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Plain ole bad luck or Evil
curses?
Sharks need to make their own
luck
| 4/19/10 - By Steve Flores -
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Everyone knows the old saying about "If it weren't
for bad luck they wouldn't have any luck at all". Well the Sharks could give
seminars on every minute aspect of that adage. Throughout the first three games
of their Western Conference Quarter Final matchup they have endured more than
their fair share of freak goals and bad luck. Dan Boyle's miscue has got to sit
atop the ever long list of Shark's historic 'UH-OHS'.
I won't even go
into the description of Boyle's mistake. I am just filled with feeling for the
guy. He is the ultimate soldier; the true professional. A consummate team guy,
who plays hard, is a solid person and a truly articulate interview. He even sat
for post game drilling with the heart and poise of a lion.
Anyway the
Sharks are once again down 2 games to 1 and what makes it all the worse is that
they have played their hearts out. They have dominated on both sides of the ice
and have very, very little to show for it. The Avalanche played well in the
opening game and if not for some fluky plays and a poor game two effort from
Evgeny Nabokov they truly haven't impressed me; Craig Anderson being the only
glaring exception.
In any case the Sharks will now have to dig even
deeper to try and right a ship that teeters on more than playoff elimination. A
first round failure will mean the rolling in of the guillotine to West Santa
Clara Street . Heads will roll folks. Nabokov and probably Patrick Marleau also
will have new residences next season. G.M. Doug Wilson and even Todd McLellan
may be on their way outta town - I'm not saying they are to blame, but this is
generally the way things work and the way that NHL franchises respond to
failure. Make no bones about it a first round loss is failure. Winning the
conference is meaningless folks. For those of you that always like to look at
the glass half full I suggest that you be careful of that which you are
drinking in that half empty mug.
The Sharks are a great show. They are
entertaining. The arena environment at Hp Pavilion is family friendly,
esthetically pleasing and centrally located. The organization is first rate and
they have done everything they could have done to bring a winner to the Bay
Area. But, if these Sharks fail, yet again, it will be time to try something
different.
The saddest part of the possible explosion is that the bulk
of the guys on this team are actually leaving it all out on the ice. There are
a couple of guys that seem to be non factors and some - more than others -
should be and are expected to have a larger impact on a game. Thus far due to
the lack of first line scoring the triumvirate of Marleau, Joe Thornton and
Dany Heatley can assume that they will take a large degree of blame as they
could and should be able to make a difference in games that have all been
determined by one goal decisions.
Again if you live in a rosy lil world where you don't
care if the Sharks succeed post regular season then you are obviously a far
better developed human being than myself and most other fans of the team.
The goal of all NHL teams is to bring home the Stanley Cup and
anything short of that is unacceptable. G.M. Wilson set the bar at that level
and I will forever commend him for that. It should always be where the bar is
set. We have an NBA team in this area that, under current management, always
set a goal of simply 'reaching the playoffs'. Sorry folks that isn't the
correct goal. If you are satisfied with the bar at that level then you are an
inferior ownership group and if you are a fan that adheres to that minimalist
goal then you are a sucker.
A Sharks loss could well end the reign of
Wilson . If so then I wish him well and I would thank him for setting the bar
high for this franchise.
He attempted to build a team that was
exciting, talent rich, fun to watch and well coached. He made moves that fans
sometimes didn't agree with but he made the moves that any solid G.M. would
make if they felt that they were on the cusp of greatness. I am unable to
explain the team's seemingly endless string of misfortune. I don't believe in
curses and all of that mumbo jumbo - that is for the weak of mind.
This team has to win 3 of the next 4 and those are the cold, hard facts. A lot
is riding on their next few efforts.
If they enjoy the style that they
play, the area that they play in and who they play for then they better be
stronger in mind than those that believe in curses.
Contact Steve at stevybo@yahoo.com
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