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That's how the story
ends
Sharks simply lost to a better team
| 6/13/16 - By Paul Krill -
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We've all heard this expression 1,000 times: So
close, yet so far.
This season, we saw a rebirth of our Sharks, After
disappointing ends to the past two seasons, the Sharks came within two games of
the Ultimate Prize: The Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, after dominating through
the first three rounds of playoffs and finally, at long last, getting to the
championship round, the Sharks were like Rocky Balboa facing off against Apollo
Creed in the first "Rocky" movie. It became apparent quickly that the Sharks
were outmatched and they'd have to will their way to competitiveness in this
series.
Without tremendous performances from goaltender Martin Jones,
the series would not have been as close as it was. Star Shark performers, Joe
Pavelski in particular, were stymied by the Penguins, who waltzed off to their
fourth Stanley Cup while we here in Shark Land will try again in October to get
into position for our first championship. Oh well. That's the way it is.
For me, there is not much left to do but savor the victories we had
and shrug shoulders at the final two victories we didn't get. When given a
chance for a photo with the Clarence Campbell Bowl, I accepted that offer,
rather than holding out for the Stanley Cup that we ended up not getting. And
it will be fun to see a "Western Conference Champions" banner hanging from the
rafters next season.
The Sharks' resurgence this past season led to a
rebirth in my own affection for the sport. You see, for a good portion of the
season, I was losing interest, dealing with the declining health of my
15-year-old Maltese dog, Owen, and his eventual passing. (You can take a wild
guess as to who my little guy was named after - somebody who wore number 11 for
the Sharks.) Also, I spent the better part of a year dealing with a health
issue that made it difficult for me to ascend to my seats at the arena.
But this all cleared up in time for the playoffs. And
while I was disappointed with the final result, I did enjoy finally, at long
last, getting to attend Stanley Cup Final games. That and participating in the
time-honored tradition of booing Gary Bettman as he presented the Conn Smythe
Trophy and the Stanley Cup to the other team. I'd never seen a team win a major
sports championship before, not in person anyway. Too bad it was the wrong
team. I was glad the Sharks won Game 5 and forced the Penguins to fly all the
way back out here, something Pittsburgh certainly did not want.
Now,
we will enjoy an unusually short off-season and wonder what happens next year.
Who stays? Who goes? Do Nikolay Goldobin and Timo Meier crack the lineup? Will
Patrick Marleau be back? I sure hope so. All these questions remain unanswered.
These and the big question of how far can the 2016-17 Sharks go? It's going to
be tough for next year's edition to outdo the memories of this year's team and
the special season just completed.
Contact Paul at at
paulkrill@letsgosharks.com
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