It’s hard to put into words what the San Jose Sharks did on Wednesday night. Newswires and sports shows will tell you that they clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their 25-year history. But given the context of what the franchise has gone through — the playoff upsets, […]

At some point during the postseason, the Sharks ceased being a team of the past and took on a new identity, the identity of a poised and confident championship contender playing like they’ve been here before. They have been “here” before, as in the Western Conference Finals (twice, to be precise), but it isn’t the same. In […]

For 40 minutes on Friday night, it looked as if the San Jose Sharks were reverting back to the playoff Sharks we’re all too familiar with. It looked like all the intensity and energy they played with against the Kings in the first round were gone, and it looked like Pekka Rinne would face 40-plus shots […]

The San Jose Sharks don’t have to be reminded of the last time they were on the brink of eliminating the Kings in the first round of the playoffs. They also don’t need to be reminded of their bleak history of playoff success and early round exits and how this year will be more of […]

In the midst of the postgame media scrum in the Sharks locker room in Staples Center on Thursday night, an older man with white hair entered, clapping vociferously. “Hey guys … hey come on Burnzie, eh?” he said loudly in front of Brent Burns’ locker. The man, who the majority of hockey fans wouldn’t recognize, was […]

Not even Jonathan Quick giving Sharks fans nightmarish flashbacks could prevent Team Teal from beating the Los Angeles Kings in order to, at long last, clinch a playoff spot on Monday night. It had been quite an arduous delay; the Sharks could have locked up the third slot in the Pacific Division as early as last Tuesday, but […]

As far as importance on an NHL roster goes, backup goaltender is not very high on the list. His job is to travel with the team, chart face-offs on the bench and get into a game only when it is a blowout or the back-end of a back-to-back at the end of a seven-game road trip […]