it's funny they remind me of the Islanders of the '70's (yes I'm old enough to remember - 50). As good as they were winning the 4 cups, the Isles were, for years, criticized for being a very good team yet can't win the cup. The Sharks have had that label for some time as well....... GO SHARKS in'14!!!
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and I vividly remember watching them upset the Red Wings in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. If that hadn’t happened, there’s a good chance I never would have developed an interest in hockey. I followed the Sharks casually until I went out of state for college in 2005 and have continued to watch their playoff games even though I’ve been living on the East Coast since 2008.
Anyway, the Sharks have a fanbase that deserve a Cup. They’re proof hockey can succeed in “non-traditional” markets (not that I advocate keeping the Coyotes in Arizona or expanding to Las Vegas). However, the team needs to overcome its tendency to come up short in the playoffs. This year’s team is very good, but the West is stacked. We’ll see.
I was at the Panthers-Sharks game on Tuesday as I was visiting family in the area. The Islanders are 0-6 in games I’ve attended this year and I also can’t see the Sharks beat the flippin’
Panthers at home. What do I have to do leave a hockey game happy?
(Edit: I was aware that the two points the Panthers picked up on Tuesday in San Jose may end up helping the Islanders in the draft standings. So, not all was lost!)