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Let's not get ahead of
ourselves
Sharks have a long, long way to go
still
As I write this, the Sharks are closer to a Stanley
Cup championship this season than any other team and they will still be in that
position at least until tomorrow. The team steamrolled the Whiny Cheaters (I
mean the Vancouver Canucks) for the Sharks' first-ever playoff series sweep on
Tuesday, giving the Sharks and fans several days to relax before the playoff
stress begins anew.
All this had me thinking, briefly, about whether I
might want to meet the Sharks at 3 am at the airport in case they win the Cup
on the road. Also, I thought about how many days I should take off for the
Sharks Cup parade and how many hours - or even days - I should arrive in
advance.
But of course, it's still way, way to early to start
fantasizing like this. Don't forget - the Sharks did themselves a big favor by
losing the last game of the year against the Kings and ending up with Vancouver
as their first-round opponent instead of Saint Louis. The Sharks have owned
Vancouver this year and, while we keep hearing the playoffs are a whole new
ballgame, this domination continued into the post-season.
The real
test could come in Round 2 if the Sharks have to play Chicago. If the Sharks
can get by the Blackhawks - and that's a big if - then the Sharks might be for
real and we might see our first-ever championship. However, there are still
more than a dozen other teams still alive. The Sharks would have to be the last
men standing to take the prize and they have three more rounds of playoffs to
go.
Having several days off, which the Sharks obviously will have
between the first and second rounds, could be a double-edged sword. While this
gives players rest and a chance to heal, rust also can set in. Remember when
the Devils faced the Ducks in 2003?
The Ducks hadn't played in 11 days when they met the
Devils and were so rusty they lost two games before getting their legs back.
All the Devils needed to do then was win two of the next five games. And that's
what they did. The Sharks for the long term might have been better off losing
last night.
Hopefully, the Sharks won't be negatively impacted by the
long break. And the fans can enjoy a nice weekend free of Sharks playoff
tension. Because after that, the games start again. The playoffs are supposed
to be the height of enjoyment for diehard hockey fans, but for me, the stress
and tension can keep me up at night. But maybe this time when it's all over, I
might indeed by getting up in the middle of the night to greet the Sharks at
the airport, with the team carrying that big silver trophy off the team plane.
We'll know soon enough.
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