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Sharks Look To Dive Into Playoff Waters

"If I had to go through this as a whole rebuilding thing, I wouldn't do it. I think [the players] know what they're capable of. I know what they're capable of."

-Darryl Sutter, on taking the Sharks' coaching job.

December 24, 1997

  • San Jose Sharks Video Highlights

    By Michael Wu
    nhl.com

    The Sharks have been in the playoffs before. In fact, they've been past the first round twice already in their short existence. So what would be so special if the Sharks qualified for the playoffs this season?

    Well, first of all, they have not made a run for the Stanley Cup in two seasons. Second, when they have, they've done it not so much with talent but with a sheer will that usually resembles a Horatio Alger story.

    But now the Sharks, currently on a 5-0-2 run, are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They're also starting to look as slick on paper as they do on the ice. With the off-season signing of Mike Vernon, last season's playoff MVP, and the recent acquistions of Dave Lowry, Mike Ricci and John MacLean, the Sharks have added experience and skill to a team that already has a fair share of youth. It's not a team that should be written off if they're still in the playoff hunt come May.

    San Jose was the center of the NHL world in January, 1997, when it hosted the 47th NHL All-Star Game. And while the stars of the game were the main attraction, the city itself served as a backdrop to one of the most successful hockey stories in recent history. San Jose, once known to many as "the city near San Francisco," has made a name for itself, in part because of its new hockey franchise. By investing time and effort into a major sports club, as well as building a state-of-the-art arena for the team, San Jose has shown medium-sized markets can succeed in the big leagues. Combine the lure of the Sharks with a revitalized downtown, and San Jose has become a destination point rather than just a stopover.

    While San Francisco, the home of the Golden Gate Bridge, will never have to worry about attracting tourists, it has already lost some major events to its neighbors to the south. In 1994, both Luciano Pavarotti and Barbra Streisand bypassed San Francisco to play at San Jose Arena. And in 1996, the city was host to the National Figure Skating Championships.

    Much of the Sharks' success has come from its marketing savvy. Years before Disney worked its marketing magic with the Mighty Ducks, the San Jose Sharks were already showing the League how to sell products. The team's marketing staff spent more than a year conducting research to determine the ideal name, colors, and logos for the team. And the research paid off. The Sharks have been among the top teams in merchandising since the club's creation in 1991.

    Their early on-ice performance was a bit different. The Sharks won 17 games that first season, and only 11 the next year. But the fans kept coming, even though it meant driving 100 miles round-trip to get to the Cow Palace, the Sharks' temporary home during the first two seasons.

    "Before the Sharks, you had to root for the 49ers or the Warriors or the Giants. This is our team," Sharks' fan Todd Johnson said that season. Enough people were willing to make the lengthy trip that only a handful of games weren't sold out during the club's tenure at the 11,089-seat arena.

    The team was able to stress the positives despite the losses, which included a 17-game losing streak in 1993. "When things got bad, I've seen guys go into a survival mode, blaming teammates instead of looking in the mirror. It never happened here," said Doug Wilson, a 16-year NHL veteran. Coach George Kingston also took the losing streaks in stride. "If I kick over a garbage can and yell and scream, then what? It'll just make them feel lower than whale droppings."

    A modern new arena in San Jose opened on Sept. 7, 1993, quickly earning the nickname of "The Shark Tank" by locals. There were other changes as well. Kevin Constantine, a former U.S. national team coach (and now coach of the Penguins), replaced Kingston, some new players were added, and the team was on its way to making history.

    The League's youngest coach at 35, Constantine started off poorly, guiding his team to an 0-8-1 record. But the club rallied, finishing with a 33-27-15 record over the next 75 games. They finished with 82 points, an astonishing 58-point improvement from the previous season, and made the playoffs in only their third season.

    "We got together a bunch of misfits and young players and people from all over the world," said former Shark Bob Errey. "The way we started the season, people said it would be another 24-point season. But I don't know how they figured that. You have to take a look at what's inside these players, the heart and soul and character of this team. And the leadership we got from a young coach who put together a system and believed in us all the way."

    The locker room resembled a United Nations meeting. There were two Russians, two Swedes, two Czechs, and two Latvians. One line was dubbed the "Ov" line because it featured three players whose last name ended with "ov" - Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov, and Johan Garpenlov. But no matter their home country, the players came together on the ice.

    Seeded eighth in the 1994 playoffs, the Sharks were expected to be fish bait for the high-powered Red Wings. Detroit, coming off a 100-point season, had six players on its roster who would have led the Sharks in scoring. Unable to compete with that kind of firepower, the Sharks relied on a stifling defense. The move paid off. Through Game Five, the Detroit trio of Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, and Ray Sheppard - who had scored 142 goals during the season - were held to just one goal. The Wizards of "Ov," meanwhile, produced some big goals. Makarov, who had scored 30 goals during the regular season, added six more in the Detroit series.

    There was also an element of good fortune. Deadlocked at 2-2 in the seventh game of the series, Detroit's young netminder, Chris Osgood, left the crease to clear a puck in the corner. But the attempt landed on the stick of the Sharks' Jamie Baker, who scored the goal that sent the Sharks past Detroit and into the next round.

    The Sharks continued their Cinderella ride into the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Behind the stickhandling of Larionov and Sergei Makarov, the blueline support of Sandis Ozolinsh and Jeff Norton, as well as Irbe's goaltending, the Sharks took the Leafs to Game Seven before ending their playoff run.

    "If Garpenlov's shot goes in (In Game Six, it rang off the post in overtime), there's no Game Seven; if Ozolinsh scores on his opportunity, there's no Game Seven; if my pass in overtime doesn't go off the skate of their defenseman right to Mike Gartner, there's no Game Seven," said Toronto's Doug Gilmour. "We felt like we had been given a new life after Game Six. Those guys never died. They kept their composure and kept coming back at us."

    Irbe, one of the many heroes for the club, shared his emotions after the deciding game. "I'm crying for this team. I am sad. What we had this year was the best team I've ever been on. Great friends, great chemistry. I wouldn't change that for a Stanley Cup. Never. That's just how proud I am," he said. It had been a marathon season for Irbe, who set a League record that year for most minutes played, with 4,412.

    During the shortened season of 1994-95, the Sharks were back on the attack. After another slow start (12-19-2), the club rallied to earn points in nine of its last 15 games to finish seventh. Eighteen-year-old Jeff Friesen, drafted 11th overall in 1994, became the first Shark to win a postseason award when he was named to the All-Rookie team. He also led the club with 15 goals.

    In the playoffs that season, the Sharks pulled off their second first round upset when Ray Whitney beat Calgary in Game Seven at 1:54 of the second overtime. But just as in the previous season, they were unable to advance past the second round as Detroit exacted revenge by sweeping the Sharks 4-0.

    The early success of the Sharks played an important role in uniting the community. Not only did the city's residents have a team of their own now, they had something to cheer about.

    "The best decision that's been made in this city in 20 years was to put the Arena within walking distance of downtown," said Mayor Susan Hammer in 1994. "The economic impact has been incredible." She, for her part, has been seen leading the fans in the "chomp," opening and closing her arms in shark jaw fashion. But the Sharks have given back to the community in other ways, through donations and grassroots campaigns such as the Sharks and Parks program, where area kids are provided with street hockey equipment.

    The 1995-96 season was spent rebuilding and integrating young players into the franchise. Ozolinsh was traded to Colorado for high scoring Owen Nolan, and the talented but aging "Ov" line was dismantled. Meanwhile Pat Falloon, the club's first pick in the entry draft and the franchise's leading point-getter was sent to the Flyers. At the top of the youth list was Friesen followed by defensemen Marcus Ragnarsson and Michal Sykora. Although Irbe remained, he had a tough time holding down the net behind the unsteady defense in front of him. The Sharks gave up a League-leading 357 goals, 115 of which were in the first-period. Off to another rocky start, the Sharks were unable to stomach another roller coaster ride and let coach Constantine go at mid-season, two seasons after he was named the runner-up for Coach of the Year. Jim Riley, who came into replace Constantine, was unable to spur any miraculous recoveries as the club finished seventh in the Pacific Division with 47 points, only five more than they earned in the shortened season. However, the focus of the season was not to attempt to make another Cinderella run but to build a team that would perform consistently in the future.

    The Sharks had a promising start last season, buoyed by new coach Al Sims, the free-agent signing of Bernie Nicholls and the remarkable recovery of Tony Granato who had undergone brain surgery during the off-season. By January 22, they were just 10 points away from their previous season's point total. But things changed for the worse after the All-Star game (held in San Jose), and although they topped their 1995-96 points total by 15 points, they were sill ended up at the bottom of the Pacific Division.

    "We were a very, very undisciplined team," said Nicholls early this season. "Guys did what they wanted. We had guys yelling at each other. There was no respect for anybody, the coaches, the players. We were a selfish team."

    While the Mighty Ducks, their California rivals, were making a run for the playoffs, the Sharks completed their season with a 6-15-2 record in their last 23 games.

    With another season comes another coach. Former Blackhawks head coach, Darryl Sutter was hired to replace Sims on June 9. He brings a no-nonsense approach that so far has transformed the team from shifty to ship-shape in a matter of months.

    "He coaches with his eyes and his heart," said Nicholls who also played for him in Chicago. "You can't B.S. him. He's going to get the best out of you."

    Vernon, the odd-goaltender-out in Detroit was another significant pickup. Fresh off a Stanley Cup MVP Trophy, he brings experience and stability to the net that Irbe was unable to provide. During the Sharks' recent seven-game unbeaten streak, Vernon allowed just nine goals. He also was named NHL player of the week for the period ending December 21.

    While the goal of the team may be to make it back into the playoffs, it's clear that general manager Dean Lombardi is preparing his team for much more than that. Since November 14, he has added veterans John MaClean, Mike Ricci and Dave Lowry. The three of them combined have played in 221 playoff games and wear two Stanley Cup rings.

    But if the Sharks are to succeed, the core group of young players will have to fulfill their potential. Friesen is a fan favorite but he has been inconsistent. After scoring 15 goals in 48 games his rookie season, he scored the same amount in 79 games two seasons ago. Last season, he talied 28. This season, he leads the club with 15 goals in 33 games. Nolan is another fickle player who has been accused of lethargic play, but he has welcomed Sutter's approach.

    "You get a coach like this who is a great motivator and you want to work," Nolan said. "You don't pick up bad habits because you're always working in games and working hard in practice."

    Nolan is currently second in team scoring with 22 points. Rounding out the top three is Marco Sturm, a 19-year-old from West Germany who, with 20 points, has been one of the club's most pleasant surprises.

    While some teams may have more productive scorers, defensemen, or goalies, few have the fan support and popularity that the Sharks enjoy. Their popularity is widespread - in 1994, a Sharks souvenir shop opened up in Latvia - and consistent - win or lose, there are usually sell out crowds cheering them on. That support was never clearer than the night of the 47th All-Star game when Owen Nolan staged his own show by scoring a hat trick in front of his home crowd.

    Now the Sharks are a strong team with veteran talent, skilled young players, and solid goaltending. If the fans were rabid before, just imagine what they'll be like if the Sharks make a run for the Stanley Cup this season.

    1. Jeff Finley throws his weight around: (224K .avi | 258K .mov)

    2. Sharks goalie Kelly Hrudey shuts down the Stars' Benoit Hogue: (467K .avi | 672K .mov)

    3. Hometown hero Owen Nolan calls his shot for the hat trick during the 1997 All-Star Game: (570K .avi | 761K .mov)

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