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All-Star fever
Are any Sharks worthy?
1/8/08 - By Steve
Flores
Anyone out their care about the NHL All-Star Game? I mean
does anyone really think the game itself is worth watching for its high level
of play? Honestly I think the game stinks. There is no physicality. The
goaltenders are at such a disadvantage that I would almost feel bad for Ed
Belfour if he were between the pipes. The game itself is a bore and mach ado
about nada.
Let's all face it guys and dolls the real excitement of
the game is the actual naming of the starters and reserves. This is where the
fans seem to take a special pride in the process itself.
The Sharks
have a pretty decent history of players named to the game. A season ago saw the
Sharks big 3 (Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo) play on the
same line for the entire game. That was a rare yet nice boon of the actual game
itself for fans of the Teal and Black.
This year's starters were named
on Tuesday and no Sharks received a starting nod for the 2008 version of the
classic. Classic - I crack myself up. But I digress - back to the beat.
The Sharks only have one player deserving of a starting nod and that
would be Evgeni Nabokov. Nabokov has started every single game of the season
for the club, leads the league in wins and has a save percentage well above
.900. The man is nailz and has been as good as anyone in hockey.
As a
side note I haven't received any 'Nabby-Hater' emails this year - makes me
wonder where yall have gone. Maybe you haven't gone; maybe you guys actually
understand the game a bit better now. Even Neanderthal man had to develop at
some point.
In any case Nabokov should be named a reserve Goalie on
Thursday when the remainder of the teams are announced.
Now don't you worry I am not going to stop there. I am
fully prepared to heap praise on the greatest Shark of all - Unless the world
is flat Big Joe Thornton should be joining Nabokov on that charter to All-Star
city.
Thornton has carried this club offensively all season. At one
point the differential in his overall point totals and whoever was second on
the club was down right embarrassing. The fact that Thornton was able to remain
amongst the league leaders with basically no help from his wingers is a feat
worthy of All-Star status by itself. The guy is a hockey god. He does things
that others don't have the capacity to even dream about. He is simply 'The
Man'.
So yes Virginia the Sharks do have two players worthy of the
game. The team has the third best overall record in the league and that should
warrant that they have two players named. Stranger things have happened but I
think this will come to pass. Then I can waste three hours in watching the game
like I always do in hopes that they both perform well enough to do me proud.
Then again who really cares about the game itself as the real significance is
in the actuality of being named to the roster . The rest as they say is fluff
folks.
Contact Steve at stevybo@yahoo.com
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