more reticent to go out on an emotional limb. To me they sometimes appear as two sides of the same manic-depressive fan coin -- and are often the same person.

Listen to kids in the minor leagues and homer fans everywhere, and you'll hear the amateurish, overly-optimistic, "Yeah, we're going to slaughter them! They're going down! We'll kill them, yeah!" Nothing wrong with that, of course. They're cheerleading, beating the war drum, getting their juices flowing, and leading the charge by imaginary proxy... but contrast that with the top players of any sport in any league, and it's rare that you'll hear anything approaching that kind of thing. It comes out more as, "Well, we've worked hard, there are some things we need to improve, but we feel pretty good about our game. We'll see, we hope to give it our all. One game at a time, yada yada..." You hear it all the time, and it's an easy one for anyone to fill in the blanks on. It's ALWAYS reserved. Not pessimistic. Just reserved, and for (IMO also) a good reason.

[and more good stuff]

There is wisdom in this one. :lol: Gryph, I haven't talked with you on the forums, but I just dug the insight you got on this: not a lot of people see these things, the distinctions, how things just work with people, and you stating them so well in this particular sports-related thing is just nice to read.

Don't ever leave lgw, okay? I mean, ever. It's cinched, you have to stay.

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Don't ever leave lgw, okay? I mean, ever. It's cinched, you have to stay.

THANK YOU for that. No, I'm not leaving (unless it's out on a rail!). This is one of my hockey havens now. My very favorite, in fact.

And as for next year, as Ahnold from Cauliphonia would say, "Ah'll be back."

EDIT: One day I'll be back in the States, and hope to attend a game there in Hockey Town; get the flavor of it from a Detroit fan perspective. When I do I'll post here and see if I can hook up with some friends from this boards while I'm there - mix it up with the red and teal.

Edited by Grypho

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Oh, SNAP! As always, you fly in with the gamebreaking comebacks! This time it's the implication that my comments are result of stress or being high strung, which of course sex would solve!

GOOD ONE! Now, I hope you drown in my sarcasm.

How I phrased my "comeback" (in response to what?) is irrelevant; I'm pointing out the hilarity of 1) equating reservations and pessimism about an athletic team with ultimate cowardice, and 2) speaking of "true fans," which is always a nauseatingly pretentious concept that generally serves to undermine a would-be purveyor of justice's credibility (as it does in this case).

And, of course, the fact that you need to get laid.

Moving on....

Edited by Dabura

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One mental breakdown does not mean a team is falling apart. If the Sharks come out with piss poor hockey in game 5, then yes, then I'd say they are. But until then, treating the Sharks like we have them on the ropes isn't too bright.

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More food for thought from the NHL.com preview for game 5. good to see our guys are assuming theyre breaking down or anything:

San Jose blew a 2-0 lead against the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers in last year's conference semifinals - losing four straight - but Wilson said that is irrelevant.

"What's that got to do with anything? Seriously, we're playing an entirely different team with an entirely different dynamic," he said. "We're not the home team. There are a lot of different things going on. Last year has nothing to do with this year."

Detroit is not counting on the Sharks crumbling again.

"I think they're going to be fired up Saturday and we have to come out with an even better effort," Lidstrom said. "It's going to be a long series."

Here

Edited by Viperar

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Sharks falling apart? Yeah you wish. I hope the Sharks players are reading this, comments like these, some from Sharks "fans", Wilson's calling out players after last game, and their own frustration at blowing two goal leads, should give Sharks players plenty of motivation for game 5. This series is going into the stretch and Wilson is going to the whip. OTOH Detroit players don't seem to have any problems about giving it all they have, once they realize that a playoff game has actually started. I have a feeling that anyone with game 5 tickets is in for a really fast-paced hard-hitting game, even more so than the first four.

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Sharks falling apart? Yeah you wish. I hope the Sharks players are reading this, comments like these, some from Sharks "fans", Wilson's calling out players after last game, and their own frustration at blowing two goal leads, should give Sharks players plenty of motivation for game 5. This series is going into the stretch and Wilson is going to the whip. OTOH Detroit players don't seem to have any problems about giving it all they have, once they realize that a playoff game has actually started. I have a feeling that anyone with game 5 tickets is in for a really fast-paced hard-hitting game, even more so than the first four.

I think if you would have taken the time to read some of the posts in this thread, you'd realize most have come to the conclusion that the sharks are not falling apart. Notice i posted the question mark after the question, just starting a discussion thread.

And as posted above, you can see the wings dont think so either.

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More food for thought from the NHL.com preview for game 5. good to see our guys are assuming theyre breaking down or anything:

San Jose blew a 2-0 lead against the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers in last year's conference semifinals - losing four straight - but Wilson said that is irrelevant.

"What's that got to do with anything? Seriously, we're playing an entirely different team with an entirely different dynamic," he said. "We're not the home team. There are a lot of different things going on. Last year has nothing to do with this year."

Detroit is not counting on the Sharks crumbling again.

"I think they're going to be fired up Saturday and we have to come out with an even better effort," Lidstrom said. "It's going to be a long series."

Here

That's good to hear. You would think the Wings would be level-headed enough to know better than to count a team out, but its always comforting to get the reassurance publicly.

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I think if you would have taken the time to read some of the posts in this thread, you'd realize most have come to the conclusion that the sharks are not falling apart. Notice i posted the question mark after the question, just starting a discussion thread.

And as posted above, you can see the wings dont think so either.

OK, question mark, got it, just trying to stir up some controversy, eh?

I was reacting to this part of the post;

"...Calling out his players, they seem to me in shock mentally."

I could hope the Wings players would think the Sharks were psyched out and take them lightly, but it's not very likely that the savvy veteran Wings squad is, even most Wings fans, as you say, aren't counting the Sharks out yet, and well they shouldn't. Looking forward to a great game on Saturday, even if it is too early for hockey.

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I will believe the Sharks are falling apart when I see it. It's way premature to even call them on the brink. I'd love to believe it, I really would. I think it's possible they could be....DaKine's right....they had their foot on our throats and couldn't stomp. But still....it's too soon. Not yet. I'll believe it after three bad periods from them in Game 5.

Yeah I'm fantasizing that they're falling apart, but I'll need to see a one-sided shelling from the Wings in game 5 before I'll believe that outside of my dreams. This team's still very good, and if they can pull out a win tomorrow, we'd be in trouble. Yikes! nervous for tomorrow's game....

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I don't think their falling apart. Yes, I think Ron Wilson is an idiot.

The Sharks are a good team. They have too many good players to be bruised mentally by their coach. If those players don't perform..it's due to the individual not performing..or because the Wings are shutting them down. The coach can rag on a player all he wants..but, it's the player who puts the skates on and plays. They arent falling apart. Their just getting beat at their own game...as did the Wings in games 1 and 3.

If your going to be called a star player, you've got to perform..and fight through all the surrounding things the can get you tied up and not perform. The coach tells you where and how to play..It's your duty to play.

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This is a good point^^. I'd just add the Sharks did make the attempt to capitize, which I think is even a little more demoralizing. Get those 2 goal leads, and we watched them play a little 'dump it deep, line up all 21 players on the blueline-type game' - but just didn't work out. They know they tried to stomp down when they had both feet on the Red Wings' neck, and NOPE!

Wouldn't say falling apart - just looks to me like last nights game may have loosened a few lugnuts.

What a great series we're watching!

Isn't this the truth. I've seen over and over, for several years now, that the Sharks go into a prevent defense in the 3rd when they are in the lead. It's so frustrating to watch. Seems the only thing a prevent defense does is prevent you from winning.

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I don't think that they are failing... "YET"... I believe they are on the backs of their heels.. and that Detroit needs to come out and pound the crap out of them, get 2 or 3 goals... and say goodbye to the pesky sharks. I don't think they'd be able to recover after that.

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Sharks faced some adversity and desperation earlier in the season when they got OWNED in phoneix 8-0 they beaten and battered and heads rolled after that game the very next game was in Dallas... Look it up to see how they responded. This Sharks team is going to respond I have no doubt about it.

I seriously cannot wait until saturday, I have been watching this team for years and ever since they obtained Joe Thornton the team has a new edge and has an attitude collectively yes they will be down at times but there is a certain will about them that may take them over the top. Again I have no doubt they will respond tommorrow and there will be nothing any dead octopus can do about it.

That being said this is still anybody's series and may the best team win!

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Sidenote: I love that our coach was boozing even before he left the arena. :lol:

No doubt, NFM. Babs is a one of a kind act that won't be having any new casting calls for a while. :thumbup:

But man, if the Wings were counting the Sharks out after only these two wins, I'd be floored. These weren't dominating games and besides, the arrogance behind it is just nasty to think of.

EDIT: One day I'll be back in the States, and hope to attend a game there in Hockey Town; get the flavor of it from a Detroit fan perspective. When I do I'll post here and see if I can hook up with some friends from this boards while I'm there - mix it up with the red and teal.

You're welcome, sir! I read your intro thread, but I forgot exactly how you ran across the place. Whichever road you took in, I'm glad you made the way.

I bet by the tmie you return state-side, the ticket prices at the Joe will be tolerable. It'd definitely be a party.

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Sidenote: I love that our coach was boozing even before he left the arena. :lol:

Before he even left the arena?

My good Lord - just imagining if I was an NHL Coach with that kinda seat for EVERY game.......I'd have a keg and two close friends next to me behind the bench during each and every game.

"OK...ok..okokok guys...ummmm....s'whats'da'score?.....

....ok....3 goals to 1......ok.....ok.....wait - s'who's got 3?

....okok.....we got 3.....here's whawedo.....

wait....how many goals do they have? One....ok...got it. So. Um. Who....who's in net? NO! OUR net! Thank you....ok...Nabby....Crabby Nabby....:::::Pumps keg::::::......::::Fillls cup sloppily:::::

Umk....I gotta go pee......"

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