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This Shark team was a great example of the poor scheduling the NHL has. The teams play too many games against their division teams and it killed the sharks this year. The majority of their schedule was soft because their division was terrible and they were no where near the best team in the NHL. Now that they are done, I can't wait for the Ducks to go next. No team from California deserves to have its name on the Cup!

Trade Thornton and Marleau. Start a new. Why keep being playoff disappointments.

We all know that ducks go quack quack but last night I learned that sharks go choke choke.

They have a talented team but I think they need to clean house and get some leadership.

6- 20 goals scorers combine for a total of 8 in a 6 games series. Something obviously needs to change.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 09:17 AM ET  04.28 by slapshot27

This Shark team was a great example of the poor scheduling the NHL has. The teams play too many games against their division teams and it killed the sharks this year. The majority of their schedule was soft because their division was terrible and they were no where near the best team in the NHL. Now that they are done, I can't wait for the Ducks to go next. No team from California deserves to have its name on the Cup!

Detroit was in a weak division how many years. They have Cups to show for it. It's not the division, schedule, coach etc. It's players that don't want to do the extra work it takes in the playoffs. They just plain suck.

McLellan has got to be wondering what kind of cursed team he inherited. With their record this year, some were thinking that maybe he had brought a change to their playoff fortunes. Same result. Good luck Todd.

QUOTE(#6):

Originally posted 10:09 AM ET  04.28 by Zaboomafoo

Detroit was in a weak division how many years. They have Cups to show for it. It's not the division, schedule, coach etc. It's players that don't want to do the extra work it takes in the playoffs. They just plain suck.

If they were in any other division they would not have won the Presidents Cup. I agree they didn't have the drive in the playoffs but that comes from not being pushed in the regular season.

And speaking to when Detroit was in a weak division, I am not sure when you are referring to but I do believe it was when the NHL played a more league wide schedule instead of playing some team once a year and playing most of their games within their own division like now. Playing weak teams day in and day out doesn't help push a team.

Trade Thornton, he is the sharks weakest link. If you shut Joe down, the sharks go nowhere!

I think people are overreacting. Anaheim was not an eight seed, at the beginning of the year it could be said that the top four teams would be San Jose, Detroit, Chicago, and Anaheim. Anaheim is a better team than both Columbus and St. Louis and would've gave any team (but Detroit, I think) fits.

Having said that, now San Jose knows it has nothing to do with coaching. Todd McLellan is a great coach in my opinion, so the blame falls on the players. Yes Joe Thorton doesn't show up for the playoffs, but maybe it's time to also look at who he's playing with; should these guys be considered stars in their own right, or is their hockey skill determined by how well Joe's playing? San Jose should build around Thorton and Marleau; Cheechoo, Setoguci (sp) Grier, and anyone else need to be shipped out. Something I keep seeing done over and over again is Cheechoo for Gaborik, how sick would that be? Pick up some good position players, some young burners, and this team will be fine.

Also, I'd like to throw in, that everything is in place for Detroit to run the gambit again. Lidstrom and Zetterberg will shut down Ryan's line, while Datsyuk and Hossa will wear down the rest of the team. Chicago and Vancouver will beat each other up so that the Wings can pick up the pieces. And there isn't a team in the East that can beat the Wings, because the question isn't as much can Detroit stop them, but can that team keep up with Detroit in the scoring department. They are averaging a sick 4+ goals a game, leaving Osgood to only have to worry about giving up 2 or 3.

Now that the Sharks are eliminated where does that place their first draft pick? I thought the Isles would have the 22nd pick since the Sharks have the best record of all of the teams eliminated in the first tound but I saw on a wikipedia site that they are in the 26th spot. I am not sure how that was determined though. I would appreciate it if anyone could help explain this and why it is 26th instead of 22nd.

I got it...they start at 26th for best record back...

DRW1AJN; overreaction, you think? they could have played the red wings or anyone else in the first round and their inability to win would still be the center of criticism. this is an organization that needs to have solid foundations to be strong financially in the long term. This is the fourht or fifth year in a row that they have a dominant hockey team that cannot compete in the playoffs. I`m not saying that the solution is to break things up, but at the same time if anything this is underreaction, just have to look at the sens all those years that they had an incredible team, now THEY WERE UNDER PRESSURE.

psssssttt....word on the street is that thornton craps his pants the minute games mean something, pass it on.

oh dear god please don`t allow montreal to make a move to acquire tornton....please please please don`t let it happen.

So it wasn't Ron Wilson's fault!?!?!

Joe Thorton is the A-Rod of the NHL. Puts up great stats in the regular season, but doesn't show up in the playoffs. The Sharks have to think about trading Thorton because he doesn't get the job done in a big spot in the playoffs PERIOD!!!!

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 11:31 AM ET  04.28 by YDT8523

Joe Thorton is the A-Rod of the NHL. Puts up great stats in the regular season, but doesn't show up in the playoffs. The Sharks have to think about trading Thorton because he doesn't get the job done in a big spot in the playoffs PERIOD!!!!

The question is---given his Playoff performances, or lack there of, who is going to want to take on his 7.2 mil a year knowing he disappears when it matters most?

Don't post here at all but saw all 3 games in Anaheim and the Sharks plan and simple did not show up at all. This was very evident last night after the second Ducks goal they just rolled over, no heart with the exceptuion of Grier. He was the only one who finished. Their blueliners did nothing last night, Vlasic was reluctant to shot and whenyou're on a PP and one guy refuses to launch it you might as well be even, Cheehcoo and Setoguchi did nothing last night and frankly didn't get that much time on the ice, at least you didn't notice them hence my they simply did not show. Time to trade Thorton, Cheechoo and Setoguchi and build around Marleau. If Blake and Roenick retire or leave they have blueline issues as well next year offensively.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 09:17 AM ET  04.28 by slapshot27

This Shark team was a great example of the poor scheduling the NHL has. The teams play too many games against their division teams and it killed the sharks this year. The majority of their schedule was soft because their division was terrible and they were no where near the best team in the NHL. Now that they are done, I can't wait for the Ducks to go next. No team from California deserves to have its name on the Cup!

You're ****. I'd love to see you say that to Pronger. He'd thump your empty skull.