By Alexander Monaghan
President

By kaatiya (DSC_0049) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0)

Playing in a hockey city like Ottawa can be taxing on a player — they are recognized everywhere they go, praised when they do well and berated when they don’t. Couple that with his deteriorating relationship with then head coach Cory Clouston and the two sides simply agreed to disagree.

GM Bryan Murray admitted at the time that replacing a player the calibre of Heater would be much easier said than done. From ESPN.com news services:

“It’s hard to give up 50 goals,” Murray told reporters. “He didn’t get it last year — a lot of people underachieved — but Dany Heatley is that caliber of goal scorer. To be better than that is going to be difficult, there’s no question.”

While his goals decreased from back-t0-back 50 goals seasons into seasons of 41 and 39 goals, he still led the team in goal scoring in both seasons while his other counterparts in the C.A.S.H. line saw their numbers sputter. The team went from a dominant first line with a excellent supporting cast, into a one-trick pony in need of shaking some things up.

Even with Heatley, the team fell out of contention, finishing the year 11th in the Eastern Conference with 83 points. They weren’t close, and while his demands came at the wrong time, the feeling was probably more mutual than Clouston, Murray and the team’s brass ever let on.

They painted Heatley as a villian. A selfish player who could not sacrifice himself for the good of the organization. When they made awful personnel moves like trading speedy forward Antoine Vermette for the injury prone Pascal Leclaire or letting Zdeno Chara go in favor of Wade Redden, they could now blame Heatley.

By Dan4th (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan4th /4354880364/) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/2.0)

His regression came full circle. Coming from a team like San Jose that was previously filled with “playoff chokers”, he was singled out and traded for an question mark and former-Senator Martin Havlat. To put this trade into perspective, Havlat already went under the knife with offseason shoulder surgery and produced less than Heatley last season. He, along with Devin Setoguchi, were deemed expendable as the Sharks continue their quest for their first Stanley Cup.

To reiterate: the Senators felt spurned, cheated, hurt, etc by Heatley’s trade demands. He likely felt the same way with San Jose, when he was shipped out of town due to his postseason disappearing act — three goals and nine points through 18 games.

When Heatley and his now-fourth organization the Minnesota Wild come to town tonight, How will the Sens fans react? When questioned by James Gordon of Senators Extra, a resounding 65 percent of voters claimed “he betrayed this team and this city”. Every time he touches the puck in Scotiabank Place, he should expect to hear the boos.

After leaving, the Sens actually managed to make the playoffs in the 2009-2010 campaign, falling six points shy of the Northeast Division lead. While the team lost 17 goals by essentially swapping Milan Michalek with Heatley, the short-term damage was minimal. Last season, the difference was only eight tallies, which probably would not have been the difference maker in a season where they finished 29th in goals scored. If healthy this season, Michalek could score in excess of 25 goals, which should make Sens fans feel slightly better about the ‘lopsided’ trade.

Yet, they still feel spurned. A good Canadian boy who should have led them to a championship felt the need to leave for greener pastures and deny this franchise a legitimate chance at the Cup. The city of Ottawa seems poised to never forget this tragedy, and probably won’t forgive even after he retires.

The moral of this story: Don’t F*ck with Ottawa.

When word spread like wild fire around the interwebs late Sunday night that San Jose GM Doug Wilson had sent Dany Heatley to the Minnesota Wild for Martin Havlat, let’s just say the reaction was a mixed review. On Twitter, many Sharks fans rejoiced in the loss of Daniel James Heatley, some were quite upset over his departure, citing that they were crying and shaking *facepalm*, and yet others took  to the mean streets of Trash Talk City. But instead of being a negative nancy about the loss of Heatley, let’s recap the good about his short time sporting the Teal and Black.

The Life and Times of Dany Heatley —

September 12, 2009 - Dany Heatley gets traded from Ottawa to San Jose after demanding to be set free.  San Jose sent Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo in exchange.

October 8, 2009 – San Jose’s home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dany’s first game in his new home arena.   Sending the puck past Mathieu Garon on a penalty shot, Heatley scored his first hat trick for San Jose, capping the Sharks 6-3 win over Columbus.

November 20, 2009 – Heatley scores his second hat trick of the season in a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

January 6, 2010 – San Jose Sharks vs St. Louis Blues.  Heatley scores on a breakaway in overtime to give San Jose the 2-1 win.

January 30, 2010 – Who scores using their face? Dany Heatley does, that’s who. The puck deflects off Heatley’s face and into the net in San Jose’s 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.

September 16, 2010 – The world finds out that Dany Heatley is in fact, a horrible baseball player. The San Jose Sharks have this campaign of tv commercials depicting their players as other professions. Dany Heatley’s was all too easy to chose as he bounced the first pitch during a 2010 San Francisco Giants baseball game.

December 2, 2010 - Heatley’s return to Ottawa. No one expected this to be a walk in the park and it didn’t turn out to be one.  Fans threw Heatley jerseys on the ice, held up signs that portrayed him as a traitor, as well did the Ottawa Sun with their very public display of dislike for the man with this picture.

April 14, 2011 – Game one of the Western Conference Quarter Finals.  Just 30 seconds into the game, Heatley puts the Sharks up 1-0 against the Los Angeles Kings.

May 6, 2011 – Heatley scores from his knees on a pass from Ryane Clowe to tie the game 3-3 against the Detroit Red Wings.

May 18, 2011 – Logan Couture scores the opening goal of Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks thanks to a pin point pass from Dany Heatley.

There are many more good things that Dany Heatley has done during his short lived time in the South Bay, and there are some not so good things. I, for one, choose to enjoy the time that we Sharks fans had with him. And personally, I think he just missed Devin Setoguchi so much he agreed to go to Minnesota and rekindle their bromance.

Stephanie Lee
NHLHS San Jose Sharks Correspondent
@OhMySwed3
stephanie@nhlhotstove.com

It has been quite some time since I’ve sat down at a computer, any computer for that matter, and typed about the National Hockey League.

In that time, the team I consider the reason for breathing some nights, the Philadelphia Flyers, were embarrassed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the (hat tip) eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, the salary cap took yet another raise into Christmas in July (Free Agent Frenzy). The aforementioned Flyers completely dismantled its core from head to toe — though the news of the departure of Jeff Carter was music to these ears — and the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild made a trade that will be soon put on a list with the rest of lopsided trades in the history of the NHL.

Ok, maybe not that exaggerated, however, let’s be real here.  How does anyone get away with trading a player with a statistical history such as Dany Heatley. Wait, wait what was that? Oh, Heatley has only five playoff goals in 32 playoff games with the Sharks where Havlat has 12 playoff goals in his last 26 playoff games; guessing that’s the logic behind Mr. Wilson and his madness.

Or maybe that Shark crest is simply haunted to anyone who plays for it? Who am I to say?

Taking a deeper look into the issues the Sharks have had this off-season will give GM Doug Wilson his walking papers in due time.

Dany Heatley (Dan4th/Flickr)

Was it not the same man, and the same team, to ship Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo to the Ottawa Senators for Heater in the first place?  Then you decide to move, prior to yesterday’s debacle, Devin Setoguchi and now you take the man that you paid a decent price for, and ship him out for a fragile, flash in the pan player making only $2.5 million  less?

Heatley has one season (not counting ’03-’04) where he was unable to reach the 30 goals or more plateau. That was this prior season. So let’s throw away a perennial 30 goal man for a player who has had one……..YES you read that correctly, ONE entire season with 30 goals or better (Havlat ended the ’03-’04 campaign with 31 goals).

Considering the nature of the beast, known as the business side of Hockey Operations, players will come and go with the blink of an eye. Christian Ehrhoff saw, similar to the situation with Dan Hamhuis last year, that you can be part of three teams in one twenty four hour period. He also remembers getting traded from the Sharks for essentially cap space. But when your team is cursed, if you believe in that sort of thing, and you go through previous coaching and player changes, why ship out one of the better players from your roster for one who hasn’t proven anything more then said player?

There really is only one answer: You DON’T (unless you are Wilson).

I’d love to know what’s in your smoke pipe in your office Mr. Wilson because what I have seen take place over the course of the last few days has me pondering how close of friends you and Paul Holmgren truly are. And kudos to Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs, acquiring two injury-prone centers totally spells out “playoff potential”. Sheesh…that’s another one for another time.

At least Mikko Koivu has some goal scorers to finish off his passes on his line now.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

The Atlanta Thrashers are no more. Atlanta, as a city, could not prove itself to be a strong enough “hockey city” and because of that sold the franchise to Winnipeg, who proved today to be a hockey town. Over their storied franchise, the Thrashers only made the playoffs once from their inaugural season in 1999 to their eventual demise in 2011. Those four fateful games would be a quick memory as the New York Rangers managed to sweep a team who could not find a way to win when it mattered most.

Laura Astorian graced us with an excellent goodbye to the Thrashers. She put her heart and soul into the effort for SB Nation Atlanta and Bird Watchers Anonymous, watching her hometown team leave because it was deemed to be not a hockey town. However, between 1999 and 2011 there were a few good players who passed through the system.

As a less sentimental goodbye to the Atlanta Thrashers, here are their Top 10 players of all time.

Photo Credit: Julian III / Flickr

1. Ilya Kovalchuk — As the captain of the Thrashers during the 2009-2010 season, Kovalchuk tried to put his team on its back and get back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it seems like whenever he tried to actually step up, his emotions get the best of him and his team failed. He refused a contract extension to remain a Thrasher for seemingly the rest of his career and was then jettisoned to the New Jersey Devils for three players and two draft picks. While with the Thrashers, he became their leading scorer of all-time, potting 328 goals and 615 points. His eight seasons in a Thrashers uniform were the most by any one player as well as he clearly became the face of the franchise. He also gave the team their only Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, leading the League in goal scoring back in 2003-2004. Controversy and inconsistency aside, Kovalchuk will go down in the history books as the greatest Atlanta Thrasher ever.

2. Dan Snyder – As an honorary choice, Snyder gets our nod at number two due to how he tragically died back in October of 2003. As the team prepared for their season opener, they were forced to do so without their friend and teammate. His death led to Dany Heatley needing to leave Atlanta and his number 37 remains the only number to every get retired by the Thrashers. In addition, the team awarded their annual Dan Snyder Memorial Award to the player that “best embodied perseverance, dedication, and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed.”

3. Vyacheslav Kozlov — As a long-time linemate of Kovalchuk, Kozlov enjoyed seven seasons in a Thrashers uniform. He still is one of three players to score 100 in their jersey and the only player outside of Kovalchuk to post at least 400 points. When you think of Kozlov, you likely remember him for his long career in a Detroit Red Wings jersey but after that and a very brief stint with the Buffalo Sabres, Kozlov was all Thrasher, which made his benching/exile last year all the more hurtful.

4. Dany Heatley — Heater gets in at number four basically only because he was a high-end talent that the team grew on their own. His three short seasons with the team, which rendered him an All-Star MVP and a Calder Memorial Trophy winner, puts him in the top five in nearly every offensive category. His reign as a Thrasher will always be memorable whether good or bad, which gives him a slight edge over the player he was traded for.

5. Marian Hossa – Keep in mind the only season the Thrashers actually did make the playoffs, came with Hossa adding supplementary scoring to Kovalchuk. That season the team actually worked incredibly hard, earning the Southeast Division title. Hossa was the third player to ever score 100 goals in an Atlanta Thrashers uniform as he sits third in their all-time points leaders with 248 points in only 222 games.

6. Tobias Enstrom — Similar to Heatley, Enstrom gets a bump up the list since he is a homegrown talent. Unlike Heatley, he is only one of two players to actually remain active members of the team. Last season, the diminutive blue liner surpassed Hossa for the third-most assists in team history. His creativity with the puck put him on the top pairing and top PP unit when Kovalchuk was on the team. His intelligence with the puck and playmaking ability kept him there after the captain left. The team in Winnipeg received a very special player in Enstrom.

7. Eric Boulton — A sentimental choice Boulton is selected for his work dropping the gloves. His 639 PIM ranks first amongst every player as he spent six seasons in a Thrasher sweater. He is the only other member of last season’s Thrashers to make the list as he gets honored for the many shots to the face he took. Don’t believe me? Click here.

Photo Credit: Dave Matos

8. Kari Lehtonen — With bad years come bad goalies and Lehtonen just so happened to be the best of them. His 204 games played ranked first amongst Thrashers’ goalies as they experienced a plethora of below average to mediocre netminders like Ondrej Pavelec, Johan Hedberg, Milan Hlinicka and Pasi Nurminen. Lehtonen for the majority of his time in Atlanta was known as the “goalie of the future” but he never got a chance to prove that due to injuries. Even in their four playoff games, Lehtonen was relegated to the bench in favor of Hedberg due to his inconsistent play.

9. Marc Savard – Savard was mostly known as Kovalchuk’s playmaking center but he did a good deal of damage over those three years posting 63 goals and 196 points in only 184 games. Of the 31 players to dress in at least 164 games, Savard was only one of three to score at least a point-per-game. After a career-high 97 points with the Thrashers, he would opt for free agency and become a Boston Bruin, where he remains (sidelined) to this day.

10. Kelly Buchberger – He may have only played 68 games in the Atlanta Thrashers sweater but he also wore the C for the first time. With so many players on the bubble, we thought it right to mention the first choice to lead this expansion team.

Honorable Mention: Ray Ferraro, Patrick Stefan, Bryan Little, Jim Slater, Garnet Exelby, Shawn McEachern, Steve Staios, Scott Melanby, Bobby Holik, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Jeff Odgers, Chris Tamer, Chris Thorburn, Niclas Havelid, Rich Peverley, Frantisek Kaberle, Todd White, Andy Sutton, JP Vigier, Yannick Tremblay

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to sound off in the comments section.

The San Jose Sharks have one day off after dropping the opening game in the Western Conference Finals against Vancouver on Sunday night. And it wasn’t like they had the full week off that Vancouver had to rest, but they had the momentum of winning a Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings. So what went wrong? Where did the Sharks drop the ball in Game 1?

First off, they were without Jason Demers and replaced him with Kent Huskins. Demers is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury (typical playoff injury) and Todd McLellan said he is “bumped and bruised, just like everyone else is.” Thus making room for Huskins who hasn’t seen action since February 19th. With Demers being one of the top shot blockers on the team with 23, losing him on the blue line is detrimental to the Sharks defense. Not saying that Huskins can’t hold his own while on the ice, but for a guy with a Stanley Cup and only two playoffs assists, it’s not a stretch to say fans are allowed to be a little weary of him on the ice.

Second, Ryane Clowe didn’t play like Ryane Clowe. The Sharks leading scorer in the playoffs this year, and he comes out of Game 1 with one hit and one blocked shot. So really, what did Clowe think about his play in Game 1? “Let’s call a spade a spade,” Clowe said Monday. “Our line was awful last night. We’ve got to be better than that.” When he says ‘our line’, that included teammates Logan Couture and Dany Heatley, I’m sure he didn’t say it in a ‘I’m calling out my teammates’ kind of way. However the three of them combined on Sunday managed 7 shots on goal, 5 hits and 4 blocked shots. Let me the one to do that for him and say that not only does Clowe need to start playing like Clowe, but  Heatley and Couture need to start playing the way they did in the semi-finals.

Lastly, this isn’t something the Sharks did wrong. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were the two Sharks to score on Sunday night. They are the two who will have the spotlight on them until the end of time (or at least until the end of the Sharks playoff run.) I saw good for them. They showed that not only do they know what playing against Vancouver means, but that they aren’t willing to just kick back, relax and waive the white flag. Thornton finished his night off with two points, five shots on goal, two blocks and one hit, while Marleau scored just his fourth goal of the season on a power play.

I understand that it’s just one game in a series of four of more, but once again, we are playing against the President’s Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks. I know I don’t have to reiterate what it takes to win that trophy or what it means by winning that trophy.

We all know what it’s going to take from the Sharks to win this series and we all know what Vancouver is going to have to do wrong to lose. Tomorrow night is Game 2, and I hope the Sharks will be ready for it.

Stephanie Lee
NHLHS San Jose Sharks Correspondent
Twitter: @OhMySwed3
Email: Stephanie@nhlhotstove.com

By Jeff Quirin
NHLHS NHL correspondent

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

We came close to a Battle: LA worthy of such a title (because the movie wasn’t), but the hockey gods decided that the LA Kings should not face their local nemesis Anaheim Ducks. Instead they travel up the coast to San Jose and jump in the tank with the Sharks.

Let Battle: California begin!

During the 82 game primer, the Pacific Division rivals squared off six times. San Jose took the season series 3-1-2. Outscoring the Kings 18-13. In games where the teams combine for 6 goals or less, LA has won three of the four contests. In the barn burning affairs San Jose is two for two.

What do such figures this tell outsiders? LA better keep these games close and play to their strengths.

At season’s end, Terry Murray’s Kings boasted the NHL’s 6th best GAA (2.4) and 4th rated penalty kill (85.5%). Putting young stud defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson as well veterans Willie Mitchell and Rob Scuderi in the spotlight for this series. Their ability to control the pace of play and lock down their defensive end will determine how effective the Sharks top two lines can be.

The other factor to consider is of course Kings netminder, Jonathan Quick. The US Olympian put together a solid season. Posting 35 wins (T-9th) in 61 games (60 starts) with a 2.24 GAA (5th) and .918 save percentage (T-13th). Assuming the top two pairings keep the shots to a minimum, which they should given they were 3rd best with just 27.9/game against, Quick will just need to make the routine save. Something he has for most of the season, against San Jose at least. In 5 starts against the Sharks he has a 2.19 GAA, .910 save percentage and a shutout.

The challenge for LA comes up up front. They were the 25th rated offense this season. Averaging just 2.55 goals/game (209 overall). As if scoring was hard enough, they lost team offensive leader, Anze Kopitar, to an ankle injury. Gone are his 25 goals and 73 points in 75 games. Second leading scorer, Justin Williams, may also miss time due to a shoulder injury. The time is now for another US Olympian, captain Dustin Brown, to step up and take over the reigns on the big stage. Trade deadline addition Dustin Penner must improve on his two goals and six point pace over 19 games pace if the Kings will be able to counter the Sharks attack.

…and the Sharks will be attacking. After a turbulent first half of the season Todd McLellan settled the veteran group down and powered up to the second highest position in the Western Conference. They’re style is the yin to the Kings yang. San Jose was the league’s 6th more prolific offense. Scoring 2.96 goals/game.

Even if LA can contain the super trio of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley, another unit must step up and stop Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Devin Setoguchi. That group of seven has combined for 182 of the Sharks 243 goals, roughly 75%.  That said, the dynamic also presents a major concern if LA strongly plays the matchups and Quick catches fire. There will be no secondary punch from the Sharks energy lines.

Defensive responsibility is also at a premium for San Jose. They finished 2010-11 with the 8th lowest shots against/game average (28.9) and 10th lowest GAA (2.54). Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray and Marc-Edouard Vlasic remain as names most know and will be counted on to eat minutes on the back end. Ian White and Jason Demers are not, but consistently hold down an average close to 20 minutes a night as well. their puck moving abilities will be key to help break LA’s sure to be tight coverage.

Last but not least is 2010 Stanley Cup winner Antti Niemi. Many chastised the Sharks for rolling the dice on a netminder who ‘earned his ring” by playing behind the Chicago Blackhawks. His second half surge has put some of those doubters back in their place. Finishing the campaign with numbers comparable to Quick. Posting 35 wins (T-9th) in 60 games, a 2.38 GAA (11th) and .920 save percentage (12th). He could be the “x factor” that carries San Jose further than exiled Evgeni Nabakov.

Who Has The Edge?

Forwards: San Jose
- Even if Kopitar and Williams were in the lineup, the top two lines of LA just don’t match up against the brute force, size, speed and skill the Sharks roll over the boards. Ryan Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Michal Handzus provide a needed veteran balance to the youg core, but are not as dynamic as the likes of Pavelski or Couture.

Defensemen: LA
- Boyle is as good as they come on the back end, but the remainder of the group leaves much to be desired when compared to the potential impacts of two very dynamic youngsters in Doughty and Johnson. Add in the cup winning experience of Scuderi and LA has the advantage.

Goaltending: San Jose
- Niemi is a Cup champion. Quick has one playoff series loss and Silver Medal earned from opening the door to the bench. Winning validates no other athlete in such a defining way than a NHL goaltender.

Prediction: San Jose in 7
- LA is going to grind as hard as they can and force a full set of seven tilts. How efficient the Kings are in their own end will determine if the series runs short or not.

__________________________________________________________________

Battle of California: Kings vs Sharks

By Stephanie Lee
NHLHS San Jose Sharks correspondent

In what turned out be one of the toughest divisions in the National Hockey League, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings will face off for the first time in either teams history.  So what make the Los Angeles Kings scary good this year and why will the San Jose Sharks will have a tough time:

1. Jonathan Quick – For a guy whose last name is pretty much the epitome of what he is, it’s hard to watch a Kings game and not get caught solely watching him. His six shutouts and 2.24 goals against average landed him in the top ten among all NHL goalies. He only allowed five or more goals in three starts this season, and put together a seven game winning streak back in the first half of the season.
2. Justin Williams & Anze Kopitar – Both players led the Kings in goals before going down with injuries. Okay, yes Kopitar is done for the season, but he still finished the season leading the team in assists, points, +/-, game winning goals and shots on goal. Williams tallied 22 goals before his shoulder injury kept him out for the final nine games of the season. And according to coach Terry Murray, Williams might be able to return to the line up for the start of the first round on Thursday.
3. Dustin Brown – Yes, the almighty Captain. Leading the team goals (28) and hits (300), Dustin Brown knows how to score goals and do his job quite effectively. He is especially good on the penalty play, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists.
4. Penalty Kill – Los Angeles ended the season ranked 4th in penalty killing compared to San Jose’s 24th ranked penalty kill.

So, then what makes San Jose tough for the Los Angeles Kings?

1. Joe Pavelski – The man we call Joe Pa isn’t anywhere near as good as our top line, but his ten game point streak, including 12 assists makes him quite lethal. Pavelski reached career highs in just about every category this season, achieving 66 points and 46 assists with a +10 rating.
2. Logan Couture – Because if you have been following the Calder race closely, then you would know why. Although Couture is in his second season in the NHL, his twenty five games played last season still allows him to be considered for the Calder this season. He led the rookies early in the season in all categories and is second among the Sharks in goals (32), +/- (18), and game winning goals (eight).
3. Power Play - San Jose’s 68 power play goals puts them 3rd among the NHL for most goals on the man advantage but 2nd over all on the power play with 23.5%.
4. Seven 20+ goal scorers – Los Angeles only has five available players at the moment with 20+ goals, assuming Williams will be ready for action come Thursday.

What do the San Jose Sharks do after dropping a critical game to the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3? They turn around and beat the Dallas Stars the following night by that very same score. In what was a strong and fierce game, the Sharks still managed to come out on top of a division rival.

This week, the National Hockey League issued statements regarding hits to the head. Stating that they are taking steps to improve the consistency with making sure those don’t go unpunished. Last nights Sharks game versus Dallas is no exception to hard hitting and fights. After a scoreless first period, things began to develop into that playoff type atmosphere between the rivals.

Jamie Langenbrunner wasn’t called on an obvious boarding call, hitting Niclas Wallin from behind slamming him face first into the boards/glass. Wallin stayed out on the ice, but was slow to get up. He ended up getting tied up with Jamie Benn, which allowed Mike Ribiero to score. When later shown on the bench, Wallin was rubbing his face in pain with a trainer attending to him. He would not return to the game, after only playing seven minutes.

There is one player who is no stranger to playing tough and making the questionable plays on the Dallas roster. His name would be Steve Ott. Prior to last night, Ott had 178 penalty minutes.  Four minutes into the second frame, Ott tangled with defenseman Douglas Murray, earning him not only a fighting major, but a an instigator and misconduct also. He left the game for the remainder of the period, serving his 17 minutes in penalties watching from the locker room.

Just before the final two minutes in the third period, Logan Couture was called for a delay of game penalty, putting the Stars on a power play.  Stars coach Marc Crawford chose to pull goalie Kari Lehtonen for the extra attacker. What no one expected was for the Sharks to add two empty net goals, only 27 seconds apart.

Center Joe Pavelski picked up four assists in this game, including helping on Joe Thornton’s empty net goal, with just over a minute to go in the game. Dany Heatley fielded the other empty net goal for San Jose to go along with his first period power play goal. Ryane Clowe and Torrey Mitchell also scored for the Sharks who now have lost only four of their last 14 games.

Toby Petersen and Benn scored Dallas’ two other goals, and Lehtonen stopped 33 of 37 shots faced with.

San Jose takes on the Minnesota Wild tomorrow in their final meeting of the season. Minnesota recently got Captain Mikko Koivu back after not playing since February 18th with a broken finger.

The journey to 1,000 games is no small feat. There have only been 256 other players to achieve such a milestone, and Patrick Marleau joins 23 of those players in the elite group who have done it with one team. He also joins a list of only 19 other Sharks who have played 1,000 games in the National Hockey League.

It would on be June 21, 1997 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where it all started. Marleau was a 17-year-old Canadian ice hockey center waiting anxiously with family to hear his name being called. He had been playing with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League for the past two seasons, scoring 83 goals in 143 games. He was named Captain of the Thunderbirds during the 1996-97 season and led the team to a second place finish. The Boston Bruins had the first selection in the draft and soon selected current teammate, Joe Thornton. Marleau was selected second overall by the San Jose Sharks, making him the youngest player drafted in the 1997 entry draft at 17 years, nine months and six days old. Marleau was born on September 15th, just three months and two days later.

On October 1, 1997, the Sharks were playing the Edmonton Oilers when Marleau played his first game, just 16 days after his 18th birthday. He did not score in the game, nor did he get on the score sheet save for three shots on goal. It wouldn’t be for another 18 days on October 19, 1997 in a 5-3 loss against the Phoenix Coyotes when Marleau would score his first goal. Over the course of 13 NHL seasons, Marleau achieved a number of records with the San Jose Sharks. He is the all-time leader in goals (320), points (693), and holds records for becoming the fastest Shark to score 10 goals in franchise history (13 games), fastest Shark to 30 goals in franchise history. He also tied a franchise record for quickest goal to start the 3rd period (he did it just 9 seconds into the period).

Today in 4-2 win against the Coyotes, Marleau played in that milestone game, becoming the 3rd youngest player to play in 1000 games at 31 years, 124 days old. Had it not been for the lock out in 2004-05, he would have been the youngest player to join the club. Scoring the first goal for the Sharks, going glove side on Ilya Bryzgalov, Marleau picked up his 18th goal of the season and 338th of his career. Logan Couture, Dany Heatley also scored for the Sharks. Thornton added an empty net goal with 49 seconds left. Phoenix got goals from Derek Morris and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who scored his first NHL goal. Antti Niemi made 34 saves for his 10 win of the season and Bryzgalov stopped 32 of 35 shots faced.

San Jose is now 2-0 with the dads in town. The Sharks will have a day off tomorrow to go golfing with their fathers before heading to Vancouver on Thursday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs steamrolled past the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night with a 4-2 win, completing their California sweep.

They are the second team to do so in the week, Nashville beat San Jose on January 8th by the score of 2-1. San Jose dropped not only their fifth home loss, but their fifth consecutive game. You would have to look all the way back to the Sharks 1995-1996 season, 13 years ago to find the last time they lost five home games in a row.

Patrick Marleau, who had only scored five goals since November 26th, put San Jose on the board midway through the first period receiving a pass from Joe Thornton, breaking the Sharks scoreless slump at 106 minutes 17 seconds — the longest the Sharks have been shut out all season. Both Thornton and Dany Heatley join Marleau in the scoring slump, having only scored a combined 11 goals since November 26th.

Last season, the line of Marleau, Heatley and Thornton had 103 goals in 82 games an average 1.25 goals per game. We are just midway through the 2010-2011 season and they have come together for 42 goals in just 44 games. That averages out to be less then one goal a game.

Half way through the second period, San Jose lost their leading goal scoring Logan Couture when it appeared that Colton Orr took a run at him. Orr was tagged with a kneeing penalty at 9:25 of the period giving San Jose their first power play opportunity of the night. Couture laid on the ice for a few before skating back to the bench.

Just under two minutes later with Orr’s penalty about to expire, Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf was called for holding. San Jose would have 10 seconds of 5-on-3 play but fail to capitalize. San Jose kept their 1-0 lead heading into the 3rd period, out shooting the Leafs 34-12 through two periods.

Phil Kessel scored early in the third period when he skated around a falling Dan Boyle to tie the game at one. Boyle slid out in front of Kessel thinking he was going to shoot, instead Kessel skated to his right and shot into the open net.

“I had arguably the worst game I have had all year. I’m in no position tonight to say anything about anybody else. Most of the guys played well. I take a lot of pride in what I do out there. Tonight I was way off. It wad a very, very bad, terrible game.”

Boyle, who’s been the Sharks scoring leader among defensemen hasn’t scored a goal since December 23rd and has gone a -7 since then as well.

Clarke MacArthur went on to score two goals for the Leafs, including an empty netter with 39 seconds left in the game, while Marleau gave San Jose the lead back temporarily with his 17th goal of the season and Carl Gunnarsson scored the GWG at 10:10 of the third period.

Antti Niemi made 22 of 25 shots and rookie goaltender, James Reimer stopped an outstanding 40 of 42 shots. Not only are the Maple Leafs riding a four game winning streak right now, they are backstopped by Reimer who‘s in for the injured J.S Giguere. After being called up from the Leafs AHL team, the Toronto Marlies, Reimer has gone 4-1 in six games with a .947 SV% and 1.92 GAA.

San Jose will face Edmonton and potential Calder candidate Taylor Hall on Thursday night. The Sharks are 3-0 against the Oilers this season and will be looking to snap their home loss slide at five.

In today’s NHL, the fans know quite a bit about their favorite team, from who‘s injured/returning from injury, why the teams penalty kill isn’t working, all the way down to who should be traded and why (well, why they think.) San Jose Sharks fans voice their opinions quite loudly. A perfect world would have all the fans getting a say in what goes on with the team. Management would do exactly what each and every fan wanted without taking into count the business side of the game. Luckily for us, management does not do that and we have the teams we have today. Teams that work. Teams that win and lose. Teams that have pluses and negatives. But what do the fans have to say about their team this far into season so far? I gathered answers from a few friends and this is what I received.

Just two seasons ago, after failing to make it past the 2nd round in the playoffs, fans let it be known just exactly how they felt. After a lackluster performance from both Marleau (2 goals, 1 assist) and Joe Thornton (1 goal, 4 assists), the consensus was that Marleau should be traded. Why him over Thornton though? Why trade away our beloved Captain, the one who had been our silent leader for years. There were many speculations about trading him, but that would not happen. Instead, the Sharks traded away Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo in return for Dany Heatley. This $22 million dollar line, known as the Burger Line or the HTML line among fans, has been tabbed as the most disappointing of the season. Tallying only 34 goals, 46 assists and are holding down a -19 after 33 games. When your top line doesn’t produce, things need to be changed.

Sharks coach, Todd McLellan is known for switching up his lines this season, in hopes that this will spark things within the team. However, when you are constantly changing the lines, you aren’t showing consistency. Having regular lines builds trust within your team and allows players to build that bond with line mates. This has been one of the things that fans feel need to change within the system as well as the defense. Dan Boyle has been the Sharks only top scoring defenseman along side Niclas Wallin with 3 goals apiece. Two players who play a very different defensive game are leading the defensive core. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who snapped his scoreless streak on December 9th, has two goals in his last 6 games. If San Jose can continue to get points from their defense, it just might start to look better.

While playing in only 25 games last season, one shy of taking him out Calder contention, Couture put up 5 goals and 4 assists, with a +4. This season, eighty-five percent of those asked, chose Logan Couture as the biggest impact player for the Sharks. Heading into the 34th game of the season, Couture leads NHL Rookies in goals (17), points (24) and plus/minus (8). Not only does he lead the NHL in those categories, he leads the Sharks in goals, 5th on the team in points, and 3rd in plus/minus. Couture has outscored the Sharks top line combined by 50%. If he continues at the rate he’s going, with 49 games left to go this season, Couture is on path to score 30+ goals.

As we near the New Year, Sharks fans would have hoped that this season would’ve started off a little bit different. By this time in the season, San Jose who usually hovers around the top, had 49 points with a record of 21-8-7. However, as the Sharks prepare to take on the Edmonton Oilers tonight, they are 17-11-5 after 33 games played, sit 7th in the Western Conference, just 5 points behind conference leader, Detroit.