SHARKSPAGE

DOH Podcast #119: Joe Thornton, Thomas Greiss clears waivers, and Jonathan Cheechoo in the AHL

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2010_1013.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss the pair of season opening San Jose Sharks games in Sweden, Antti Niemi, Antero Niittymaki, Joe Thornton’s shooting renaissance, goaltender Thomas Greiss clearing waivers, Jonathan Cheechoo’s performance in Worcester of the AHL and the playoff run of the San Francisco Giants on the 119th episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.

WorSharks Blanked By Admirals, 4-0

The Worcester Sharks ran into a hot goaltender and were stymied on eight power play chances during a 4-0 loss to the Norfolk Admirals Friday night at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 4,835 fans. The WorSharks have a chance to erase that game from their memories quickly as they take on the Admirals again tonight.

For folks interested in the particulars they can read the WorSharks side of the story on their official website and the Norfolk Admirals version at norfolkadmirals.com and Jim Hodges’ take from the Virginian-Pilot.

GAME NOTES
There were two player moves made since last weekend, with Tommy Wingles and Thomas Greiss both being loaned to the WorSharks. Greiss, who had to pass through waivers to be sent to the AHL did not play. Along with Greiss the WorSharks scratches were Joe Loprieno, Tony Lucia, Cam MacIntyre, and Leigh Salters. Carter Hutton was the back-up goaltender.

One area that looks to need some improvement for the WorSharks is the power play. No, not scoring on one where they are at a 20% clip despite going scoreless in eight attempts Friday night, but preventing their opponent from scoring. In just three games Worcester has already given up two shorthanded goals, which is tied for the most against any AHL team. The WorSharks gave up 10 last season, which was in the middle of the pack in the AHL.

Just three games into the season no Worcester player is at a “plus” rating. Of the players that have played all three games just Justin Braun, Cory Quirk, and Nick Petrecki are even. Rookie defenseman Nick Schaus has the team’s lowest rating at minus-6.

Former San Jose draft pick Ty Wishart plays for the Admirals. Wishart, who was the Sharks first round pick in 2008, was traded along with Matt Carle and two draft picks in exchange for Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich on July 4, 2008. Wishart had a goal and was +3 in the contest. Former WorSharks forward Matt Fornataro also plays for the Admirals and had an assist.

The three stars of the game were
1. NOR – 30 Cedrick Desjardins (29 save shutout)
2. NOR – 16 James Wright (g,2a)
3. NOR – 24 Tim Marks (+2)

Worcester’s even strength forward lines were
Wingles/Ferriero/Cheechoo
Mashinter/Quirk/Trevelyan
Zalewski/Desjardins/DaSilva
Hunt/Henderson/Marcou

BOXSCORE
Worcester 0 0 0 – 0
Norfolk 2 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Wishart 2 (Berry, Pouliot), 2:16. 2, Norfolk, Roy 1 (Fornataro, Wright), 4:04 (SH). Penalties-Barberio Nor (holding), 2:38; Hunt Wor (slashing, fighting), 8:07; Berry Nor (fighting), 8:07; Petrecki Wor (roughing, roughing), 10:22; Durno Nor (roughing, roughing), 10:22; Desjardins Wor (roughing), 11:58; Jones Nor (interference), 12:51; Jackson Nor (hooking), 14:15.

2nd Period-3, Norfolk, Wright 1 (Berry, Mihalik), 18:24. Penalties-Petrecki Wor (cross-checking), 8:26; Durno Nor (interference), 10:34; Mihalik Nor (double minor – high-sticking), 11:21; Angelidis Nor (high-sticking), 14:56.

3rd Period-4, Norfolk, Szczechura 1 (Wright, Roy), 15:06. Penalties-Wishart Nor (tripping), 6:51; Zalewski Wor (roughing), 13:34; Mihalik Nor (slashing), 13:34.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 12-9-8-29. Norfolk 10-4-11-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 8; Norfolk 0 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Stalock 1-1-1 (25 shots-21 saves). Norfolk, Desjardins 1-0-0 (29 shots-29 saves).
A-4,835
Referee-Jean Hebert (43). Linesmen-Tom George (61), Scott Pomento (25).

WorSharks Use Special Teams To Beat Back Pack, 4-3

The Worcester Sharks sandwiched two Benn Ferriero first period power play goals around an even strength Jonathan Cheechoo tally to take an early lead against the Hartford Wolf Pack Sunday afternoon at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and then held on for dear life before surviving a final Hartford onslaught to win 4-3 in front of a crown announced at 2,912.

Unlike Saturday night where the WorSharks continually shot themselves in the foot, Sunday afternoon’s first period saw a much better team effort and more disciplined play on Worcester’s part. By playing smarter hockey it put the WorSharks in a better position to take advantage of any mistakes Hartford might make.

And in the first period, the Wolf Pack made plenty of them.

Ferriero would make Hartford pay for their first mistake–a lazy hooking penalty at center ice by Jeremy Williams–by banging home the rebound of a Nick Schaus shot past Hartford goaltender Chad Johnson for a 1-0 lead at 3:27 of the first period. T.J. Trevelyan had the second assist on the goal.

Cheechoo would take advantage of rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh to grab Worcester’s only even strength goal in the game. McDonagh was unable to mark Cheechoo in front of the net as the veteran calmly deflected Justin Braun’s shot past Johnson from the top of the crease. Ferriero had the second assist on the goal at 11:27.

Worcester would convert on a five on three at 15:34 to make 3-0 after Ferriero was able to jab a loose puck past Johnson. Johnson had made two stops just before the goal, one on Cheechoo and the other on Ferriero, but couldn’t gather the puck in on either chance. Defenseman Sean Sullivan had the second helper on the play.

The WorSharks ended the period with as many goals as Hartford had shots, heading to the break outshooting the Pack 11-3. The bad news for the WorSharks was Hartford woke up during that first intermission and Worcester fell asleep with the shot totals swinging decidedly in Hartford’s favor over the last 20 minutes, 30-13. In the good news department for the WorSharks, netminder Alex Stalock was in mid-season form.

Hartford grabbed the only goal of the second period off a lucky bounce. Stalock had made a save on a blast by Kelsey Tessier, but the puck took a big bounce off the end boards and bounced right back into the crease. Evgeny Grachev was there to jam it home to get Hartford to 3-1. The Wolf pack would make a game of it by lighting the lamp early in the third, and this time it was Tessier jamming the puck home after Stalock had made a save on Dane Byers’ shot from the left circle at 2:54.

James Marcou would give Worcester its two goal lead back when he flipped Cheechoo’s centering pass over Johnson and just under the crossbar for Worcester third power play goal of the night at 6:47. Brandon Mashinter had the other assist on the play.

Tessier would grab a stat killer with just 4.6 seconds remaining when he banged a lose puck home through a scrum of players for the 4-3 final.
 
GAME NOTES
Head coach Roy Sommer went with the same line-up as Saturday night in Bridgeport with one exception, dressing Matt Irwin in place of Joe Loprieno.

For anyone that may not know, earlier this season the New York Rangers assigned Wade Redden and his 6.5 million dollar salary to Hartford. Redden still has NHL talent, but because the Rangers needed to clear cap space Redden was waived and sent to the AHL. Redden will need to clear recall waivers to go back to the NHL, so it looks like he may be in the Nutmeg State for some time to come.

There were two fights in the contest, with Sean Sullivan (6′ 190#) taking on Dale Weise (6’2″ 209#) and Nick Petrecki (6’4″ 220#) scrapping with Brodie Dupont (6’2″ 210#). The less said about the third period battles, the better.

Although Worcester plays Hartford seven more times this might be the last game against the Wolf Pack for the WorSharks. At some point during the season which hasn’t been announced yet the Hartford Wolf Pack will become the Connecticut Whale. The next meeting between the two franchises is December 1st, so it’s possible this could be the last game against the Wolf Pack.

Next weekend Worcester embarks on one of its longest road trips–at least mileage wise–of the season. Worcester will head off to Norfolk, Virginia for a pair against the Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In an interview a couple of seasons ago Mike Mudd, now the President for the Worcester Sharks, talked about how having such long trips early in the season was good for getting a team to gel. When asked about the trip a few days ago his opinion didn’t change. “Being able to get away for a weekend this early in the season is great for the guys”, Mudd said. “Even though most of these guys played together last season it’s never hurts to have an opportunity to get everyone on the same page.”

The three stars of the game were
1. WOR – 21 Benn Ferriero (2g,a)
2. WOR – 14 Jonathan Cheechoo (g,2a)
3. HFD – 90 Kelsey Tessier (2g,a)

Benn Ferriero was the AHL’s #1 star of the night.

The Sharkspage player of the game was Alex Stalock.

Even strength lines
Zalewski/Ferriero/Cheechoo
Mashinter/Quirk/Trevelyan
Hunt/Desjardins/DaSilva
Marcou/Henderson/Lucia

The defensive pairings rotated a lot to the point where it was nearly impossible to keep track.

BOXSCORE
Worcester 3 0 1 – 4
Hartford 0 1 2 – 3

1st Period-1, Worcester, Ferriero 1 (Schaus, Trevelyan), 3:27 (PP). 2, Worcester, Cheechoo 2 (Braun, Ferriero), 11:27. 3, Worcester, Ferriero 2 (Cheechoo, Sullivan), 15:34 (PP). Penalties-Williams Hfd (hooking), 2:25; Newbury Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 4:22; Mashinter Wor (roughing), 9:01; Dupont Hfd (slashing), 13:39; Newbury Hfd (high-sticking), 15:08.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Grachev 1 (Tessier, Byers), 16:29. Penalties-Baldwin Hfd (delay of game), 6:16; Schaus Wor (delay of game), 9:00; Williams Hfd (boarding), 9:23.

3rd Period-5, Hartford, Tessier 1 (Byers), 2:54. 6, Worcester, Marcou 1 (Cheechoo, Mashinter), 6:47 (PP). 7, Hartford, Tessier 2 (Redden, Newbury), 19:55. Penalties-McDonagh Hfd (holding), 5:24; Petrecki Wor (cross-checking), 14:57; Sullivan Wor (fighting), 15:52; Weise Hfd (fighting), 15:52; Petrecki Wor (fighting), 19:43; Dupont Hfd (fighting), 19:43.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 11-9-4-24. Hartford 3-11-19-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 3 / 7; Hartford 0 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Stalock 1-0-1 (33 shots-30 saves). Hartford, Johnson 1-1-0 (24 shots-20 saves).
A-2,912
Referee-Chris Brown (86). Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), David Spannaus (8).

Mistake-Prone WorSharks Drop Opener to Bridgeport, 5-4

The Worcester Sharks opened the defense of their 2010-2011 American Hockey League Atlantic Division crown Saturday night, and despite two goals from Brandon Mashinter and multiple point nights from T.J. Trevelyan and Jonathan Cheechoo couldn’t overcome several mental lapses in losing a 5-4 shootout decision to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut in front of a sellout crowd of 8,480.

Playing in front of such a loud, hostile crowd the last thing the WorSharks wanted to do was fall behind early, but that’s exactly what they did when center Steven Zalewski’s cross ice pass attempt was picked off by Bridgeport’s Micheal Haley just inside the Worcester zone. Haley skated down the slot unmolested and beat WorSharks goaltender Alex Stalock over the shoulder from between the circles for the unassisted tally at 2:57 of the first.

Worcester would get themselves even when they took advantage of a Sound Tiger’s miscue deep in their own zone With the puck behind the Bridgeport net defenseman Travis Hamonic picked up a loose puck from just behind the goal line and attempted a clearing feed, but the attempt hit Cheechoo in the skate and bounced into the net past a stunned Sound Tiger’s netminder Mikko Koskinen at 5:25. Newly named captain Jay Leach and Zalewski had the assists on the goal.

Bridgeport got the lead back at 8:18 when they converted on a shorthanded breakaway. With Anton Klementyev in the box for holding, defenseman Nick Petrecki skated up the left wing side only to have the puck poke checked away by Matt Martin. Rob Hisey picked up the loose puck at the red line and skated in on Stalock with four WorSharks giving chase. Stalock did get a piece of Hisey’s stick side blast, but the puck rolled into the net for the 2-1 lead.

One of the players the WorSharks will be leaning on heavily this season is Brandon Mashinter, and he showed why by grabbing the next two goals of the contest. The first was on the power play at 8:03 of the second stanza when he tipped defenseman Justin Braun’s blast past Koskinen. Cheechoo had the second assist on the goal for his pass from the RW circle back to the left point. Mashinter was standing at the top of the crease screening Koskinen from the Braun one timer and changed direction of the puck just enough to light the lamp.

The second came at 16:44, and was again off a shot by a Worcester defenseman. With the WorSharks breaking into the Bridgeport zone on a three on three, Nick Schaus trailed the play and headed for the net where Trevelyan hit him with a hard pass. Schaus bobbled the puck a little but was able to get a weak shot off through traffic that Koskinen made an easy right pad save on. Mashinter, standing in almost the exact same spot as his first goal, banged home the rebound to give Worcester the 3-2 lead.

One of the Cardinal sins of hockey is giving up a goal in the first or last minute of a period. Unfortunately for Worcester, they did both Saturday night. With 16 seconds left in the middle stanza Bridgeport broke into the Worcester zone three on two when David Ullstrom stepped around Zalewski to create the odd man rush. Ullstrom found Matt Martin with a pass, and Martin’s bad angle shot from the right of Stalock found the twine to knot the game at 3-3.

The Sound Tigers would take advantage of another Worcester error just 28 seconds into period number three. After a Bridgeport clear in on Stalock the netminder cleared the puck into the left corner where Leach took control. His lazy pass attempt behind his own net hit a Sound Tiger forechecker, where Tomas Marcinko pounced on the loose puck and found Robin Figren alone in the slot. Stalock never stood a chance as Bridgeport grabbed a 4-3 lead.

One of the best things last season was Worcester never gave up, and that appears to have carried over to this season as the WorSharks continued to pressure the Sound Tigers trying to get the equalizer. That hard work paid off when Trevelyan and Garet Hunt broke into the Bridgeport zone two on one against defenseman Hamonic. With a scrum of players in front of Koskinen the puck bounced to Cory Quirk at the goal line, who buried the biscuit to knot the game 4-4. Trevelyan was announced as the goal scorer, but that will be changed as the puck went into the net directly off Quirk’s stick. Hunt earned his first AHL point on the play.

After a scoreless overtime period the game went to the shootout that lasted seven rounds where Mashinter, Zalewski, and Dan DaSilva scored for Worcester. Bridgeport’s shootout scorers were Justin DiBenedetto, Figren, Hisey, and Tomas Marcinko to give the Sound Tigers the 5-4 final.

GAME NOTES
Worcester health scratches were rookies Matt Irwin and Leigh Salters. Cam MacIntyre (groin) is the only Worcester player on the injured list. Carter Hutton was the back-up netminder.

Jonathan Cheechoo, who is playing in Worcester under a PTO (professional try-out) contract, was easily the best player on the ice in a WorSharks uniform. In addition to his goal and assist he had a goal called back at 10:28 of the second period after the officials decided he had tipped the puck with a high stick. Referee Francis Charron originally called the goal good, but after conferring with linesman David Spannaus disallowed the goal. The video seems to show the original call of goal was the correct call.

Speaking of referees, the AHL will be using the two referee system in about 25% of its regular season games this season and for all the Calder Cup playoff games. Friday’s game used just a single referee, as will Sunday afternoon’s contest in Hartford. Unfortunately the AHL still does not use video replay in its games at all.

There was one fight in the contest, with Garet Hunt (5’8″ 190#) taking on Jean Bourbeau (6′ 200#) after Bourbeau threw a huge hit on Dan DaSilva at the Bridgeport bench. Hunt earned the instigator in the battle that was pretty even as both players landed several good shots.

Head coach Roy Sommer’s choice of defenseman Sean Sullivan in the 7th round of the shootout is in interesting one. The attempt was just his second in the AHL, and he is scoreless in both tries. One has to wonder with forwards like Tony Lucia, Cory Quirk, and Andrew Desjardins sitting on the bench why Sommer went with Sullivan.

The WorSharks have started each of their five seasons on the road, and have a 3-1-1 record in those games. Mashinter joins Cory Larose as the only Worcester players with multiple goal games on opening night. Had Cheechoo’s second tally counted he would have joined Larose as the only players with two goals in their first game with Worcester.

The three stars of the game were
1. BRI – 12 Tomas Marcinko (a, gw shootout goal)
2. WOR – 53 Brandon Mashinter (2g)
3. BRI – 17 Matt Martin (g,a)

The Sharkspage player of the game was Jonathan Cheechoo

Even strength lines
Zalewski/Ferriero/Cheechoo
Mashinter/Quirk/Trevelyan
Hunt/Desjardins/DaSilva
Marcou/Henderson/Lucia

The defensive pairings rotated a lot, but to start the game it was
Schaus/Leach
Braun/Sullivan
Loprieno/Petrecki

BOXSCORE
Worcester 1 2 1 0 – 4
Bridgeport 2 1 1 0 – 5

1st Period-1, Bridgeport, Haley 1   2:57. 2, Worcester, Cheechoo 1 (Leach, Zalewski), 5:25. 3, Bridgeport, Hisey 1 (Martin), 8:18 (SH). Penalties-Klementyev Bri (holding), 6:44; Hunt Wor (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 9:08; Bourbeau Bri (fighting), 9:08.

2nd Period-4, Worcester, Mashinter 1 (Cheechoo, Braun), 8:03 (PP). 5, Worcester, Mashinter 2 (Schaus, Trevelyan), 16:44. 6, Bridgeport, Martin 1 (Ullstrom), 19:44. Penalties-Ferriero Wor (hooking), 2:00; Klementyev Bri (interference), 7:47; Yablonski Bri (interference), 10:23; Hamonic Bri (hooking), 12:20.

3rd Period-7, Bridgeport, Figren 1 (Marcinko), 0:28. 8, Worcester, Trevelyan 1 (Quirk, Hunt), 8:46. Penalties-Hamonic Bri (high-sticking), 5:00.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Worcester 3 (Cheechoo NG, Ferriero NG, Mashinter G, Trevelyan NG, DaSilva G, Zalewski G, Sullivan NG), Bridgeport 4 (DiBenedetto NG, Rakhshani NG, Figren G, Hisey G, Martin NG, Romano G, Marcinko G).

Shots on Goal-Worcester 7-11-11-1-0-30. Bridgeport 12-9-9-4-1-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 5; Bridgeport 0 / 2.
Goalies-Worcester, Stalock 0-0-0 (34 shots-30 saves). Bridgeport, Koskinen 0-0-0 (30 shots-26 saves).
A-8,480
Referee-Francis Charron (46). Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), David Spannaus (8).

New-look Sharks lineup wins penalty filled 3-2 season opener over Columbus in Stockholm

A recap from the San Jose Sharks 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Compuware Premiere in Stockholm, Sweden will be posted soon.

Strikeforce San Jose Diaz vs. Noons II weigh-in photo gallery and results

STRIKEFORCE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE NICK DIAZ VS K.J. NOONS

WOMENS WELTERWEIGHT TITLE SARAH KAUFMAN VS. MARLOES COENEN

SAN JOSE'S JOSH THOMSON WILL FACE J.Z. CAVALCANTE

STRIKEFORCE RING GIRLS POSE FOR A PHOTO

Strikeforce held the official weigh-ins for tonight’s Diaz vs. Noons II event in the concourse of HP Pavilion Friday afternoon in San Jose. Doors for the event will open today at 4PM, the non-televised undercard will begin at 4:30PM. The main card will be televised tonight on Showtime at 10PM ET/PT.

The CAMO Bay Area Amateur MMA regional finals for the inaugural California State Amateur MMA Championships will be held prior to he pro-MMA undercard. 8 different regions in Northern California (Sacramento, Central Valley, Bay Area, Central Coast) and Southern California (Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Orange County, San Diego) seeded 8-man regional single elimination tournaments in 8 weight classes. Regional quarterfinals are followed by State semifinals and State finals. More information on the state tournament is available from this post or at the official CAMO website.

A photo gallery from the weigh-ins is available here.

Official results:

Strikeforce Diaz vs. Noons II
Saturday October 9th, 2010
Weigh-in results

SHOWTIME MAIN CARD:

Champ Nick Diaz 22-7-1, 1 NC (169.5) vs. K.J. Noons 9-1 (169)
Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante 15-3-1 (155.75) vs. Josh Thomson 17-3 (155.25)
Champ Sarah Kaufman 12-0 (134.25) vs. Marloes Coenen 17-4 (134)
Andre Galvao 5-1 (170.5) vs. Tyron Woodley 8-0 (170.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD:

David Marshall (169.5) vs. James Terry (170)
Ron Keslar (180) vs. Josh McDonald (179)
Jess Bouscal (154.25) vs. Luis Mendoza (155)

CAMO BAY AREA REGIONAL AMATEUR MMA FINALS:

Steve Dickey 4-1 (239) vs. Justin Willis 0-0 (265.5)
Justin Bronson 2-0 (219.5) vs. Robert Johnson 2-0 (226)
Jonathan Chaplain 1-1 (183.75) vs. 1-0 Ben Ernest (183)
Jared Hess 2-0 (169.5) vs. Eric Faria 3-0 (168.25)
Alan Francis Perez 1-1 (152) vs. Johnathan Del Rosario 1-0 (155)
David Blanco 1-0 (144.75) vs. Christian Buron 2-1 (142.75)

Joe Thornton named 11th captain in San Jose Sharks history, will bring continuity not change

CENTER #19 JOE THORNTON NAMED TEAM CAPTAIN ON THURSDAY

San Jose Sharks Team Captains:

2010-present, Joe Thornton
2009-10, Rob Blake
2004-09, Patrick Marleau
2003-04, Alyn McCauley (rotating)
2003-04, Vincent Damphousse (rotating)
2003-04, Mike Ricci (rotating)
1998-03, Owen Nolan
1996-98, Todd Gill
1995-96, Jeff Odgers
1993-95, Bob Errery
1991-93, Doug Wilson (current EVP/GM)

The San Jose Sharks named 31-year old center Joe Thornton the 11th captain in San Jose Sharks history on Thursday, the 8th full time captain after Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse, Alyn McCauley and Patrick Marleau held a rotating ‘C’ in 2003-04. After the retirement of former captain Rob Blake this summer, Thornton was selected one day before the start of the Sharks 2010-11 season at the NHL Compuware Premiere games in Stockholm, Sweden. It is Thornton’s second time as an NHL captain, after serving the same role with the Boston Bruins from 2002-05. Defenseman Dan Boyle was named as an alternate captain. Patrick Marleau and rugged left wing Ryane Clowe will split the second ‘A’ at home and on the road.

“It was very humbling,” Thornton told CSNCA of being named captain. “I like to think San Jose is one of the best organizations in the NHL. For them to think so highly of me it is a huge honor, and I welcome it.”

For two consecutive years Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have each started the NHL season with an uncharacteristically nasty edge to their game. Whether that is a response to acute postseason media criticism, or a renewed focus on their ultimate goal would have to be answered by them, but an early task for Thornton in his captaincy is to maintain that edge and focus.

“We see the captaincy as something as symbolic as it is functional; to put the ‘C’ on a player who has to silence critics every time he steps on postseason ice,” Yahoo Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski said of the Thornton captaincy. “No matter what the numbers say about his past performances, makes him an emblematic leader for a team that must do the same.”

After trying to ignite a struggling playoff team with an opening faceoff fight against Ryan Getzlaf in 2009, Thornton told Sharkspage that he learned what he needed to do in the playoffs. Reading between the lines, he needed to bring his intensity and talent to bear from the drop of the puck, and play each shift to the best of his ability for the Sharks to advance in the postseason. The first year after that statement, Thornton helped San Jose reach the Western Conference Finals for only the second time in 19 years.

As one Versus analyst said on Friday, the Sharks lost to the best team in the NHL. Injuries to goal scoring right wings Dany Heatley (leg) and Devin Setoguchi (hernia) forced the Sharks to jumble lines in search of offense against Chicago, but in reality it would fall on Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Marleau was able to score 5 of the Sharks 7 total goals against Chicago, but Thornton was held to only 1 assist. The Blackhawks depth and speed edged San Jose in four straight games.

In San Jose the weighty perennial playoff expectations can wear on both team and player. As captain, Thornton could step in front of the media more frequently to manage and diffuse the conversation, but this is a veteran, talent-laden team with a half dozen leaders in the locker room. “We are used (to the expectations)” Thornton told Sharkspage on the first day of training camp. “We have been facing them for five years now. We are used to it. We have such a good group of guys in here, we rely on each other every day and push each other every day to get better.”

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan repeated the thought of leadership by example when discussing the new captain. “The verbal leadership gets way overrated. We don’t need cheerleaders on our team by any means. We need people that step up and speak their mind and back it up on the ice,” McLellan said. He also noted that the role would not change the type of person Thornton is, or would be expected to be. “He’s still got a demeanor about him that he is a fun guy to be around and he enjoys playing the game. He’s passionate about it and we’re not trying to change that. We want him to bring that to the rink every day, but we also want him to lead the group in the right direction.”

It is a much different situation than his time in Boston, where a large contingent of media and fans wanted him to be the next Cam Neely. After getting married and having his first child this summer, there is a new level of responsibility and maturity, but Thornton said he will still bring the same positive presence to the rink night in and night out. “I have to be the same kind of guy, I think that is why they chose me is the qualities that I have. If I would change, it would hurt the team.”

Playing in the final year of a 3-year, $21.6 million contract extension could add national media scrutiny as the season progresses, but the on and off-ice situations for Thornton in San Jose are almost a perfect fit. He could very easily follow the path of Patrick Marleau’s contract year last season and say that he wants to make his decision in the summer. In San Jose, it would quickly become a non-issue and the focus would return to his play on the ice. According to the Mercury News and ESPN, Thornton has already had preliminary talks about signing a contract extension. “He just loves it there,” his brother and agent John Thornton told Mark Emmons. “I could see him spending the rest of his life in San Jose.”

On the NHL Compuware Premiere pre-game show on Versus, Thornton also discussed the new-look San Jose lines that will see him paired with 22-year old left wing Jamie McGinn and 23-year old right wing Devin Setoguchi.”With Logan (Couture), (Joe) Pavelski and myself all centering three lines, I think we are a very deep team,” Thornton told the Versus. “We have 9 great forwards plus a great fourth line. It balances out the scoring a little bit, and doesn’t allow another team to put a checking line on just one line. It makes us a very deep team.”

Thornton has the ability to transform young, talented forwards into premier goal scorers. His first order of duty as captain will be to persuade McGinn and Setoguchi to become more greedy taking shots, and help get the Shark train rolling for 2010-11.

Diaz-Noons II, Welterweight champ Sarah Kaufman, Josh Thomson vs. J.Z. Cavalcante look to join a spirited 2010 for MMA in Northern California

NICK DIAZ, K.J. NOONS MEET SATURDAY FOR STRIKEFORCE WW TITLE

2010 will be a year for the record books with regards to mixed martial arts in Northern California. Fabrico Werdum’s stunning 69 second submission of Fedor Emelianenko at HP Pavilion in June not only realigned the heavyweight divisions of Strikeforce and the UFC, but it also upset the nearly 10 year reign of dominance for “The Last Emporer” atop the sport. Less than 2 months later the UFC made their first forray into the bay area with UFC 117 live from Oakland.

After running an unprecedented level of smack across a wide media spectrum for months, Chael Sonnen dominated Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva for 4 and a half rounds before falling into a desperation triangle armbar at the end of the 5th. Sonnen has been unconscionably silent after it was announced that he failed a post-fight drug test in September. San Jose based Jon Fitch, and future heavyweight title contender Junior dos Santos rounded out one of the deepest UFC cards of the year.

Strikeforce returns to HP Pavilion in San Jose with an underrated Diaz-Noons II card on Saturday night, a slate more than capable of delivering its share of fireworks or causing any number of unforeseen problems. When Nick Diaz is involved, anything can happen. After putting together one of the fights of the year in 2007 with a rare gogoplata submission over Pride FC Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi in a non-title fight, a positive drug test for marijuana rendered Diaz’s win a no-decision by the NSAC. With Jake Shields absent due to injury, Diaz had to be removed from the wildly popular Cung Le-Frank Shamrock Battle of San Jose in 2008 after another positive test for marijuana. That positive test caught the California State Athletic Commission off guard among shifting California legislation, and subsequently resulted in a much clearer and more finite set of testing policies. In March of 2010 after Jake Shields defeated Dan Henderson in his final Strikeforce Middleweight title defense, Jason “Mayhem” Miller began trash talking over Shields’ post-fight comments inside the cage. Nick Diaz, his brother Nate Diaz, and Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez threw punches at Miller on the CBS televised event resulting in waves of MMA criticism from the mainstream media.

The most intriguing aspect of Saturday night’s Strikeforce main event may be K.J. Noons and Nick Diaz’s prior meeting in 2007 for the then vacant Elite XC Lightweight Championship. Diaz-Noons I was a highly anticipated affair at 160 pounds between the Cesar Gracie BJJ black belt and the heavy hitting boxer/kickboxer. Noons stuffed or evaded 7 takedown attempts, and dropped the Stockton native with a stiff counter right hand. Diaz was bloodied with a pair of cuts that forced a TKO stoppage after the first round, and eventually forced surgery to remove scar tissue and grind down the sharp bones that caused repeated cuts. Diaz pushed a cameraman and stormed out of the ring after the stoppage. Following a K.J. Noons win over Yves Edwards 6 months later, Diaz entered the cage with his fight team to challenge him to a rematch and caused a minor scuffle.

Since that meeting nearly 3 years ago, Nick Diaz has registered 7 straight wins fighting with Dream, Elite XC and Strikeforce. After winning the Strikeforce Welterweight title with a dominant first round TKO over Lithuanian high kick specialist Marius Zaromskis, Diaz will make his first title defense against Noons. The Hawaiin born, San Diego native Noons took a near 2-year break from MMA to re-ignite his professional boxing career. From 2006 to 2009 he earned 7 wins, 2 by knockout, and 2 losses. In his second MMA fight for Strikeforce in August, Noons bloodied and battered former ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ competitor Jorge Gurgel. Inexplicably Gurgel tried to stand and bang with Noons, and he nearly became a blood spot on the canvas as a result. K.J. was not without controversy of his own, landing a heavy punch that wobbled Gurgel after the first round bell. He contested the punch was thrown before it rang. Gurgel did not recover completely for the second round, and Noons landed an illegal knee to a downed opponent during a flurry to end the fight.

Predictions for Diaz-Noons II could legitimately fall anywhere across the map. “I have respect for Nick Diaz as a fighter, he is the best in the world at 170 pounds,” K.J. Noons said during a recent media conference call. “But as a person I have different views, which will make it an interesting fight.” When asked whether that personal dislike may change the way he approaches the fight, Noons had a straightforward answer. “I might just throw everything out the window and try to take this guys head off, and he might do the same.”

In a fight week interview after a training session, Nick Diaz offered his thoughts on the fight. “I just want a fight for real.” Diaz said. “If I am going to lose, I am ready to take an ass whooping for real.” He also commented on the first matchup with Elite XC. “I wasn’t excited for that fight, that is why I kept running in on him… I was angry and careless… I was used to fighting really good opponents, and I had no idea who that guy was.” Diaz also touched on a possible matchup with post-brawl opponent Jason “Mayhem” Miller. “I don’t know why people want him to fight me, he keeps losing.”

Main card notes:

Showtime Sports produced a three-part documentary in the leadup to the event titled ‘The Path to Diaz vs. Noons II’. The first two episodes are live on sho.com, episode one is available here, episode two is available here. The co-main event on Saturday night will feature Women’s Welterweight champion Sarah Kaufman vs. a member of the Dutch Golden Glory camp Marloes Coenen. Kaufman won the inaugural Strikeforce WWW title against a game Takayo Hashi on a ShoMMA challenger card at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose. She later earned a highlight reel win with a rare power slam against Roxanne Modafferi in July. After repeatedly criticizing Strikeforce for not putting her on main Showtime/CBS cards, she makes her non-ShoMMA debut Saturday.

Also on the main card former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Josh Thomson (17-3-0) will be looking to climb back into title contention with a very difficult match against K-1 and Dream veteran Gesias “J.Z.” Cavalcante (15-3-1). After dropping another fight of the year candidate decision loss to Gilbert Melendez in December, 2009, the San Jose native Thomson will face the former top-10 ranked American Top Team veteran Cavalcante. Josh Thomson put on a striking clinic to defeate Melendez for the Strikeforce Lightweight title in 2008, against Cavalcante keeping his distance will be key. “I think we are just completely different fighters,” Thomson told Fight News. “He is shorter, he is stockier, he is probably going to be stronger than me.” If Josh Thomson can earn a solid win, a match against Japanese standout Shinya Aoki could be a solid #1 contender match for Strikeforce if they can work out details with Japanese MMA promotion Dream. According to The Fight News video preview at the top of this post, there is a rumor Strikeforce Lightweight title holder Gilbert Melendez could be up for a re-match with Aoki in Japan.

Rounding out the main card, Strikeforce prospect and former University of Missouri wrestler Tyron Woodley (8-0) will meet the highly decorated Brazilian grappler Andre Galvao (5-1). Galvao’s only defeat came in Dream 10’s Welterweight Grand Prix tournament final against Jason High. A former World Jiu-Jitsu Champion and multiple ADCC submission grappling medalist, Galvao could be fast tracked for Strikeforce’s Welterweight division with a win. Woodley is looking to make an impression for his first main event, main card Strikeforce appearance. “Every fight is your most important fight, a loss takes you down a whole different path,” Woodley recently told the Sherdog Radio Network. “If your goal is to be a champion, you want to take the easiest, straightest, most direct path straight to it. If you take a loss, you may have to take a few side streets to get back to that road.” When asked what fans should look for from him on Saturday, Woodley was clear he did not just want to win. “If you win, but you don’t win in a dominant fashion, that might not put you up there. For me (what I want) is winning, and winning in a dominant fashion.”

[Update] Primer: Strikeforce ‘Diaz vs. Noons II’ – Sherdog.com.

[Update2] K.J. Noons Says Skill Will Make the Difference Against ‘Delusional’ Nick Diaz – MMAfighting.com.

[Update3] Gesias Cavalcante might be the best unknown fighter in America, Calvancante is Strikeforce’s hidden gem – Dave Meltzer for Yahoo Sports.

Goaltender Tyson Sexsmith at Stockton Thunder training camp looking to re-establish #1 role

GOALTENDER #31 TYSON SEXSMITH - FILE PHOTO

Heading into the Worcester Sharks season last year, highly touted 2007 third round draft pick Tyson Sexsmith was at the top of a very young goalie depth chart on the youngest team in the AHL. After leading the Vancouver Giants to a Memorial Cup in 2007, he followed with a 43-11-8 record and a WHL-best 1.89GAA in 2008, and a 39-9-4 record in 2009 with 10 fewer starts. Expectations were high for Sexsmith, but an injury and a record setting season by fellow rookie Alex Stalock limited him to only 13 games played in Worcester (4-6-1, 3.94GAA).

On Monday the San Jose Sharks assigned Tyson Sexsmith to their ECHL co-affiliate in Stockton. “They just told me they want me to play a lot of games. Get in the net and do what you have done before to be successful,” Sexsmith said after the second day of training camp. “They have a guy in Worcester they like, and who has done well for them. He has got to earn that job, and I have got to come in and earn a job here.”

An assignment from the AHL to the ECHL could be seen as a setback for a goaltender who was at one time considered a possible first round pick for the NHL entry draft. “It’s part of the business. San Jose has eight goalies signed, and they have to have places to place them,” Sexsmith told reporters. “From my standpoint, I’d rather play games than sit on the bench all year.” When the Thunder announced co-affiliation agreements with San Jose and Edmonton in August, head coach Matt Thomas noted that each NHL organization might assign one prospect goaltender to Stockton. Vancouver native Jason Lindner and former San Jose State goaltender Matt Pamidi are free agent goalies currently on the training camp roster.

At only 21 years of age, Sexsmith can realistically expect to see the bulk of starts with Stockton this season, something that would not be the case in Worcester. He will benefit from the proximity to the San Jose Sharks coaching staff over the course of a full season. The Alberta native will also be playing in front of a fan base that won 4 straight ECHL attendance titles, a good percentage of which are already Sharks fans.

In his first pre-season start on the road against the Alaska Aces, Sexsmith stopped 31 of 32 shots against en route to a 3-1 win on Tuesday. Jason Lindner stepped in and stopped 35 of 36 shots to help the Thunder to a 2-1 win on Wednesday night. Stockton opens the regular season at home October 15th against the third year southern California franchise the Ontario Reign.

DOH Podcast #118: Season Preview, Andreas Lilja, goaltending trio

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Mike Peattie and Doug Santana preview the 2010-11 San Jose Sharks season, discuss the release of veteran defenseman Andreas Lilja, the goaltending triumvirate of Antti Niemi, Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss, and breakdown the Sharks defense on the 118th episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.

Hockey Notes – October 5th

SAN JOSE SHARKS RELEASE DEFENSIVE TRYOUT #6 ANDREAS LILJA

– The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday that veteran defensive tryout Andreas Lilja was released from the team despite making the season opening trip to Germany and Sweden. At the start of training camp, Lilja told Sharkspage he was going to play his game and try to make the team as a solid defensive defenseman. “I am just going to do what I do,” Lilja said. With Niclas Wallin and Kent Huskins expected to form an experienced third defensive pairing, Sharks head coach Todd McLellan opted to tab rookie defenseman Mike Moore instead of Lilja for the depth 7th role.

“Andreas had a very competitive camp and played well for us but we also have several young defenseman who played well,” Todd McLellan told SJsharks.com. “They have put in their time in the organization and we feel that they have earned and deserve an opportunity to compete for a spot on this team.”

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound nine year NHL veteran registered 1 goal and 1 assist in 4 preseason games played with the Sharks. The move trimmed the San Jose roster to 24 players, one more than the 23-man NHL roster maximum required for the start of the season. San Jose is allowed one extra player for opening the season in Sweden. 13-year NHL veteran Mathieu Dandenault and 9-year NHL veteran Dan Hinote joined the 2009-10 Sharks training camp on tryout contracts, but neither made the team’s opening night roster.

– Andreas Lilja’s gamble does not pay off – The Sporting News.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Lilja turned down a one-year, $1 million summer offer from the Red Wings, for whom he had played the last five years — including their Stanley Cup-winning season of 2008. On Tuesday he was told he will not be offered a contract by the Sharks…

Lilja’s spot on Detroit’s defense has been filled by Ruslan Salei, and now the 35-year-old Swede faces the awkward deadline of finding a job by Oct. 10 or having to leave the country. His children reportedly already are attending a Detroit area school.

– Via Comcast Sportsnet reporter Brodie Brazil’s twitter feed @brodiebrazilCSN, a photo of the Sharks taking the ice at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden this morning. Photo is available here.

– The San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate in Worcester maede 6 roster cuts this weekend to get down to 25 players. Forwards Chris D’Alvise, Matt Jones, Chris Lawrence, defensemen Cameron Brodie, Ryan Constant and goaltender Kevin Reiter were all released on Saturday. Goaltender Tyson Sexsmith was also assigned to the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder on Tuesday. With Alex Stalock and UMass Lowell’s Carter Hutton remaining on the AHL roster, and Antti Niemi, Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss on the NHL roster, one of the NHL or AHL teams could carry 3 goaltenders at times this season.

The W-Sharks begin the 2010-11 AHL season October 9th against Bridgeport. Highlights from Worcester’s recent game against Hartford are available here.

– ESPN 2010-11 NHL predictions: The NHL experts on ESPN make their predictions for the upcoming season. San Jose and Los Angeles sweep the Pacific Division predictions with 3 each, but only Pierre LeBrun predicts the Sharks will take home the Western Conference and the Stanley Cup. In a video segment on ESPN, E.J. Hradek and Barry Melrose make their predictions. Melrose takes Washington and Vancouver, Hradek went off the board to select Chicago and Pittsburgh. In the Pacific Division preview with Hradek and Matthew Barnaby the Kings get a measure of respect while the Sharks get a decidedly mixed review. The Sharks start the ESPN NHL power rankings ranked 8th.

– Interesting look at the NHL’s new marketing campaign focusing more on individual players than hockey from the Globe and Mail: No hockey in NHL ad campaign. The television, radio and internet campaign features five spots centered around Sidney Crosby, Mike Cammalleri, Ryan Miller, Jonathan Toews, and Alexander Ovechkin. The athletes are featured in gritty offseason training environments, overlayed with background questions of their team’s upcoming performance. Each finishes with the title, “Questions will become answers.” 30 spots in all were produced by the NHL, one for each market.

– The CBC’s Elliotte Friedman on the Toronto Maple Leafs defense, twitter, and his 30 thoughts tour of the NHL:

24. Courtesy Pierre LeBrun: Joe Thornton said he really likes having a right-handed shot to set up (which helps explains Jonathan Cheechoo’s 56 goals). Didn’t have one last year, as both Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau shoot left. Devin Setoguchi – who scored 31 with Thornton in 2008-09 – won’t get a better chance to erase last season’s disappointment.

Marleau-Thornton-Heatley started 2009-10 on seperate lines, but the gold medal line was brought together early and seldom looked back. Pairing Thornton with Setoguchi and Clowe could kickstart the two second line wingers, but MTH will still be a power play force and could be reunited given any extended turbulence. It should be noted that 6-foot-2, 225-pound left wing Ryane Clowe, who started last season with 1 goal in his first 19 games, has been dominant with puck and body position down the wing in training camp. 23-year old right wing Devin Setoguchi signed a 1-year, $1.8 million contract this offseason. Setoguchi has the speed and offensive instincts to be an impact offensive player. Another year of experience, and another year on the wing of Joe Thornton, could help him put it all together.

– Dany Heatley finished off the Sharks preseason as the goal scoring leader with 4 goals and 2 assists in 4 games played. Center Joe Pavelski lead the team in assists with 5 in 4 games played.

– Which U.S. network will broadcast the NHL in its next TV deal? – Greg Wyshynski for Yahoo’s Puck Daddy.

Currently, NHL teams receive around $2.5 million per season in TV revenue from the NHL’s national deals. There have been estimates that the total will increase to just under $4 million per team per season if the rights fees increase by 50 percent.

The post was based on an in-depth look at the NHL’s national television broadcast situation by the Sports Business Journal’s Tripp Mickle and John Ourand. The big question marks remain the outcome of the Comcast-NBC merger and what ESPN’s financial commitment to the league would be. Comcast-owned Versus is the leading candidate to retain NHL cable broadcast rights.

Early signs suggest that a bidding war is developing. The league is expected to enter an exclusive negotiating period with Versus later this year, and Versus has made no secret of its desire to renew with the NHL, which consistently brings the highest ratings to the Comcast-owned sports channel. NBC also has said that it would like to keep its rights package.

But others are lurking. ESPN said it wants to be involved. And sources said Fox Sports is considering whether to bid on a package.

If NHL broadcast rights fees were increased to nearly $4 million, it could push the Sharks over the top for their first profitable season. Two years ago the Sharks hockey operations lost $5 million, but profits from other businesses cut that loss to $2 million according to Forbes. Outgoing President/CEO Greg Jamison told Mercury News beat writer David Pollak that the team still finished in the red for 2009-10, but with 8 home playoff dates that number could have been much lower.

– Former East Bay Sharks beat writer Roger Phillips wrote several pre-season San Jose Sharks previews for NHL.com: Sharks’ popularity taking off in Northern California, Boyle would fit in well as Sharks’ captain, and Pavelski small in stature but full of heart.

Phillips may be the source of the San Jose “goaltending factory” nickname a number of years back. It was an East Bay journalist during the era of Nabokov, Kiprusoff, Toskala and Hedberg who wrote that San Jose was a factory churning out quality goaltenders. This blog shortened it to “goaltending factory”. Asked Phillips during training camp if he remembered the quote, but he did not.

NHL.com’s sr. editorial director Phil Coffey also previewed the team here.

– Wise guys: Sports’ smartest athletes – SportingNews.com. Anaheim Ducks enforcer George Parros finished 4th, San Jose Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray finished 16th.

– Of the six NHL teams beginning the season in Europe, the Sharks are the only team with a full compliment of television/radio play-by-play hosts and analysts according to the Boston.com. The Sharks season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets from Stockholm, Sweden will air Friday on Versus at 12 noon. The Sharks second game against Columbus on Saturday will be shot live in Stockholm, but will be produced at the Comcast studios in San Francisco. That game will also air at 12 noon on Comcast Sportsnet California.

– According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, former San Jose Sharks defenseman/captain Rob Blake may be targeted to join the NHL head office. He was scheduled to meet with the league last week. The NHL already brought in former player Brendan Shanahan as VP of hockey and business affairs. During his retirement ceremony this summer in San Jose, Blake talked about wanting to surf and coach youth hockey during his down time.

– 30 TEAMS IN 30 DAYS: SAN JOSE SHARKS – TSN.com’s San Jose Sharks 2010-11 season preview by Jamie Bell.

– New media is great, blogs are great, and this may very well be the first sports blog online, but before blogs there was LCS Hockey. Their 1998 Tribute to Sweden is still worth a visit. Of particular note is the helpful LCS guide to common Swedish phrases.

[Update] Andreas Lilja made the journey, but found out today he didn’t make the team – David Pollak’s Working the Corners blog.

[Update2] Evgeni Nabokov still making transition to European hockey – NHL.com.

The move hasn’t paid immediate dividends. Nabokov and SKA haven’t gotten off to a strong start. The team has won three straight (Monday’s game against Carolina doesn’t count), but that was after defensive lapses led them to a 3-3-2 start. Nabokov, who admits he’s still adjusting on and off the ice, has won only three of his seven starts, with an .897 save percentage and 2.83 goals-against average.

Nabokov and SKA St. Petersburg were successful in an exhibition against the Carolina Hurricanes. Highlights from the 5-3 exhibition win are available via NHL.com here.

[Update3] Blood lust in Stockholm, Swedish fans eager for fights in Jackets-Sharks games – Tom Reed for the Columbus Post-Dispatch.

“You think of Sweden and you think of skill,” Boll said. “And I figured that’s all they liked to see.” Turns out Stockholm is spoiling for a good fight this weekend.

It’s why Boll, a player with 13 career goals and 555 penalty minutes, has become one of the most sought-after interviews in the Jackets’ dressing room. Fighting is banned in Swedish hockey leagues, but some fans are hoping to see gloves shed and fists pumping in the two NHL games between the Jackets and San Jose Sharks, on Friday and Saturday.

The dream matchup: Boll vs. Douglas Murray, a Swedish-born defenseman for the Sharks. Murray possesses a decent punch and a world-class nickname, Crankshaft.

Not sure what the word for gauntlet is in Swedish (gatlopp?), but it may have just been thrown down by Jared Boll.

The Hockey News/XM Home Ice 204 Podcast: Western Conference preview

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Last Friday on The Hockey News Radio Show with Adam Proteau and Jim ‘Boomer’ Gordon on XM Satellite Radio Home Ice Channel 204: Adam and Jim are in Toronto for THN Radio and their focus is a preview of the Western Conference. In the opening block, the guys look at the Central Division and the Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks; in the second segment, the attention turns to the Northwest Division and the deep Vancouver Canucks; and in the last block, it’s the Pacific Division and the regular-season powerhouse San Jose Sharks.

This podcast is posted here with permission. Visit thehockeynews.com and XM Radio NHL Home Ice 204 for more NHL coverage, or download the podcast MP3 file directly here.

Sharks come from behind, down Adler Mannheim 3-2 in Germany for final pre-season exhibition

SAN JOSE SHARKS DOWN ADLER MANNHAEIM 3-2 AFTER SHOOTOUT IN GERMANY

After rookie games, split squad games, and pre-season contests laden with prospects, the San Jose Sharks iced the bulk of their NHL roster for an exhibition contest with the Deutscher Eishockey Liga’s (DEL) Mannheim Eagles Saturday night in Germany, and they were pushed to the brink en route to a 3-2 shootout win.

Adler Mannheim right wing Manuel Klinge scored 4:01 into the first period, and the 1-0 lead against the defending NHL Western Conference regular season champions held for nearly 60 minutes. The Sharks did not instantly adjust to the larger 200×100 European ice surface, and solid goaltending by Fred Braithwaite gave Adler (German for eagle) Mannheim confidence early. Despite playing on Friday and earning second place in the DEL with a shutout win, Adler frustrated the Sharks with speed and puck movement in the first period.

The game was not broadcast by traditional means on CSNCA or the NHL Network, but NHL.com offered a German telecast via an online stream and the Sharks added a complimentary radio broadcast on SJsharks.com. The Sharks broadcast nearly took a more serious turn when Joe Thornton was shaken up early in the second period. After running into Jamie McGinn in front of the Adler net, Thornton headed to the bench doubled over with the wind knocked out of him. He was back on the ice a few minutes later without missing a shift.

A sold out crowd of 13,600 fans at SAP Arena provided an enthusiastic backdrop to the game. With large flags waving, chants, and banging drums, it gave the exhibition the feel of an international soccer friendly rather than a hockey game. “That was the best part, they were cheering on both sides. But when it came down to it, they wanted their team to win,” San Jose Sharks right wing Devin Setoguchi said after the game.

“That is European hockey, that is great,” Joe Thornton said of the loud German fans. “I like to think that our fans in San Jose are great, but you come over to Germany, to Austria, to Switzerland and the fans are great, they are very enthusiastic waving their flags, it is fun to be a part of.”

Sharks third line center/wing Torrey Mitchell was one of the Sharks of note in the first two periods. Late in the second he took the puck at the blueline surrounded by Adler players. A hard fake around #77 left him alone on Braithwaite. Mitchell deked again but fanned on the shot as he took it to his forehand. Skating on a line with Wingels and Ryane Clowe, Mitchell turned in one of his best games of the preseason.

Young German goaltender Lukas Lang stepped in for Braithwaite midway through the second period and faced a furious Sharks assault on goal. One night after earning a shutout in DEL league play, he finished with 38 saves on 40 shots against San Jose.

Adler started the final period with another strong forecheck, but Sharks came at them in waves with their strongest sustained pressure of the game. Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi scored power play goals less than two minutes apart, Setoguchi’s coming on a 5-on-3, to give the Sharks a brief lead. Jame Pollock tied the game 2-2 with 3:11 left to send the NHL’s European exhibition debut into overtime. Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau connected to nearly end the game, but the referee called off Marleau’s OT goal on a delayed Adler penalty.

In 227 previous international games played by NHL teams during the modern era, the NHL was 1-1 in overtime shootouts (which only date back to 2009). San Jose put the NHL on the board again with shootout goals by Logan Couture, a slick backhand roof shot by Ryane Clowe, and the game winner by Dan Boyle. Video of the shootout round is available via sjsharks.com here.

“I am happy we got to play in that kind of game, it was important for us to play in it,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said after the game. “It had some seriousness to it, it had some intense moments. We had to shorten our bench, which you normally don’t have to do in exhibition season. We played 4-on-4 in overtime, we got to play in the shootout. There was a lot of good things we got to go through. With that being said, I don’t think we played our best early in the game.”

McLellan was also asked by Comcast’s Brodie Brazil whether his team is playing well heading into the regular season opening games in Stockholm, Sweden. “”Coaches, I don’t know if we ever feel really good about where we are at,” McLellan said. “There are some things we have to work on. It is evident. I don’t think we have had a night yet where all of our top end guys have played extremely well. A lot of the muckers and grinders have done their thing. We have got to get those top end guys going together.”

Game Notes: The game was played without the automatic icing utilized by the DEL, and without the goaltender trapezoid utilized by the NHL. Goaltender Antti Niemi played his second full preseason contest since signing with the Sharks this offseason. Niemi finished with 27 saves on 29 shots, and 3 saves on 4 overtime shootout attempts. Joe Pavelski and Jamal Mayers did not suit up for San Jose to nurse minor injuries, defenseman Andreas Lilja and German born Thomas Greiss were also healthy scratches. San Jose in-arena announcer Danny Miller also introduced the Sharks lineup at the SAP Arena. Lines for San Jose: McGinn-Thornton-Setoguchi, Marleau-Couture-Heatley, Clowe-Wingles-Mitchell, McCarthy-Nichol-McLaren with seven defenseman dressing.

[Update] Sharks-Adler game highlights from Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area.

WorSharks win in Springfield; make more camp cuts

After Friday night’s 2-1 exhibition win over the Springfield Falcons, details and videos of which can be found on both the Worcester Sharks and Falcons official sites, the WorSharks released six players from their training camp. Forwards Chris D’Alvise, Matt Jones, Chris Lawrence, defensemen Cameron Brodie, Ryan Constant and goaltender Kevin Reiter were all released. Several of those players will be heading to the Stockton Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, when their camp opens on Sunday.

A list of players still at the WorSharks training camp can be found here, and a list of players expected in Stockton can be found on the Thunder’s official site.

WorSharks trim camp roster; Ferriero assigned to Worcester

As the Worcester Sharks training camp continues the team has released eight players; forwards Chris Auger, Rob Bellamy, Mike Berry, Jordan Cyr,
Michael Dubuc, Derek Patrosso, and Andrew Smale, and defenseman Dominic D’Amour.

Along with the cuts a familiar face has been added to the roster as the San Jose Sharks have assigned Benn Ferriero to Worcester. Ferriero had 50 points in 58 games with the WorSharks last season to go with five points in 24 NHL games with San Jose.

Sharks finish preseason with 6-2 win over Vancouver Canucks, head to Europe today

#40 KENT HUSKINS CHALLENGES #42 BILL SWEATT IN 2ND

#30 ANTERO NIITTYMAKI STOPPED 19 OF 21 SHOTS FOR WIN

6-FOOT-5, 250-POUND LW #68 FRAZER MCLAREN LINES UP IN 3RD

A recap of the San Jose Sharks 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks to finish the preseason will be posted shortly. A photo gallery from the game is available here.

DOH Podcast #117: end of Sharks preseason, roster battles, goaltending

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Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss Wednesday’s 6-2 lamping of the Vancouver Canucks in the preseason finale, assess the Sharks defense and whether Andreas Lilja or Mike Moore will be best suited for the final slot on the blueine, and talk about new goaltenders Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki among other topics on the 117th episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team or download the MP3 file directly here.

Interview with Comcast Sportsnet Sharks reporter Brodie Brazil on goaltending, coach Todd McLellan and Europe trip

Comcast Sportsnet’s San Jose Sharks reporter Brodie Brazil answered a few questions in an interview with Sharkspage yesterday. Brodie discussed the addition of new goaltenders Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki, the status of the Sharks defense heading into the regular season, the behind the scenes coaching style of head coach Todd McLellan, the leadership core of the team for 2010-11, Comcast Sportsnet’s coverage plans for the season opening games in Sweden, and discussed how the Sharks will deal with the pressure from another year of playoff expectations among other topics.

Tune into Comcast Sportsnet California’s broadcast of the 2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Game featuring the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets live from Ericcsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden October 9th at 12PM (PT). Also follow Brodie Brazil at csncalifornia.com and via twitter @brodiebrazilCSN. Brodie was also interviewed yesterday on KNBR’s Damon Bruce show, direct link here.

[Q] Vancouver and San Jose are two teams thought of as contenders in the Western Conference, but Tuesday’s game was not a tight affair. How do you think the sharks are playing now heading into the regular season?

[BB] I know people are a little concerned. There is only one win now, and there has been a wait for the first power play goal. You have a strong team, when you saw the top two lines the other night against Phoenix, but I don’t think we have seen the roster at its fullest. I am not too worried.

[Q] With the addition of Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki, do you think there are going to be any major adjustments with the goaltending, or is it going to pick up where it left off last season?

[BB] I think there are a lot of variables that we just don’t know about yet. One being that Antti Niemi is relatively young in terms of an NHL career. Antero Niittymaki has never played on a team as good as the Sharks. What you are trusting here, you are trusting Doug Wilson’s judgement. The fact that he has seen something, the fact that the scouts have seen something in these two guys in terms of really wanting to acquire them and put them on the roster and trust them.

There are a lot of variables with goaltending they are trying to feel out right now.

[Q] How do you assess the Sharks defense heading into the regular season?

[BB] In the offseason everyone talked about an addition. There were the Willie Mitchell’s, Kevin Bieksa, there were other names, even back to Dan Hamhuis. The names have been thrown out there all offseason. Everybody thought the Sharks were going to get a crack at one of them. The right situation didn’t present itself. Money-wise, and personel-wise, it didn’t work. The Sharks did not have to go out and make a move. They think they are well enough for the regular season in terms of their defensive situation.

If they go through the course of the season, and they feel they need to make an acquisition, there is plenty of time to do that. The right time, and the right situation weren’t there.

[Q] They are getting a long look at prospects still left on the roster, of those left who do you think is favored to make the team?

[BB] I was surprised, I knew he was dealing with an injury, with Cam MacIntyre. He was a pretty good prospect with the possibility of starting the season on the San Jose Sharks roster. This morning his was assigned to Worcester. It just goes to show you, that no matter how much you buy into some of these young guys, the coaching staff ultimately is looking for something very, very specific.

It gets very hard to make a prediction of who will be there. Frazer McLaren started last season with the Sharks, then he went down to Worcester for a lot of the season. Even though we talk about who might be on the roster to begin with, it is going to change as the season progresses. A guy like Logan Couture as well. He was not on the opening day roster last year. Then he was there down the stretch and in the postseason.

[Q] This is going to be a team that leans pretty heavily on the top six forwards. How do you see the impact of that leadership on the ice with the departure of Rob Blake?

[BB] As much as Rob Blake will be missed, he was a great leader in the room. You talk to the players and they will talk about leadership by committee. There is not one person that is going to lead this team, there is a group of guys in that room. Not only those wearing a letter, a guy like Ryane Clowe who wore the ‘A’ infrequently on occasions when Rob Blake was out, he boosted everybody up. As much as Blake will be missed, there is a bigger picture, and a bigger system in place so much so that no matter who takes on the role as captain, things are not going to change at all in terms of leadership, accountability, responsibility, and things like that.

[Q] That kind of brings me to head coach Todd McLellan. The first year he preached net front presence, shots from the point, and puck management to play the puck out of the defensive zone. The second year he talked about reputation and responsibility, this summer he has repeatedly talked about growth.

In your recent report on Comcast, you talked about his coaching style and his temperature behind the scenes. How do you think McLellan is going to approach this season. Do you think he is the right coach for the personel, the right coach to get the Sharks over the hump in the playoffs?

[BB] I think Todd McLellan is, I have had the opportunity to get to know, interview, observe, a lot of the baseball managers, football coaches, and in this case the hockey coach. In terms of the way he leads this team, it never ceases to impress me. This is a guy that not only puts an immense amount of time and effort into his preperation, but he has such a polish about him personally. He seems to always deliver the right message.

At the start of the postseason last year he created the message that you need to overcome… He is a great leader for these guys. I don’t think there is a better fit for this team. He is such a versatile guy.

You mentioned what his goal is this year, you are absolutely right. It is growth, and it is taking a step forward. I think the biggest thing from the end of last year going into this year is that yes, they did accomplish a lot last year, but they need to move forward. The next step is the key this year. That is the biggest message he is going to give these guys, you need to take the next step if you want this all to be worth it.

[Q] I think one of the things I have noticed that wasn’t always the case with the previous coach, Todd McLellan does an excellent job of explaining situation and concepts, and breaking down the game for the media and fans. McLellan and Ken Hitchcock were two of the best coaches in that regard that I have heard, teaching coaches.

[BB] I seperate the personal from the professional, but I asked a lot of the players what McLellan is like behind the scenes. I asked them to tell me what he is like when we don’t see him. He is calm, cool and collected in front of the media. Thornton told me on occasion he will blow up, he will get that way when it is appropriate. This is a veteran team… they need a coach that is sensible and professional, and that is exactly the kind of coach Todd is.

[Q] I have to ask you about the road trip, the exhibition game in Germany and the season opening Compuware Premiere games against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm. This has to be one of the most exciting road trips to make with this team. What kind of plans do you have for Sweden and Germany, it is right in the middle of Oktoberfest isn’t it?

[BB] That is the first thing people ask me (about Oktoberfest), my intinerary is to latch on to the Sharks intinerary and follow that. Every day we are going to be doing a feature out there from Europe that you will be able to see on the web. There will also be a story on every night on Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area’s Sportsnet Central from Europe. That will be exciting.

On Chronicle Live, we are hoping to utilize skype, possibly a skype live shot so we can talk to Greg Papa. It will be sometime in the morning in Sweden. It is a 9 hour difference.

We are out there to cover the Sharks, to cover all the things the players are doing. The coverage on Sportsnet Central will mostly focus on what the Sharks are doing, what the players did that day, more human interest. In terms of the broadcast, we are also doing the second game of the season. Everything we shoot over there will be sent back to San Francisco. They will be able to slice in the graphics over there, it will be kind of a different production. Usually the road games are all produced at the site. Randy and Drew will be in Stockholm, but the game will be produced in SF. We are going to throw in some of that experience (of being in Europe) in that first broadcast.

[Q] Two years ago, Dan Boyle mentioned that he heard about the playoffs all year long. The second year it tailed off a little bit, and some of the national and mainstream media kind of wrote off the Sharks a little bit. This year it seems like there is still the weight of playoff expectations there. How do you think they are going to deal with that all year, or will it be an issue at all?

[BB] I think the expectations are different. Coming into last year at this time, it was how do we erase some disappointment from the postseason. Talking about the series with the Ducks. I think they were embarassed by what happened. How do we get past that? Now, they are in a different situation. How do we build on what we have, and take that to the next level. How do we win the Western Conference and get to the Stanley Cup Final. I think the pressure and the expectations are still relative, but they are very different. I don’t think it is going to weigh them down at all in the regular season. All they need to do is be successful in the regular season, as they have been for several years. The postseason is so segmented, it is a completely different season. The variables, and so much changes, the only thing the team can focus on now is being good in the regular season. The expectations are certainly still there.

Darryl Hunt: WorSharks Drop Preseason Opener 4-0

The Worcester Sharks–or maybe more correctly, a bunch of guys wearing Worcester Sharks jerseys–dropped their exhibition opener 4-0 to the Providence Bruins Wednesday night at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Massachusetts. Worcester continues its exhibition schedule Friday night in Springfield against the Falcons.

The WorSharks used a line-up that contained just two players that saw any time in Worcester last season, defensemen Joe Loprieno and Matt Irwin, and only one other player penciled on to this season’s roster, goaltender Carter Hutton. The rest of the team consisted of players from San Jose’s new ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder, and players from lower levels trying earn a spot on what appears to be on paper a tough roster to crack. When you take that sort of line-up into a game, along with just one day of practice, it’s probably going to be a long night if you’re just interested in the score.

And it was.

Providence would connect for two in the opening period, with Brandon Gentile beating WorSharks starting netminder Hutton five-hole at 7:16 on the power play and Yannick Riendeau firing a wrist shot over Hutton’s right shoulder and under the crossbar at 15:41. Both were shots Hutton probably should have saved.

Sandwiched between the P-Bruins tallys was a five minute power play for the WorSharks after Providence defenseman Todd Perry was given a major and a game misconduct for throwing a check to the head of Worcester forward Chris Auger. Andrew Smale jumped to Auger’s defense resulting in the first of three fights between the teams in the contest.

Despite that five minute man advantage and two additional power plays Worcester didn’t generate any good scoring chances in the period, and that trend continued into the second period as both teams clamped down defensively in the first half of the middle stanza.

Near the midpoint of the game Hutton gave way to Kevin Reiter. The goaltender, sporting a very cool looking Basingstoke Bisons mask, received a rude welcome to the AHL level when Antoine Roussel flipped the first shot Reiter saw over him and into the net for a 3-0 P-Bruins lead at 12:37.

After taking exception to an earlier slash against him, Joe Loprieno took out some frustration on Providence forward Jordan Smotherman by delivering an NHL-level cross check to the left winger in the corner to the right of Reiter. Smotherman and Loprieno then wrestled in the corner for the second fight of the contest.

The P-Bruins took away any chance of a miracle comeback, not that there really was one with Worcester showing an anemic offense and Providence netminder Matt Dalton looking in mid-season form, when Casey Haynes batted a loose puck out of the air and into the net for a 4-0 lead at 12:13 of the third.

Worcester’s best scoring chance came with just over six minutes remaining in the contest when Garet Hunt—no relation to this writer that I know of—wheeled the net and tried to stuff the bouncing puck just inside the far post. Dalton, who had gotten hung up in a little traffic in front of the net, was still able to get to the puck to keep the WorSharks off the board.

However, Hunt wasn’t done trying to create some highlights for Worcester. With just 10.2 seconds remaining in the contest Hunt, who is generously listed at 5’8” and 190 pounds, took on 6’2” 225 pound Jack Christian, Christian, who played for Harvard last season, probably wanted to have taken a closer look at the line-up card as the smaller Hunt has averaged over 230 penalty minutes his last two ECHL seasons in Stockton. The result was exactly as one would expect, and was posted on YouTube by SharksVision.

GAME NOTES
SharksVision also interviewed WorSharks head coach Roy Sommer and Hunt after the game.

With the glut of goaltenders in the San Jose organization one name has been conspicuously absent from  training camp rosters–Tyson Sexsmith. Sexsmith, the highly rated prospect who started last season in Worcester but never really got his legs under him at the AHL level, had season ending hernia surgery in March. Questions about Sexsmith to hockey operations in San Jose and Worcester have resulted in some fairly cryptic answers about what Sexsmith’s condition is and what their plans for the second year pro are, but Sharkspage has learned that Sexsmith will be starting the season in Stockton. Questions as to why he was not at San Jose’s or Worcester training camps have still gone unanswered.

The WorSharks went with just two assistant captains for the contest, with Joe Loprieno and ECHL veteran Ryan Constant wearing the letters. WorSharks beat writer Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette has a nice feature about the game that focuses on Constant. They also have a photo gallery of the contest you can see from the main sports page.

The even strength lines, in no particular order:
Michael Dubuc/Chris Lawrence/Rob Bellamy
Leigh Salters/Chris/D’Alvise/Derek Patrosso
Garet Hunt/Andrew Smale/Chris Auger

Ryan Constant/Jody Penderson
Cameron Brodie/Dominic D’Amour
Joe Loprieno/Matt Irwin

The Hockey News/XM Home Ice 204 Podcast: Eastern Conference preview, Nino Niederreiter

[audio:http://rstorage.filemobile.com/storage/3253197/31.mp3]

On this Sunday’s The Hockey News Radio Show with Adam Proteau and Scott Laughlin on XM Satellite Radio Home Ice Channel 204: Adam and Scott are back at Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant in Toronto – and this week, they break down the Eastern Conference team-by-team, as well as taking a sneak peek of the Western Conference preview Adam and Jim ‘Boomer’ Gordon will have for THN Radio on Sept. 30. The Hockey News Radio Show airs live every Friday at 3 p.m. EST on XM Satellite Radio Channel 204.

This podcast is posted here with permission. Visit thehockeynews.com and XM Radio NHL Home Ice 204 for more NHL coverage, or download the podcast MP3 file directly here.