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We Return to Our Regularly
Scheduled Programming
Tough to Stay Optimistic about
this Bunch
| 1/12/15 - By Paul Krill -
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Usually, when writing about the Sharks, I take a
negative tone. That's understandable, given the team's two-decades-long
inability to get over the hump and deliver a championship, either of the
Stanley Cup variety or even a conference title, to San Jose. But last month, I
departed from my usual dreary tone and wrote a feel-good piece about the
Sharks' catchy Christmas video and how the team had moved on from last season's
early playoff exit.
These days, however, it's tough to maintain
optimism. Not when the team is showing it does not belong on the same ice with
the Saint Louis Blues, keeps losing at home and has long stretches where it
seems like the team couldn't score if it were shooting marbles into a soccer
net.
The season is certainly showing signs of what we have feared:
That this edition of the Sharks is not as good as previous Sharks teams and we
might even miss the playoffs. The only Sharks wins in the past week or so have
come from last-second goals from defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic; this team just
does not dominate anyone lately.
What is making all this a bit
infuriating, for hockey fans who notice, is that the Bay Area's NBA team, the
Golden State Warriors, is taking no prisoners in stampeding to that league's
best record. A championship title for that team, its first in 40 years,
certainly seems like a strong possibility.
Meanwhile, we see our Sharks on the decline; the
Sharks' came home empty-handed in their best quests for a championship, in
recent seasons' past. Not that we don't want to see the Warriors win, but we're
left wondering what could have been, should have been, with the Sharks.
The Sharks have a seven-game home stand coming up, which normally
would be reason for optimism except that the Sharks have lost their last three
home games at this writing. If the losing keeps up and if this team cannot put
the puck in the net, we could be seeing the Sharks 10-season streak of
qualifying for the playoffs end. (It's depressing to look at the Wikipedia
entry on this: Of the six teams with the longest current streaks, only the
Sharks, with the second-longest streak, have no Stanley Cups to show for it.)
Time to snap out of this funk, Sharks. Or we might be looking at
having to start a new streak in 2016.
Contact Paul at at
paulkrill@letsgosharks.com
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