Hockey Preview - Sharks vs Blackhawks

So this time last year I was driving north to visit my parents for Thanksgiving.  I was happy to be going back to the Bay Area but I was unhappy because I wasn't watching the Sharks play the Blackhawks.  Well, some may argue it was good that I didn't watch the game because the Blackhawks destroyed the Sharks to a final score of 7 - 2.

Needless to say, it is Turkey time again, once again I am driving North, and once again the Sharks are playing the Blackhawks.  If history repeats itself I am not going to be very thankful this evening.

The Sharks have been plagued by inconsistency all season, and it seems the only time we can truly win is if we score at least 5 goals.  The game tonight is going to be tough but like our last game against the Kings it is going to serve as a test for how the Sharks compare to a strong team in the Western Conference.

All I am going to ask for is a good game from the Sharks with a strong 60 minutes of hockey.  If they can play to their skill set we should get the 2 points and hopefully renewed confidence.

So to all you readers out there, may we all give thanks their is Hockey today, and pray that our Tiburones from silicon valley can beat down those dark birds from the windy city.

 Remember keep your head up,

and if you are traveling may you travel safe.

What is wrong with this Picture?

I recently received an e-mail from the NHL with this picture in it.

Do you see anything wrong with the image?  I see at least 2 problems with this image.

Please leave a comment with what you think is wrong.

Hockey Appreciation- 77,823 fans couldn't be wrong

As many of you know I love hockey.  As far as I am concerned anything that helps the sport of Hockey grow or spread is good.

the IIHF World Championships started up recently...

During one of the preliminary games this picture was taken.

(click on image to make slightly embiggened)

What you are looking at is 77,823 screaming hockey fans enjoying a game in Germany.  To give you an idea of exactly how many people that is when compared to the NHL...It would be like comparing a track meet at your high school to the olympics.

The Chicago Blackhawks, on average have 21,356 in attendance for a home game.

My San Jose Sharks, on average have 17,558 in attendance for a home game.

(all stats courtesy of espn.com )

So this crazy behemoth arena in Germany can fit more then 3 times the number of people then the largest NHL arena.

I know that there are very few NHL teams that would be able to sell out a venue that was this size but it would be pretty amazing to be in there with everyone yelling for the home team.

Another pretty cool thing would be to potentially play the Stanley Cup Finals in a venue like this...it would negate home ice advantage but it would still be insane

Super Awesome NHL Video - Little Joe is the Man

the NHL has had a pretty good commercial campaign this post season, entitled "History Will Be Made"...


Joe Pavelski has been the best Sharks player this post season.  And as such he has gotten himself his own commercial spot.

You Make the Caption - Dan Boyle in the Sharks vs. Avs

I'm starting another new series on my blog....

You make the Caption...

The way it works is pretty simple.  I provide a picture you provide the caption.

The first installment of this series is of Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks...

Please leave your Captions in the comment section....

Game 4 aka Bowling with Doug Murray and Joe Pavelski

Game 4 of the Western Conference Quaterfinals was a pivotal game for the San Jose Sharks.

Many writers, bloggers, and fans wrote the Sharks off after their Game 3 loss and chalked it up to the Sharks choking again.

What happened  in Game 4, Dan Boyle redeemed himself by scoring the First Power Play goal for the Sharks in a great while.

In general, the Sharks played a solid game.  There were the usual defensive breakdowns and inability to set up the offensive zone effectively.  But the Sharks stuck to their game plan and the system that won them the 1st in the West.

As the previous 3 games have gone... Game 4 went to OT which brings us to the title of this posting.

Sharks' Defenseman Douglas "Crankshaft" Murray hasn't had the best playoffs so far.  Game 1 - 3 Murray has been a Minus 2 with no points.

In Game 4's OT, Crankshaft decided to change that.  Bringing the puck into the Offensive Zone, Murray tried to dump it deep only to be met by 3 Avs players.  So what did he do, he single handedly took them all out.  The puck landed perfectly on Joe Pavelski's stick and he sent it straight into the back of the Net.

My initial reaction of seeing this was total and utter amazement.  I'm pretty sure I scarred the crap out of my Wife and friend Elysia when I yelled with great glee and excitement over seeing the puck in the back of the net.


One thing  that still needs to be worked on for the Sharks is the scoring by the Top Line.  The normal Sharks feeling of being able to score at will by our Best Snipers is no longer feeling possible.  I don't know what it is going to take for Heatley, Marleau and Thornton to wake up...

But, I hope it happens soon, preferably in Game 5 on Thursday.

That's all for now...

Keep you Head Up

Sharks Fans... We are in a best of 3 Series now.

Kick-Ass, Waffles, and Hockey...Oh My... aka what I did over the weekend

 

If you have the chance you should all definitely go see Kick Ass.  I saw this great film at the Cinerama Dome and it was amazing.  I would argue that Kick Ass is one of the best super hero movies ever forged.

This film is definitely worth the price of admission.

Waffles...

they are probably the perfect breakfast food.  How to make a waffle better use waffles instead of bread for a breakfast sandwich.  If you want a great Waffle Sandwich go to the Waffle on Sunset...  Order the Double Wide it is amazing.  Below is the link for the site.

The Waffle


This weekend was a great for Hockey.  Let me start with the Sharks and their quest for the cup.  On Friday the Sharks had a must win Game 2 and it was one of the craziest Sharks Games I've seen in a good while.  The Sharks had to come from behind 5 different times and then won in OT off of an amazing play by Devin Setoguchi.



Sunday, I had my second game with the Isotopes in Pasadena.  When we were warming up for the game I was very worried.  Our team is suppose to have 11 to 13 players.  5 minutes before the game we had 6 people.  At the drop of the puck we had 8.

The other team, they had 13.  So to say we were outnumbered was a bit of an understatement.  To make matters even better 5 minutes into the 1st period one of our defenders cut his face open on the ice and had to leave to get stitches.

Despite all of these potential problems we absolutely dominated the other team.  We skated faster then them, we controlled the puck longer and better then them, and it showed on the scoreboard.  We ended up winning the game 4-2.  It was a great game for our team especially after we lost our first game.

That brings us to Sunday night and Game 3 of the Sharks vs the Avs...

The Sharks were absolutely destroying the Avs the entire game.  If it wasn't for Craig Anderson the Sharks would have won the game.  But Anderson was playing like a brick wall stopping all 50 of the Sharks shots.  The game ended very bizarrely in OT when our best Defenseman Dan Boyle went for a routine backhand pass behind the net and sent the puck right past Nabakov.



The Sharks have to win the game on Tuesday to tie up the series 2-2.  If the Sharks bring the same level of play they did on Sunday then they should have no problem in accomplishing this.  The Sharks were dominating the Avs all game and their game plan was working to a T...


The only part of the Sharks game that really needs an improvement is the power play.  The Sharks didn't take advantage on the power play at all during the game.  If the Sharks are going to win this series they are going to need to do better on the power play.

There is plenty of hockey still to be played and I am still optimistic that the Sharks are going to come out on top.

That's all for now...

As always...

Keep your head up.

Game 1 - Thoughts

So I've had about 12 hours to sleep on what the hell happened last night at the Shark Tank.

And the biggest thing I can come up with is the ability to change ones game plan.

The Sharks only had 3 shots on net during the 2nd period of play.  For a Team that is built to be an offensive power house, the strategy  last night simply didn't work.

Nabokov had an okay game.  The first goal allowed is one I believe who could have stopped, but he was screened so making the stop would have be difficult but in the playoffs to win  you have to make those difficult stops to keep your team in the game.  The second goal wasn't Nabby's fault... It was Rob Blake's and his inability to pressure the Avs players in his own zone.

As far as the rest of the team  if Ryan Clowe and Devin Setoguchi weren't on the ice, it would have looked like a bunch of teal sweaters coasting around the ice.

For Game 2 the Sharks must be able to adapt to what the Avs throw at the them and respond in an  effective  way.  Whether that means changing our offensive scheme or changing line combinations.  The effort and the heart needs to be increased.

This might be premature to say but...

Game 2 is a must win for the Sharks.  If the Avs go back home winning both games then they can play .500 hockey the rest of the way and still win...

Here's hoping McLellan can get some better effort out of the Sharks on Friday.

I will be watching that game as well and hopefully I will be writing a more positive post after the game.

As always...

Keep your head up...

(I know I'm trying too)

Tonight is the Night...

Who will raise the cup

I've eagerly waited for this night for a little under a year.

Many sleepless nights of what could have been or  in my view what should have been.

Tonight the Sharks from San Jose begin another trek to the mountain top that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I'm not going to make any predictions, it is obvious what I would like to happen, but even though I sometimes think otherwise...

What is going to be happening on the ice over the next few weeks is completely outside of my control.  My only wish this year during the playoffs is that the Sharks play up to their skill level.  If they can do that any/ all outcomes will be a little bit "easier" to swallow.

With that all being said...

I'm going to be watching the game tonight with much anticipation and exuberance.

To all the Sharks fans out there...

Godspeed on your journey, I hope to see on the Mountain top.

As always,
Keep Your Head Up

And GO SHARKS!!!!

UPDATED: Sharks Beat Canucks 4-2

Tonight is the 2nd to last game of the regular Season for the Sharks.

You can watch the game tonight on Versus.

While the Sharks have locked up the Pacific Division championship for the 5th time in 8 years; the Number 1 seed for the playoffs is still up for grabs.  

Chicago is currently in first, tied with the Sharks, but they also have a game in hand.

That being said, I am hoping the Sharks come out firing tonight.

Sharks win 4 - 2.

Goals by Heatley, Marleau, Couture, and Setoguchi


UPDATE:

So I got home a little late from work tonight but I started watching the Game  at the start of the 2nd Period. I was very much overjoyed when I saw the Sharks were leading by a Goal after one period of play.

The game in general was very intense.  The Sharks played like they were built to play, they dominated the boards, the offensive zone, and weren't afraid to play the body when it was needed.  Half way through the 3rd period things took a very ugly turn into a penalty-fest.  It is believed that the Sharks set a new franchise record with the most players penalized at any one time.  Sharks had 6 guys in the box and 1 in the locker room.  Needless to say the penalty kill could only hold up for so long.

Vancouver was able to make things some what interesting but as I predicted the Sharks won 4-2.

The Western Conference Standings go as follows after tonights games:

1. San Jose Sharks        - 111 pts (1 GR)
2. Chicago Blackhawks- 109 pts (2 GR)
3. Vancouver Canucks -  101 pts (1 GR)
4. Phoenix Coyotes      -  106 pts (1 GR)
5. LA Kings                 -   98 pts (2 GR)
6. Detroit Red Wings   -   98 pts (2 GR)
7. Nashville Predators  -   98 pts (1 GR)
8. Colorado Avalanche-   94 pts (2 GR) 

So the Sharks are currently set to play the Avs in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Nothing is set in stone yet though.  If the Blackhawks win out they will be #1.  If we win out we are.  It's nice to know that the games at the end of the season actually are going to mean something.  Last year the Sharks limped into the playoffs losing 2 of their final 3 games.  Or in other words the Sharks weren't ready to play Hockey when it matters most.

Next game is on Saturday against Phoenix.  Game Day Post will be made on Saturday.

Until next time...

Keep your Head Up and I'll see you "Over the Boards"

Keep Your Head Up

Well here is my first post on my first blog.

Having visited and enjoyed some of my co-workers blogs I decided to start one as well.

Where to begin...

The name of my blog if you can't figure out has to do with my love of Hockey.  There is nothing like jumping over the boards for the first time and skating across the ice.  

Through my upcoming posts I plan on posting about Hockey, specifically my love of the NHL's best team the San Jose Sharks, Video Games, TV, things I find funny, and pretty much any other random subject I can think of...

I hope you enjoy and remember...

once your go Over the Boards you have to Keep Your Head Up.