Depending on your point of view, the most significant news out of SJ
this issue is the current record -- 4-2-2 in the last eight games.
After a start of 0-6-2 for the first eight, that is pretty
significant.
Again, depending on your point of view, the fact that Gary Suter is
out for the rest of the season may be of more importance. Suter was
expected to QB the Sharks rather powerless power play this year.
Then again, maybe Bernie Nicholls (forced) retirement is on the top
of your list. Bernie had just signed a one-year with options for
another year contract worth a guaranteed $875k. Nice severance
package. Your humble correspondent thinks all are newsworthy.
The Sharks began the comeback from the horrible start with two wins
over Tampa and Dallas last month. They then produced a couple of
ties against St Louis and Anaheim before their most embarrassing
loss so far at the hands of the expansion Nashville Predators.
In the first period against the Preds, SJ managed only four shots on
goal and sunk none. Nashville buried one on six shots. In the
second, the Sharks shot 15 times, but again, couldn't put a biscuit
in the basket. Nashville managed a paltry nine shots, but racked up
two more goals. In the second period, they simply stank. The
Sharks' Shawn Burr commits the most heinous of hockey crimes, he
passes from behind his net to the center of the slot and right to
former Shark and Q-Tips safety spokesman Darren Turcotte. Turcotte
puts it past Shields easily as the SJ D broke down again.
Nashville, however, would be the low point of the past two weeks, as
the Sharks outshot LA by 40 to 30 and won that game, whipped
Carolina 3-0 in a game against former `Wall' Arturs Irbe in a game
where Mike Ricci, on a wraparound attempt, put it past Irbe while
Ricci was sprawled out on the ice moving away from the net. No. 1
goaltender Irbe certainly didn't feel the love that the Arena used
to show him on this visit.
The Coyotes had come in and embarrassed SJ once this year and
red-hot Phoenix looked to do it again on the 20th. San Jose, for
three periods anyway, played coach Darryl Sutter's system of
defense-first to the hilt. The system broke down 37 seconds into
the overtime as the Dogs scored and handed the Sharks their first
loss in overtime this season.
In eight years, the Sharks have never beaten the NY Rangers. With
New York and Wayne Gretzky not playing their best so far this year,
lots of folks had their hopes up that the single regular season
meeting in SJ this year might produce a W. Instead, the Sharks
played a solid, if uninspiring, three periods of play before a
wildly exciting, but scoreless, overtime. Referee Gregson,
apparently needing corrective surgery to pull his head out, decided
against calling most of the penalties the rest of the world saw
that night until overtime. He than sat Ron Stern out for goaltender
interference in what was obviously an accidental running over of
Rangers' netminder Dan Cloutier. The Rangers failed to convert and
the Sharks escape with a tie.
They are no longer the worst team in the NHL as they are now tied
for that honor with Chicago.
On to Gary Suter. The team of docs in SJ decided that Suter needed
to see a few other docs for second, third and fourth opinions.
Unfortunately for Suter and the Sharks, they all agreed with team
doc Arthur Ting. Suter would need further surgery and most likely
sit out the season. Suter is SJ's highest paid acquisition and with
the notoriously cheap-ass Gunds' running the show, Sharks fans were
sighing as they knew that money had gone down the tube for this
season. However, Suter restructured his contract, adding another
season and deferring some income to latter years in order to free
up some $ for another signing this year. Way to go, Gary!! God, if
there were more like you!
Lastly, Bernie Nicholls announced his retirement today. OK, maybe he
didn't, but the Sharks did. The future hall-of-famer hasn't been on
top of his game lately, looking flat-out scared when he actually got
the puck. Along with Andrei Zyuzin, Broadway Bernie has to be the big
disappointment this year. He has been asked to continue with the
club in an as-yet-unnamed position.
Speaking of Andrei, he was shipped off to Kentucky for a little
re-education last week and thought the Sharks meant political
re-education. He then applied for asylum in the US before finding
out it was just a quick stint in the minors and not an internment
camp. Those silly Russians!
The Sharks look poised to do both some serious trades and to make
some moves into the mediocre middle of the West. Dean Lombardi is
shopping hard this week, claiming, "There's only 28 shopping days
`til Christmas." No one, not even Mrs Lombardi, knows what he's
talking about. Dumbo did recently add former Shark Jeff Norton to
the roster and he's already made an impact. Norton has some big
shoes to fill with Suter's absence, though.
