2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[NEW.ERA]

See what years and years of bad hockey and Dale Tallin's drafting does.

Tallin gets most of the credit for the Hawks advancing to the Cup Final.

[Still MIGHTY]

Goodbye San Jose! Go rest with your eternal fate of playoff eliminations!

I thought SoCal had a reputation for being classy.

Huh? Do you not know of the SoCal/NorCal rivalry?

I love watching the Sharks lose, especially in the playoffs as they always do. I want the Ducks to stand as the only team in California with a Stanley Cup for as long as possible. Forever, if possible.

[RyanB06]

Goodbye San Jose! Go rest with your eternal fate of playoff eliminations!

I thought SoCal had a reputation for being classy.

Huh? Do you not know of the SoCal/NorCal rivalry?

I love watching the Sharks lose, especially in the playoffs as they always do. I want the Ducks to stand as the only team in California with a Stanley Cup for as long as possible. Forever, if possible.

I live in New England. NorCal/SoCal's a walk in the park when you're in the middle of Boston/New York.

[The_Admiral]

See what years and years of bad hockey and Dale Tallin's drafting does.

Tallin gets most of the credit for the Hawks advancing to the Cup Final.

Actually, notorious assheads Mike Smith and Bob Pulford have significant hands in this team. Don't forget Rocky, McDonough, the Bowmans, and the Dead Bill Wirtz effect. Tallon did a lot of good; he also thought Matt Barnaby and Adrian Aucoin were good free agency splashes. Sorry, but I get a little itchy when people get so worked up about Dale Tallon, whom I do like.

[Still MIGHTY]

Goodbye San Jose! Go rest with your eternal fate of playoff eliminations!

I thought SoCal had a reputation for being classy.

Huh? Do you not know of the SoCal/NorCal rivalry?

I love watching the Sharks lose, especially in the playoffs as they always do. I want the Ducks to stand as the only team in California with a Stanley Cup for as long as possible. Forever, if possible.

I live in New England. NorCal/SoCal's a walk in the park when you're in the middle of Boston/New York.

I wasn't comparing. I was just saying that it's a rivalry and that SoCal isn't a fan of NorCal and vice versa. I wouldn't expect Sharks fans to root for the Ducks if it was the opposite position.

[OMMF]

Don't let the sweep fool you; this was a really tight series. Two one-goal wins, and this might as well have been if not for an empty-netter. The Sharks are a hell of a team and I've always gotten along really well with their fans. I feel bad that it had to end like this for them, but now it's time to be happy about Chicago sports for once.

I'm surprised your post was able to go through with all the traffic of people trying to paste the words "Sharks" and "choke" into a sentence that makes it sound like they are the most insightful NHL playoff analyst ever.

Anyway, good show by Marleau in this series. I thought his shorty was going to be the turning point in the game. I guess it was with Chicago scoring the next 4. Anyone who saw Byfuglien play in junior would never have imagined this. A speed-less, bulky defencemen whose one and only ability was a heavy slapshot from the power play point. Good on him for continuing to work on his game and getting to where he is now.

Not a big fan of Chicago right now but I hope they mop the floor with the team from the East.

[FiddySicks]

Well, it hurts but it was pretty much expected. If Philly can hold on it'll lessen the sting quite a bit as they were my favorite team till I got into the Sharks a few years ago, and they're still JUST behind San Jose on my list. Chicago deserves it. We were only one lucky point ahead of them in the regular season and they absolutely manhandled us during the year. Best of luck to them. I'm just happy it's not Pittsburgh or Detroit.

But I will say this. If that steaming pile of crap Nabokov is back next year I really don't know how excited I can be about this team. As soon as his worthless ass is gone this team has a very bright future. Nabokov.

[RedRenesis]

Marian Hossa back to back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances losses.

Fixed it for you.

If it wasnt for Hossa and to a lesser extent, Kane, I'd like to pull for the Hawks. I think if Hossa gets denied for a third straight year he'll be the next person put on a suicide watch.

[The_Admiral]

Penguins : Hossa :: Sharks : Campbell. This is like me saying that I will never forgive Sammy Pahlsson for the rest of my life.

[Maz]

I for one have the opposite feeling. I never hated Hossa and Kane is my favorite non-penguin.

I hope the old phrase "third time is a charm" comes in play for Hossa this time. It was nice watching karma kick him in the ass last year, but that's about it. The hawks have really grown on me the past two seasons and I have a genuine interest in them winning this year.

Plus seeing either team left in the east winning the cup would cause me to puke my face off.

[dfwabel]

SJS lost seven of eight games against CHI this season, so they have to be who you build for. Sharks fans really cannot say that they are even with CHI.

SJS had 3 shots on goal in today's 3rd period, 3! Through the first 15 minutes of the 3rd, they had just one shot.

This was the only game of the four in which CHI outshot SJS. SJS also only had six players with WCF or greater game experience, so if they trade, they have to move to get experience, not necessarily bigger.

The coaching move of the playoffs was Quenneville moving Byfuglien from D and back to RW (and on the #1 line) in the NSH series.

[Corvus]

See what years and years of bad hockey and Dale Tallin's drafting does.

Tallin gets most of the credit for the Hawks advancing to the Cup Final.

Actually, notorious assheads Mike Smith and Bob Pulford have significant hands in this team. Don't forget Rocky, McDonough, the Bowmans, and the Dead Bill Wirtz effect. Tallon did a lot of good; he also thought Matt Barnaby and Adrian Aucoin were good free agency splashes. Sorry, but I get a little itchy when people get so worked up about Dale Tallon, whom I do like.

So, good drafter, occasionally bad free-agent signer. Looks like he did a pretty good overall job, trading for guys like Sharp and Versteeg.

[RedRenesis]

Penguins : Hossa :: Sharks : Campbell. This is like me saying that I will never forgive Sammy Pahlsson for the rest of my life.

It doesnt bother me as much as it did last year with the Pens win, and then getting eliminated this season, but I wouldnt be able to stop laughing if he got denied three straight years on three different teams. The problem being that that whole thing is up against the likely East team being Philly, and I would be physically ill if they won the Cup.

[The_Admiral]

See what years and years of bad hockey and Dale Tallin's drafting does.

Tallin gets most of the credit for the Hawks advancing to the Cup Final.

Actually, notorious assheads Mike Smith and Bob Pulford have significant hands in this team. Don't forget Rocky, McDonough, the Bowmans, and the Dead Bill Wirtz effect. Tallon did a lot of good; he also thought Matt Barnaby and Adrian Aucoin were good free agency splashes. Sorry, but I get a little itchy when people get so worked up about Dale Tallon, whom I do like.

So, good drafter, occasionally bad free-agent signer. Looks like he did a pretty good overall job, trading for guys like Sharp and Versteeg.

Oh absolutely. It's just that there's been an inordinate backlash against the organization from the old-timer fans who act like they're Dale Tallon fans and not Chicago Blackhawks fans because he's a nice guy and a hockey guy and been around forever. The way some of these old farts talk, they almost want the Panthers to succeed so as to stick it to Evil John McDonough. I feel like I have to keep some perspective amidst a mob of dolts.

[Sport]

I was rooting for the Sharks in these playoffs, but I'm okay with Chicago as well. That's a great hockey city and even though they're division rivals, I don't have anything against them like I do with the other teams in the Central. I'd like to be all Willmorrisy and make a declaration that they're going to wipe the floor with the winner from the East, but I really don't know anymore. It's probable that Chicago will win its first Stanley cup, but I can see Montreal/Philadelphia beating them.

[oddball]

Okay, with the Sharks losing in 4 games in the Western Conference Finals, someone's head is going to roll. They just got a new coach, so he's safe. They replaced their captain, so he's safe. So that leads me to either they replace the GM, or replace the goalie who's contract ends this year. I just don't see management and the fan base being satisfied bringing Nabokov back. You can say what you want about him, but he falls in the line of Luongo and Turco, goalies who have a knack for not being able to bring their game to the next level in the playoffs. I just don't see how they can bring him back, yet I wonder if they don't who do you replace him with? Carey Price, Jose Theodore? A couple more goaltenders who are questionable, or do you sign Vesa Toskala? I just don't see a goaltender out there better than Nabakov, yet I find it hard to see him returning to San Jose.

[Still MIGHTY]

Okay, with the Sharks losing in 4 games in the Western Conference Finals, someone's head is going to roll. They just got a new coach, so he's safe. They replaced their captain, so he's safe. So that leads me to either they replace the GM, or replace the goalie who's contract ends this year. I just don't see management and the fan base being satisfied bringing Nabokov back. You can say what you want about him, but he falls in the line of Luongo and Turco, goalies who have a knack for not being able to bring their game to the next level in the playoffs. I just don't see how they can bring him back, yet I wonder if they don't who do you replace him with? Carey Price, Jose Theodore? A couple more goaltenders who are questionable, or do you sign Vesa Toskala? I just don't see a goaltender out there better than Nabakov, yet I find it hard to see him returning to San Jose.

I've had this argument with some of my Shark fan friends, and they agree that they want something done about Nabakov, but there is no one to replace him with really. It's the same argument for all of their players. Thornton, Marleau, Heatley, Blake, Boyle, and even Cheechoo when he was there. They are all great in the regular season. There is no reason that they shouldn't have won a Cup by now.

They've changed the coach. They changed the captain. They changed Cheechoo for Heatley. The only thing they haven't changed is the GM, but its ulitmately not his fault with the way the Sharks are. Doug Wilson has made some great rosters there in San Jose.

You could say to just blow the whole thing up, or get rid of Nabakov. But what are they going to do to replace that? Why break something that is so wildly successful minus the championship?

It seems like a good idea on the surface, but breaking up what the Sharks have isn't the way to go. The only thing that I think they could improve on is their defensemen. And really besides Setoguchi and Pavelski, they don't have any young cornerstones. So once this run of players is done, the Sharks could be in for a big fall. And truthfully, I'd say the Sharks have one legitimate Cup shot left. And the worst part for the Sharks is that this year might have been their best shot at it all.

They really don't have much they need to change, if anything at all, but yet they know something has to change. Nabakov seems to be the logical point, but like I've said, who is going to replace him? The Sharks find themselves in another quite odd conundrum.

[The_Admiral]

Carey Price, Jose Theodore? A couple more goaltenders who are questionable, or do you sign Vesa Toskala?

Vesa Toskala is an answer to a question that nobody wants to ask.

[zmspartans]

Marian Hossa back to back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances.

im beginning to get rather tired of him .....

[JACK IS CONSTRUCTION]

I guess I'll have to root for the Hawks for this Stanley Cup. I would pull for Montreal, but it doesn't look like they'll be making it.

I guess it'll be more fun rooting for the local team too, because people are going to have Stanley Cup parties, and it's more fun to cheer as a group.