Detroit vs. San Jose In Pictures

Patrick Marleau advances the puck away from Tomas Holmstrom



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Devin Setoguchi lays out Tomas Kopecky


Dude...
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Joe Pavelski faces off against Henrik Zetterberg

DUDE, do you mind?!?

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Evge.... ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!!!



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SIT DOWN


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OK PERFECT... Stand right there...

I'm Impressed

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Not the highest scoring or most dominating effort by San Jose last night, but it didn't need to be. Tonight was one of the most satisfying victories in this young season. Up and down the roster, every single player stepped up their game versus one of the top 5 teams in the league. My favorites:

• Setoguchi, Marleau, and Michalek absolutely FLYING out there. How good was Gooch on the forecheck? He busted his ass on every play. Marleau's 2 posts were absolute heartbreakers, but I'm sure he's just as happy to get the win. Michalek looked good on the forecheck as well and his forced turnover-turned-goal was a huge moment in the game.
• Joe Thornton turned in another quiet night on the score sheet but dominating performance on the ice. His puck control was superb as usual, but last night he showed a lot of his skating prowess both in moving through the neutral zone and in the Pens offensive zone.
• Marc-Edouard Vlasic who turned in the defensive performance of the night. So many times he was on an island versus either Crosby or Malkin and he managed to defuse the situation. Pickles makes so many small, easily-overlooked plays that complete dismantle an opponent's attack.
• And of course, Evgeni Nabokov. The box score shows him facing just 11 shots, but that doesn't nearly tell the story of how dangerous and how bunched-up those shots were. Nabby made at least 2 highlight-reel saves and held off the Pens during their few minutes of momentum throughout the game. Even the one goal allowed was hardly his fault considering all the calamity going on around the net.

Did I mention Grier's GWG, Shelley's beat-down on Goadard, Boyle's 22 minutes and +2, Marleau & Thornton combined faceoff dominance, etc. etc.?

(As a quick aside, I love it when Thornton gets thrown out of the faceoff circle only to see Marleau take his place and win it anyways. I love it. Never gets old)

We all know who lurks around the corner next, but for today, I couldn't be happier with a 2-1 win that our boys earned 100%.

Holy Shit! Holy Shit!

Goddamnit, hockey rules. Example A:



+1 for injuring 4 fans at rinkside. Why doesn't cool shit like this happen at Sharks games? Kopitar's little stick slap-temper tantrum isn't quite the same as vaporizing a sheet of plexiglass with your opponent's face.

Simple Math

I Think You Should Know

...that this is the most exciting first period I've ever heard on my POS radio at work. Fucking east coast start times. I'm 20 minutes away from going home, watching the game in HD, and improving the experience by about 2000%

BREAKING NEWS: Sharks Form New Partnership With Sponsors, Break Old Partnership With Fans

SAN JOSE, CA - The San Jose Sharks have announced a new line of equipment that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the team and of shameless corporate cross-promotion. Currently, visitors to the HP Pavilion see advertisements on concourse billboards, on every in-game LCD screen, during every commercial break promotion, and on 2/3rds of the ice surface. Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment was understandably thrilled when they figured out an all-new way to intrusively cram more product placement down the throats of paying customers.

In addition to the recently announced Seagate BlackArmor third jersey, the team will soon unveil:

• Osh Hardware LumberSticks
• Tap Plastics UnbreakaBoards
• Durex 98% Effective Protective Helmets
• Dr. Berkowitz Female Cosmetic Enhancement Left & Right Face-off Circles

"We are thrilled about this promotion," stated Seagate Technology's VP of Marketing Saul Thomas. "What a wonderful opportunity to capture the public's excitement about unveiling a brand-new jersey, then choking that joy right out of them by slapping our corporate logo on it."

Google Fight!

"I Hate Gary Bettman" - 216 Results

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"I Love Gary Bettman" - 5 Results

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"I Like Gary Bettman" - 4 Results

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"I Love Gary Bettman" or "I Like Gary Bettman" results that are not sarcastic in any way - 0 Results

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It's nice to know you're not alone in this world.

Interview with Jonathan Cheechoo

The Chum Bucket was lucky enough to sit down recently with Sharks winger Jonathan Cheechoo to ask him what's on his mind.

[CB] Thanks for meeting with me, Jonathan.
[JC] Mm.

The Sharks are off to one of their hottest starts in years. Why do you think the Sharks are doing so well so early?
Uhhn, y'know.... We're shooting the puck a lot... And stopping the puck from going in our net... sometimes... uhhhh

Well then. Moving along, we're just about two weeks away from the United States Presidential Election. As a Canadian citizen, do you have any thoughts on whether Barack Obama or John McCain would be better for relations between our two nations?
Nnnnnnhhhh....

*Curls up under blanket*

Okay, that was a pretty tough question, let's go to something a little easier. You're a baseball fan. Who do you want to win the World Series, the Rays or the Phillies?
Buhhhhhhhhh....

*Builds fort out of sofa cushions and hides inside*

Let's wrap this up. Do you think it's a stereotype that hockey players are generally bland and uninteresting?
No.

Thanks for your time.

Glucklich Sharktoberfest!

Campbell Oktoberfest AND Sharks vs. Flyers on the same day? 1 word - Prost!

Out of the Gates

Huh. So much for the Sharks' annual stumbling out of the gates. Through 4 games:

• The Sharks are outscoring their opponents by an average of 3.25-1.0 and outshooting them 31.5-24.
• Nabokov & Boucher have combined for a 1.00 GAA and a .958 SV%.
• Rob Blake leads NHL defensemen in shots with 18.
• Patty Marleau has a bit of a +/- cushion to work with this year, as he's currently at +6.

Most importantly, the squad has posted the best start in franchise history at 4-0. Anaheim and Dallas have faltered early, with records of 0-3 and 0-1-1 respectively. The next 5 games are against teams with a combined 1-10-3 record. I could go on like this for days.

So why am I pissed off? Because Semenov got to play 15 minutes on Saturday! Booooo! Fire McLellan!!!

Seriously though, every time I see Blake winding up that cannon or Cheechoo open in the slot I swear I'm gonna make a mess in my pants. Let's keep it up boys, just 78 games left til the playoffs!

Question Marks

One Year Ago:

Doug Wilson made absolutely no offseason moves and I felt like the roster lacked the heart to make a deep playoff run. I was worried about the weight of expectation and a lack of locker room leadership. Unfortunately, most of those predictions came true. (Thankfully, the one about JR being a "dinosaur who would play 5 minutes a night"was way, way off)

Today:

Oh the irony - the disappointments of 2007 have become the question marks of 2008.

• Doug Wilson made tremendous changes on the blue line - hooray! - but also had to lose well-liked Craig Rivet and potential breakout Matt Carle to accomodate the changes and fit under the cap. Are Blake & Boyle worth it?
  
• Speaking of the salary cap, the Sharks spent it. All of it. And then some. San Jose's usual midseason option-to-upgrade is gone. For better or worse, this looks like the roster going forward. Can this team thrive down the stretch without a hired gun?
  
• Last year I said there was no possible upgrade for Ron Wilson; this year we'll find out if that's true. McLellan looks as good on paper as a rookie coach could, but who knows how an entirely new system fits a now veteran roster?
• San Jose was a trendy pick the past two years to win Lord Stanley's Cup. An overhauled roster, a rookie coach, and year after year of letdowns has caused most predictors to shy away from the Sharks. Detroit has (rightfully) assumed the mantle of most likely Cup winner. Has San Jose's championship window closed? Most experts think so. How will that play out in the locker room and on the ice?

When was the last time you were concerned the Sharks wouldn't make the playoffs? Certainly before the lockout. This year? I'm concerned. New coach, new system, new players, no certaintly.

Then again, it's a ridiculously talented squad on paper, has arguably the best defenseman corps in hockey, and oh yeah, there's that guy Nabokov that will steal at least 5-10 games this year. So they could win the Western Conference. Maybe the President's Trophy. No certainty.

So Ladies & Gentlemen, your 2008-2009 San Jose Sharks - Who The Fuck Knows?

Get drunk and cheer your ass off tonight. There's only 1 season opener a year. I'll see you at The Tank.