SHARKSPAGE

Yahoo Puck Daddy’s Mount Puckmore features the four faces of the San Jose Sharks

THE REVERED SAN JOSE SHARKS MOUNT PUCKMORE - B.D. GALLOF

Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog published my San Jose Sharks version of the hockey Mount Puckmore featuring the four faces of the franchise. Thanks to Sean Leahy and Greg Wyshynski for keeping the hockey discussion going during the offseason. Below is the full unedited version. To offer your thoughts or selections, visit battleofcali.com or this archive post on fearthefin.com. Mount Puckmore image courtesy of B.D. Gallof from hockeyindependent.com.

Mount Puckmore: The four faces of the San Jose Sharks
by Jon Swenson

The San Jose Sharks will celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2010-11. From the inaugural two seasons played at the Cow Palace south of San Francisco, to a recent run that includes a Presidents’ Trophy, 4 Pacific Division Championships, and 6 straight playoff appearances at HP Pavilion in San Jose, the Sharks have created their share of memories and witnessed their share of memorable figures.

Nostalgia almost dictates a referential look back at the Cow Palace years. After being declined as a venue for the NHL’s first go around in Northern California with the Oakland Seals, the former California State Livestock Pavilion served as a temporary home from 1991-93 while the new San Jose Arena was under construction. The Sharks inaugural lineup included former Norris Trophy winning defenseman and current GM Doug Wilson as captain, first-ever 1st round draft pick Pat Falloon (2nd overall to an expansion Sharks team, a non-expansion Quebec Nordiques team unsuccessfully drafted Eric Lindros 1st), fan favorite Kelly Kisio, a cult figure in enforcer Link Gaetz (326 PIMs), starting goaltender Jeff Hackett, and rookie Arturs Irbe among others.

While the first season managed expectations as an expansion team, the second season at the Cow Palace was a test of wills for hockey fans. The Sharks were not just a struggling team, they were bad on a historic scale. In the 93 years since the league was founded in 1917, the 1992-93 San Jose Sharks establised the record for most losses in a season with 71 (84 games played), tied the 74-75 Washington Capitals with a 17-game losing streak, and finished with a -140 goals for/goals against ratio. “While the Sharks can’t find a way to stop the opposition, they are finding new and painful ways to make the record book,” Sports Illustrated’s Austin Murphy wrote in March 1993 after the Sharks gave up 13 straight goals to the Calgary Flames en route to a 13-1 loss. The players had pride and ground through the rest of the schedule. The fans? Many geared up at local pubs before the game resulting in an atmosphere that should make several appearances in Theo Fleury’s as yet unpublished memoirs.

The first two seasons played in San Jose from 1993-95 resulted in back-to-back playoff appearances, and back-to-back first round playoff upsets that literally shocked the NHL. The Sharks knocked off the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 1993-94 Stanley Cup Playoffs on a Jamie Baker goal in game 7. Fans watching the game at local bars spilled out into the streets like it was a Stanley Cup celebration, possibly unaware there were 3 more playoff rounds to play. One lockout shortened year later, the Sharks knocked off the Calgary Flames in the opening round. Russian greats Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov paired with Johan Garpenlov, Latvians Arturs Irbe and Sandis “Ozone” Ozolinsh, Ray Whitney, Ulf Dahlen, and a rookie 6-foot-5, 235-pound defenseman Mike Rathje helped the Sharks earn a measure of success in the South Bay that still resonates to this day. In the shadow of championship caliber teams in San Francisco (49ers-5) and Oakland (Raiders-4, Athletics-4, Warriors-1), from the start in San Jose fans had something they could point to in the South Bay.

Nostalgia aside, the 4 faces of the Sharks Mt. Puckmore are all players from the current or not-to-distant era.

SAN JOSE SHARKS FORWARD PATRICK MARLEAU - PHOTO JON SWENSON

Patrick Marleau:

When current San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson succeeded former GM Dean Lombardi in 2003, Wilson stressed the desire to ice a young, up-tempo, offensively minded team. Patrick Marleau is the player most responsible for delivering on that promise, and in the process he has become the face of the San Jose Sharks, and for several years running, the face of the Bay Area’s most successful sports franchise.

There are “five tool” players in baseball. 6-foot-2, 225-pound Patrick Marleau is the National Hockey League equivalent. A gifted playmaking center, Marleau moved to the wing alongside Joe Thornton and became an equally adept sniper/power forward. In a contract year, he finished with a career high 44 goals and the second highest point total of his career with 83. Marleau’s work on special teams has been equally impressive, helping the Sharks become the only NHL team to finish top-5 in power play and penalty kill percentage in each of the last two seasons. In that span Marleau has registered 23 power play goals and formed one of the most dangerous pk units in the league along with Joe Pavelski.

Patrick Marleau is the San Jose Sharks franchise leader in games played (953), goals (320), assists (373), points (693), power play goals (97), game winning goals (59), and shots (2194), yet he is often looked at through the sole prism of playoff success, or lack therof. Despite the fact that he leads the NHL with 12 game winning goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2001, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have born the brunt of criticism after failing to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals after 6 straight opportunities.

In that period, Marleau has been tested. His play against Detroit in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals was singled out for criticism by the media and head coach Ron Wilson. A year later in Game 3 of the WCQF, a less talented Calgary Flames squad tried to physically eliminate Marleau. Defenseman Dion Phaneuf targeted Marleau’s head with a hit against the glass, one that lead the NHL offseason instructional video sent to each team that summer to reduce the number of headshots. Later in the game Cory Sarich landed a blatant elbow to the head that opened up a cut near Marleau’s eye. Marleau’s response was to put his head down and finish out the series, he did not even miss a shift.

The quiet, reserved aspect to his personality sometimes works against the Aneroid, Saskatchewan native (population 45). When the Sharks changed the captaincy from Marleau to Rob Blake, Marleau was not vocal about the fact that it was not a demotion, or the fact that it would not diminish his desire to win in San Jose. Towards the end of his 2008-09 regular season, he suffered the first major knee injury of his career. The news went almost completely under the radar, to the point where one television reporter asked if it was really an injury, or if he just wanted to spend time with his newborn baby. Marleau laughed at the question, but the knee injury would dramatically impact the Sharks opening round playoff series against Anaheim. Skating at around 60%, looking like a late career Pavel Bure with slow wide turns, Marleau was not effective against the Ducks and his teammates allowed the so-cal rivals to set the tone and tenor of the series.

A year later, Marleau had success against the Detroit Red Wings in the WCSF, and against Chicago in the WCF, but the team as a whole did not raise their game high enough in critical situations. The playoff questions for Patrick Marleau and the Sharks will remain. After signing a 4-year contract extension along with Joe Pavelski in June, the fans in San Jose will have more bites at the playoff apple down the line. BBC Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson recently said Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve was spectacular on occasion, but Ayrton Senna was spectacular every time he stepped into a car. Marleau is spectacular in the playoffs on many occasions, but for the Sharks to reach the promised land they are going to need him to be spectacular every time he steps on the ice.

SAN JOSE SHARKS CENTER JOE THORNTON - PHOTO JON SWENSON

Joe Thornton:

As a Boston Bruins fan for 12+ years before the San Jose Sharks received a franchise, I can indentify with onslaught of Thornton opinions from fans on both coasts. The trade of Joe Thornton for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau on November 30th, 2005 may go down as the Wayne Gretzky trade North for its impact on hockey in California. After Thornton’s Art Ross Trophy and a Hart Memorial Trophy campaign in 2005-06, a trip to the local hockey rinks near San Jose would find young boys and girls trying to bank passes off of end boards, hockey nets, coaches, walls, pets, fans standing around the bleachers, bloggers.

“Be Like Joe” would have been a perfect advertising campaign in the model of Air Jordan’s, but around the hockey playing community in the Bay Area it would have rung true. Thornton’s infectious personality, humor, and penchant for doing interviews in as little clothing as possible has not only drawn casual and non-sports fans to Sharks games, it more than likely has kept several teammates playing in Teal.

One NHL front office member said that Joe Thornton is the type of player that you build an offense around. He has the ability to transform a Jonathan Cheechoo into a 56 goal Rocket Richard winner, turn a Patrick Marleau into a 44-goal sniper, help a second year Devin Setoguchi add 20 goals and 48 points to his rookie totals. Thornton does it all while being a genuinely fun player to be around. The playoff questions remain for Thornton as well, and given the seven and a half years he played in Boston, they are not going to go away quietly.

The criticism came to a head after a bitter first round playoff exit to Anaheim in 2009. After winning a Presidents’ Trophy and flirting with historical NHL win totals earlier in the year, the San Jose Sharks came out flat and let Anaheim dictate the pace of the series. The Ducks earned the first two wins on Sharks home ice. San Jose came from behind with a win in game 3, but a blowout loss by four goals put the team behind the 8-ball. Thornton unsuccessfully tried to start a fight with Ryan Getzlaf in game 5, but in game 6 both dropped the gloves for a memorable playoff tussle. Thornton made good use of the short Jody-Shelley jab to pummel his so-cal rival, but it would be the Ducks who would win the game and the series.

Asked by me after the season whether he knew what it took to win in the playoffs after that Anaheim series, Thorton emphatically responded that he did. The next year he helped lead the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals. In a contract year, Thornton could light the league on fire and then roast chipotle fish tacos on top of it. Expectations for #19 will always center around the playoffs, and 2010-11 will be another make or break season. There is not a team in the NHL that would not want to sign him as a UFA a year from now.

Owen Nolan:

There are few players in the NHL that can serve as a team’s leading enforcer and leading goal scorer at the same time. Owen Nolan nearly accomplished that feat for the San Jose Sharks in the 1999-2000 season. Acquired in a trade with Colorado for Sandis Ozolinch in 1995, Nolan finished with a career high 44 goals. He also added 110 PIMs. He may have finished behind Ron Stern (151 PIMs), but Nolan simply dismantled other players on the ice. Irish-born but Canada-raised, when Nolan’s anger was up he skated menacingly around the ice looking to rip players heads off. There was fear evident in opponents heading into the corners against Nolan, and for someone raised on Cam Neely, it was an example of what hockey is all about… hockey played at the highest levels by mean Canadians.

For a goal starved team under head coach Darryl Sutter, Nolan was the go-to scoring option but San Jose saw themselves passed by in the playoffs. Dallas, Colorado and St. Louis passed the Sharks by to the later rounds. Despite grueling, physical playoff battles, the frustration began to build until a rebuild mode was the only option. Nolan was traded at the 2003 deadline for Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a 1st round pick.

It was the end of an era for many Sharks fans.

Nolan authored several of the most memorable moments in Sharks hockey. His called shot goal against Domink Hasek in the 1997 Allstar Game in San Jose, his flying hit against Dallas Stars goaltender Billion dollar Ed Belfour in the 1998 Western Conference Quarterfinals, and his 100 foot slapshot goal against Roman Turek are but a few of his highlights. In February 2001, a flying elbow from Nolan on Grant Marshall drew an 11-game suspension and the ire of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

As an unrestricted free agent, one has to wonder if the expectations and circumstances for Owen Nolan and the San Jose Sharks could result in a Teal #11 finale. Owen Nolan is the type of player that could throw teammates through walls if they did not skate through it themselves. That might be just what the Sharks need.

FORMER SHARKS GOALIE EVGENI NABOKOV - PHOTO JON SWENSON

Evgeni Nabokov:

Arturs Irbe may be the first goaltender to appear on many best-of lists in San Jose, but for the last 10 years the Sharks have experienced an almost unparalleled (outside of New Jersey) stability in goal. Much of that stability came at the lightning quick glove hand of Evgeni Nabokov.

After a brief 11 game stint in 1999-2000, Nabokov earned the starting reigns after starter Steve Shields was injured early in the 2000-01 season. No one knew at the time that Nabokov would finish out the year with a Calder Trophy, and that he would battle for most of the next decade to retain the starting role in San Jose.

The playoff spotlight that shines down on Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, also has to light up Evgeni Nabokov. He helped carry underpowered and rebuilding Sharks teams to the playoffs early in his tenure, and during the peak 6-year Stanley Cup Playoff run he gave the Sharks an opportunity to win every series. The highlight of his Sharks career may have come during a quadruple overtime game 6 of the 2008 WCSF. Battling fellow veteran Marty Turco, Nabokov traded Turco highlight reel save for highlight reel save until late the next morning. The series deciding goal came on the power play, ending the playoff run for a 2007-08 Sharks team that mave have been the most talented in franchise history.

Nabokov signed a 4-year, $24M contract with Ska St. Petersburg a few days after the start of this summer’s free agent frenzy. After averaging 43.6 wins a year over the last three seasons, including backstopping the Sharks to their first Presidents’ Trophy and a runner-up finish for the Vezina Trophy, Nabokov leaves the Sharks as the franchise leader in games played (563), wins (293), saves (13463) and shutouts (50) faced more shots and played more minutes with a San Jose Sharks crest on his jersey (14757, 32492) than the next four goaltenders combined (Irbe, Shields, Vernon and Toskala).

Nabokov has set the standard for a goaltending corps in San Jose that has included himself, Miikka Kiprusoff, Vesa Toskala, Arturs Irbe, Mike Vernon, Steve Shields, Kelly Hrudey, Brian Boucher and Wade Flaherty among others. It will be up to Antero Niittymaki, Thomas Greiss or Alex Stalock to surpass it.

Honorable mentions:

Goaltender Arturs “Like Wall” Irbe (5 seasons) set the mould for a franchise whose perennial strength would be built from the goal out. The 5-foot-8 goalie battled hard in net, and caused fans to hold their breath when he traveled out of the crease to play the puck. In 1993-94, Irbe played 74 games and set a then league record with 4412 minutes played. Former captain and current EVP/GM Doug Wilson was the Sharks first NHL Allstar representative in 1992. Wilson brought credibility, respect and direction to the expansion franchise before retiring. While Sergei Makorov was a former member of the legendary KLM Russian line, and he was more productive in teal, the playmaking Igor Larionov made more players around him better and helped establish hockey in the South Bay with his flamboyant offensive style.

Some players attain a level of success, and maintain that over a period of time to become Allstar or Hall of Fame players in their sport. Right wing Jonathan Cheechoo captured a moment in time. With 56 goals in 2005-06 he earned a Rocket Richard Trophy and helped the Sharks pick up where they left off coming out of a disheartening lockout. Cheechoo’s breakout year actually occurred one season earlier in 2003-04. With Mike Ricci and Scott Thornton feeding him pucks on the third line, Cheechoo scored 28 goals from all areas of the ice, from his knees, and even with a stick between his legs. Injuries, including a double hernia which may have forced him out of San Jose, have slowed Cheechoo down but it was also a product of his hard nosed playing style. In the opening game of the 2008-09 season, Cheechoo helped usher in the net front playing style developed by rookie head coach Todd McLellan. Cheechoo took a pounding in front of the net, but as was his trademark he was hard to knock off his feet and punched home two goals against the Anaheim Ducks. Looking at a stat sheet does not tell you how he played the game, and Cheechoo remains one of the most popular players to ever play for the Sharks in the teams history.

Last on the honorable mention list, but probably first on more than a few lists would be heart and soul center Mike Ricci. Once named the sexiest man in Colorado, and currently a development coach in the Sharks front office, Ricci made his living being a handful for opposing goaltenders and defenseman in front of the net. Unlike a melodramatic Corey Perry who flops anywhere from 15 feet out, Ricci was a bull in a china shop. Arms, sticks, skates and hair would all collapse usually under a pile of bodies around the crease. Ricci became the defacto face of the Sharks in San Jose, and fans and teammates alike rallied around his competitiveness and passion for the game.

San Jose Sharks Hewlett Packard “Chalk Talk” question and answer session with Todd McLellan, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski

Sharkspage still has an email out to the team on the status of the State of the Sharks, but earlier this month head coach Todd McLellan, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski held a question and answer session with employees from title sponsor Hewlett Packard. Due to the rough cameraphone video quality, a few quotes from the “chalk talk” will be posted shortly.

A partial transcript from the Chalk Talk:

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan:

We are signing different players, we are trying to find the right ingredients to make our team work for a full nine and a half months, not just the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We have to get there first and we are building it. I am sure that happens here everyday as well, with your HR people and your management team. Everybody is important, everybody has a role to play. As soon as it gets weak and some link, nothing happens with our hockey club. I am sure that can be the same here at HP.

How are we going to win the Stanley Cup? I guess we have to win 8 more games than we did last year. Like every year, we have a ton of pressure on our hockey club in the first round of the playoffs. This year Colorado gave us a scare, but it is something we are accustomed to, we are used to it. We end up being one of the top seeded teams every year in the playoffs and there is a big target on your back. The sporting world and the media world loves an underdog, so often you are not picked to succeed. We found a way to get by Colorado last year, we want on to play one of our nemisis and Joe Pavelski was a big part of that, and Devin Setoguchi.

We went on to play against our nemisis in Detroit. I thought that was a real growth moment for our organization to eliminate the Red Wings and to move on and play against Chicago. That is the part of the playoffs I am looking back on, hoping we can take a step forward. Obviously the Chicago series we went out 4-0. I don’t think anyone in our organization or their organization thought it would be 4-0. It didn’t feel like a 4-0 series, it was very close. Unfortunately we were on the short end of it. We have some work to do, we think we are growing. We think we have a group that is still learning how to win, and still learn how to compete. These two are a big part of it.

Rob Blake was a real steadying influence in the locker room and on the ice. We have to find a way, not to replace him, but to fill a little bit of his hole, and everybody else has to pick up some of the slack. We feel we have some young defenseman in our organization, Jason Demers is one of them that has spent 30-40 games with us now. We expect him to put a full year in. Derek Joslin, who played in Worcester, our minor league affiliate can also come in and do the job. As you mentioned, Doug (Wilson) is still out there sniffing around at possible options that still may exist. I do believe that growth has to come from within, we can’t keep going outside the organization and chasing the next star and throwing money at them. We have a responsibility as an organization to develop some of our own draft picks. That is where Joslin and Demers have to come in and perform, Mike Moore is another name you might hear. There are a number of others in the minor league system that we think are close. It is a matter of what they do at training camp, and how they fit in.

…the situation in Worcester is a little different than it is here in San Jose. I was luckly enough to experience that a little in the American Hockey League as a coach. You have two forms of winning down there. You have to win by winning games and championships, that is your ultimate goal. But you also win by finding a way to develop players for the parent club. A lot of times those players are put in situations where they can experience success or failure. Some of them may not normally play on the power play when they come to San Jose, but they get a lot of power play time in Worcester. The coaching staff and the management staff there has to be given a little bit of leeway to mould their team the way they see fit to achieve both winning goals. Ultimately when we talk about playing a certain system or playing like these guys would, we sit down with the coaches and give them our terminology, our system, but we do give them that freedom to wander a little bit so they can have the success they need.

Obviously I expected to take a couple of questions on the Nabby situation. Nabby gave us everything he absolutely had for a number of years. He was a big part of our family, and a big part of the community, and we wish him well. It is just the way business is, you can tie that in to HP. Sometimes decisions have to be made that aren’t popular. Sometimes they are business decisions, money decisions. Sometimes they are just ability decisions. We had to make one, and Nabby had to make one this year. He moves on, and we wish him well. To fill his hole, we signed a Finnish goalie Antero Niittymaki. He has played in the NHL about 6 years. Spent a lot of time in Philadelphia, a single season in Tampa Bay last year. We also talked about the Olympics earlier, the Olympics prior to this year he was actually the MVP and he lead Finland to a very good showing. He has the ability to come in and play. With that being said, we also have Thomas Griess. Thomas didn’t get an opportunity to show his teammates, his coaching staff or you as fans how strong he is as a goaltender last year, we rode Nabby. It was a decision we made as a coaching staff and an organization. Thomas will get more of an opportunity this year to assume a bigger role. Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter to me who plays in goal as long as they are competitive, pulling their weight, and doing what they can to win.

San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski:

Both teams (Chicago and San Jose) have improved, each team has more experience now. Chicago won a cup, and you have all those players… That being said, you look at our team and we didn’t lose many guys. I think 5, and we added a couple more pieces. Our team has that same experience and that same drive. Hopefully that is going to put us towards a cup this year.

We played 6 or 7 games (for Team USA at the Olympics), then we had a couple of days off. That kind of intensity and excitement, and especially being in Canada the way it is scrutinized. You have to put yourself in every game, all out. You definitely raise your game at times. If you didn’t, you were going to get left behind. Came back and I think we had 3 games before a 5 or 6 day break. When you came back you were definitely drained, when you left Vancouver it was just the Whole Olympic experience, the buzz, the energy around town. You came back and it felt real still. That is just what the Olympics is all about, and why it is great. In a way you take from it and you learn, and it made me a better player.

You can’t let up at any moment (against Chicago). If we score a couple more goals in the first game, it is a totally different series. It is one or two bounces. We saw it happen against Detroit on the power play. Any time they took a penalty, we were able to capitalize. You can put teams down in a hurry.

San Jose Sharks winger Devin Setoguchi:

It is going to start with what Pavs said, it is all about experience and a learning curve. For myself, this will be my third season going into the NHL. In the first three years I learned a lot, from a lot of different players starting with Jeremy Roenick, Claude Lemieux, Rob Blake… all those guys. You see what it takes for them and what they go through every game to prepare, and mentally be engaged in the game. I was always taught that the game is 98% mental, and 2% physical. For myself last year I had a couple of injuries that mentally kind of drained me throughout the season. Now this is a year where for myself and for the team, I want to play a bigger role and move forward, and do the things I did before. For myself it is a big year, and a big year for the team. We have all the pieces we need to get to where we need to be. It starts next month during training camp, and it is a process that is going to build. We move forward every day, you just have to learn from your experiences.

Video courtesy of friend of the blog ST. Also thanks to the printer division at HP, which helped this blog in the past without even knowing about it, as well as the HP division near Moffett in Mountain View.

The Hockey News/XM Home Ice 204 Podcast: THN pre-season predictions, Carey Price, Tomas Kaberle

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Last weekend on The Hockey News Radio Show with Adam Proteau on XM Satellite Radio Home Ice Channel 204: Guest-co-host Jim “Boomer” Gordon joins Adam again for another bi-weekly, summer edition of THN Radio. In the first segment, THN writer/editor Ryan Dixon calls in and discusses the process that results in THN’s pre-season predictions, Carey Price’s contract situation with Montreal, and the Canadiens’ strengths and weaknesses heading into the season. In the second block, Adam breaks down the NHL’s research and development camp he covered for THN this week. In the final segment, Ask Adam answers questions regarding a blockbuster Sabres trade, the intricacies of the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, high-speed net cameras and Tomas Kaberle.

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.

Informal scrimmages at Sharks Ice a signal that hockey season is around the corner

NEW SAN JOSE SHARKS GOALIE ANTERO NIITTYMAKI ARRIVED THIS WEEK

OWEN NOLAN CARRIES THE PUCK AROUND JOE THORNTON

NEW SAN JOSE SHARKS WINGER JAMAL MAYERS

After an abnormally mild spring and summer, the thermometer hit 102 degrees in San Jose on Tuesday. Wednesday morning was a little more mild at 93 degrees, but a brief respite from the heat was available by watching an informal scrimmage at Sharks Ice in the leadup to the start of training camp. According to SJsharks.com, new goaltender Antero Niittymaki and winger Jamal Mayers joined the scrimmages on Monday. “I’ve been in California probably three times in my life, I’ve still got a couple of more weeks until camp starts, so I’ve got some time (to explore),” Niittymaki told the team website after his first skate.

Joining Niittymaki and Mayers on the ice today were Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Thomas Greiss, Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi, Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart, Dan Boyle, Scott Nichol, Dany Heatley, Frazer McLaren, Owen Nolan and a few others. Defenseman Niclas Wallin watched part of the scrimmage rinkside. An unrestricted free agent with deep ties to San Jose, Nolan has been the target of a flurry of offseason speculation regarding the San Jose Sharks.

With news that defenseman Willie Mitchell signed today with the Los Angeles Kings, the Sharks may be forced to upgrade their blueline through the trade market instead of free agency. That will have the added benefit of offsetting salary, but it will also give the Sharks an opportunity to evaluate depth in the organization in training camp and at the start of the season. The Kings were allegedly runners up in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, a process that is still sorting itself out after the NHL rejected his unprecedented 17-year contract. Adding Mitchell to a Kings blueline that includes Drew Doughty, Rob Scuderi, Matt Greene, Jack Johnson, Davis Drewiske and Peter Harrold makes them a contender for the Pacific Division title in 2010-11. With over $12.8M in cap space according to capgeek.com, the Kings may have been able to offer Mitchell a less incentive-based deal.

News out of San Jose has slowed to a trickle, but there was word that the Sharks games in the 5-team Vancouver rookie tournament will be streamed online. That should await confirmation from the San Jose Sharks. Preseason tickets went onsale Monday at 10AM. The Sharks will face Anaheim (Sept. 24th), Phoenix (Sept. 25th) and Vancouver (Sept. 29th) in the pre-season at home before traveling to SAP Arena in Germany for an exhibition game against Adler Mannheim of the Deutscher Eishockey Liga. The Sharks open the season in Stockholm, Sweden with a pair of games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 8th and 9th.

The NHL announced the 2010-11 television schedules for NBC and Versus today. According to Tripp Mickle of the Sports Business Journal, Versus will air 13 more NHL games this season (a 20% increase). That will include a triple header on October 7th (one European game, two North American games), and double the number of San Jose Sharks broadcasts (from 4 to 8). Versus will air San Jose’s season opener October 8th against the Columbis Blue Jackets in Stockholm, road games against the Minnesota Wild November 2nd, Detroit Red Wings December 6th, and the Philadelphia Flyers December 8th, a game vs. Phoenix on February 1st, at Pittsburgh February 23rd, at Chicago March 14th, and a bonus game vs. Los Angeles April 4th. The full Versus schedule is available at puckthemedia.com.

Correction from this post, Vancouver had 5 players listed in TheHockeyNews Top 50, San Jose and Chicago each had 4. San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan attended the San Francisco 49ers morning practice today. In the playoffs before the Sharks faced the Chicago Blackhawks, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary called the team to offer encouragement. One final note, Sharkspage penned the San Jose version of Yahoo Puck Daddy’s Mount Puckmore series. It should be up on Puck Daddy Sunday.

A photo gallery from today’s informal scrimmage at Sharks Ice in San Jose is available here.

[Update] From multiple sources, defenseman Willie Mitchell received a 2-year, $7 million contract from the Los Angeles Kings.

[Update2] San Jose Mercury News beat writer David Pollak returns from vacation and posts a few updates on his Working the Corners blog. He notes from a source with the team that signing unrestricted free agents Antti Niemi and Owen Nolan are very unlikely to happen.

[Update3] The Sharks national television schedule is available courtesy of Puck The Media. Comcast’s regional schedule is in the process of being finalized according to CSNBA spokesman Jay Dela Cruz.

SAN JOSE SHARKS (19)

Oct. 8 at Columbus (VERSUS/TSN)
Oct. 23 at Edmonton (CBC)
Oct. 27 vs. New Jersey (NHL Net Canada)
Nov. 2 at Minnesota (VERSUS/TSN2)
Nov. 13 vs. Calgary (CBC)
Nov. 15 vs. Los Angeles (NHL Net Canada)
Nov. 26 at Vancouver (TSN)
Nov. 27 at Edmonton (CBC)
Nov. 30 vs. Detroit (NHL Net Canada)
Dec. 2 at Ottawa (TSN)
Dec. 4 at Montreal (CBC)
Dec. 6 at Detroit (VERSUS)
Dec. 8 at Philadelphia (VERSUS)
Jan. 9 at Anaheim (NHL Net Canada)
Jan. 17 at Phoenix (NHL Net Canada)
Feb. 1 vs. Phoenix (VERSUS)
Feb. 23 at Pittsburgh (VERSUS)
Mar. 14 at Chicago (VERSUS/TSN2)
Apr. 4 vs. Los Angeles (VERSUS)

DOH Podcast #112: ESPN’s E.J. Hradek, Antti Niemi, upgrading blueline

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Mike Peattie and Doug Santana bring in ESPN analyst E.J. Hradek to discuss offseason Sharks roster possibilities including unrestricted free agent goaltender Antti Niemi, what defensive options are available to upgrade the blueline, and get Hradek’s take on Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa on the 112th 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.

Worcester Sharks President Michael Mudd visits Stockton Thunder

Stockton Thunder play-by-play broadcaster Mike Benton interviewed AHL Worcester Sharks President Michael Mudd as he visited the Northern California ECHL franchise this week. In conjunction with the Edmonton Oilers, the San Jose Sharks recently signed a co-affiliation agreement with the Thunder. Stockton will also work with the Edmonton Oilers AHL affiliate, the expansion AHL Oklahoma City Barons, but with Worcester/SJ leading the NHL in player movement last season by a wide margin Mudd familiarized himself with the team firsthand.

Michael Mudd discussed the “first class” rink, training facilities and front office in Stockton. In the interview he also noted the strong fan support for the ECHL in Northern California, how the close proximity to San Jose will help the player development process, how saturated the hockey market is in the Northeast, and how ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna has done a great job branding the ‘AA’ hockey league.

Antero Niittymaki Sharks goalie mask by David Arrigo designed for the new ‘Big Fish’ in town

NEW ANTERO NIITTYMAKI SHARKS MASK DESIGN - DAVIDARRIGO.COM

FRANK NITTY INSPIRED SHARK WITH TOMMY GUN - DAVIDARRIGO.COM

DAVID ARRIGO WITH PATRICK MARLEAU MURAL - DAVIDARRIGO.COM

David Arrigo has made a name for himself creating artwork for the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and NASCAR, but his work painting goalie masks over the last three years has taken it to another level. The Toronto-based artist behind Mike Smith’s Saw V movie-themed goalie mask in 2008, a slew of impressive Chicago Blackhawks designs, and Jason LaBarbera’s Metallica-themed mask recently created a design for new San Jose Sharks goaltender Antero Niittymaki.

Released yesterday via InGoal Magazine, the new Bauer mask features a logo on top, cartoon Shark versions of infamous Chicago gangster Frank Nitty on each side (one holding a Tommy gun), and a lettered “Nitty” nickname on the bottom. David Arrigo told Sharkspage that the nickname first came from one of Antero’s coaches in Philadelphia. He subsequently created literal representations of Frank Nitty on Niittymaki’s Tampa Bay Lightning masks. “Once he got the call to go to San Jose, I thought it would be fun to change it up a little bit and take the Shark as the new gangster,” Arrigo said. “The new big fish in town.”

Unlike departed goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who left his designs completely in the hands of the artist, Antero Niittymaki worked with Arrigo on his new mask. “I’ll produce concepts for him, and he will say yes and no, and these guys have a lot of fun with it,” Arrigo said. He also noted that Antero wanted a cleaner mask to go with the jerseys in San Jose. While it was the first mask created for a San Jose goaltender by Arrigo, he has worked with the Sharks several times in the past. In addition to the Patrick Marleau artwork above, several of the murals featured near the front of HP Pavilion during the playoffs were designed by Arrigo.

All Sharks goalie mask designs will be judged on the basis of Brian Hayward, but early reactions from fans are positive. Niittymaki’s teammate Thomas Greiss has similar thematic elements in the mask design he used last season, one that was tamer than the pink charity mask for breast cancer he wore to a couple of practices.

There will be more designs by Arrigo to keep an eye on in the future. In addition to creating artwork for Brent Johnson (Pittsburgh) and Carey Price (Montreal), a new St. Louis mask was created for recently acquired Jaroslav Halak. For a full list of his mask designs, visit davidarrigo.com.

[Update] One other bit of Antero Niittymaki equipment news that came via email, he will no longer use Brooklynite sticks and will instead use the Warrior brand. Brooklynite will not have any NHL players next season, but they are looking to get back into the league as soon as possible.

DOH Podcast #111: Trade/UFA Speculation – Tomas Kaberle, Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell, Antti Niemi

#31 ANTTI NIEMI AND FRIENDS 2010 WCF - PHOTO JON SWENSON

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2010_0817.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss trade and unrestriced free agent speculation including the weekend Tomas Kaberle was not traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa, Willie Mitchell, and an ESPN report by E.J. Hradek speculating on former Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi coming to the San Jose Sharks as a free agent on the 111th 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.

The Hockey News 2010-11 Yearbook not hot on Sharks, THN 2010-11 Fantasy Pool Guide disagrees

THE HOCKEY NEWS 2010-11 NHL YEARBOOK

The Hockey News 2010-11 NHL Yearbook is out, and somewhat expectedly the San Jose Sharks stock individually and collectively dropped slightly in the eyes of hockey’s illuminati. Given THN’s penchant for not taking the Sharks seriously in the playoffs until the Conference Finals, predictions and assessments for 2010-11 were going to be more critical. Without an AP or a coaches preseason NHL poll, a little more weight is placed on THN anointing the Vancouver Canucks to finish first in the Western Conference. The Sharks were picked to finish second, the Red Wings third, and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (what is left of them) fourth.

According to THN, the Canucks will finish first on the back of Hart and Art Ross Trophy winning Henrik Sedin, gold medal winning Roberto Luongo, offseason blueline additions Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard, and a collection of two-way forwards among other reasons. Hamhuis and Ballard are key acquisitions, and should play a little more in to the predictions than even THN might be aware of. For three years, Keith Ballard was one of the reasons the Sharks circled Pacific Division rival Phoenix on the calender, and Hamhuis is a veteran of two brutal first round playoff losses to SJ with Nashville. Both stiffen a defensive corps that was too porous in the past.

Over the last three seasons the Canucks have been dominated by San Jose in head-to-head play. In 12 opportunities, Vancouver has earned only 2 wins and even fewer morale victories. The Sharks second to last regular season game was a penalty filled statement game. Down 4-0 after two periods, the Canucks tried to take a pound of flesh in defeat. The Sharks admittedly lost a bit of compsure, and took a season’s worth of criticism out on the Canucks. Both teams combined for nearly 100 PIMs, and at one point 6 Sharks were seated/standing/stuffed into the penalty box.

Teams can struggle with individual opponents and still win the Western Conference, as the Sharks did last season despite lackluster performances against Detroit and Chicago, but it deserves a little more weighted consideration when predicting the top teams. The Hockey News also took a look at post-lockout trends in the half decade since the NHL went dark. A few notable statistics: Detroit lead the league with a 51.4 win average, SJ second 49.6, New Jersey third 48 — Most points: Ovechkin 529, Thornton 510, Crosby 506, Heatley 444 — average power play percentage: 18.2, average age: 27.04, fights per game: 0.578, average total save percentage: .911, average goals per game: 5.53. There are many more stats averaged out over the last 5 years included in the Yearbook.

The list of Top 50 players is where a few of the major questions can be raised. The top 3 players — Crosby, Ovechkin, Miller — hard to find a problem with. The Sharks top players are located furthur down in the rankings, possibly too far. Joe Thornton was listed at #25 (“reputation has taken quite a beating”), Dan Boyle was listed at #34 (“can beat Evgeni Nabokov from a bad angle”), Dany Heatley was listed at #38 (“two goals in playoffs doesn’t cut it for a player paid handsomely to score”), and Patrick Marleau was listed at #42 (“go-to scorer”, and “stripped of captaincy”).

Harsh is the first word that comes to mind, but there are a couple of problems. It should be noted that Vancouver is the only team with 5 players in the Top 50, and the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks each have 4. That being said, the best San Jose Sharks player may have been listed last in Patrick Marleau. Instead of being stripped of the “C”, the change in captaincy to Blake was a mutual decision that benefited both the team and player. Confident in the situation in San Jose, Marleau did not go the Ilya Kovalchuk soap opera free agent route and instead signed a 4-year contract extension along with center Joe Pavelski.

Philadelphia’s Mike Richards (ranked #23) may be one of the best defensive/two-way forward in the Eastern Conference, but is he really 19 spots ahead of Patrick Marleau? A player who scored 19 more points last season, and one who scored 9 SHG to Richards’ 8 SHG over the last two years? Quality of competition (.109 to .041) favors Richards, GF/60 favored Marleau (3.52 to 2.34), GA/60 was comparable (2.41 to 2.34), Marleau was more effective on zone starts won in the offensive (55% to 50.7%) and defensive zones (57.6% to 48.7%), neutral zone averages were comparable. Individually, Mike Richards finished 14th in the league with a 50.7% faceoff percentage (696-677), but after moving to left wing alongside Thornton, Marleau finished with a 51.4% (316-299). Add in the speed, and the size (5-foot-11, 195 pounds vs 6-foot-2, 220-pounds) differential, and it is easy to make a case that Marleau is one of the most underrated defensive/2-way players in the game.

Looking at the San Jose comments you also have to leave out the fact that Dany Heatley skated with a torn groin in the postseason, an injury after which one ESPN analyst described Heatley as looking like he skated on one leg. News of the injury only came out after the end of the playoffs. Marleau suffered a similar fate one year earlier after the first round exit to Anaheim. A number of east coast and Canadian analysts failed to mention he played against the Ducks with the first major knee injury of his career.

San Jose Mercury News beat writer David Pollak previewed the 2010-11 season for the San Jose Sharks in The Hockey News Yearbook. Pollak touched on the unrestricted free agency situation facing the team with Marleau and Nabokov, the return of the “Team Canada” line and the productive second line of Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi, and predicted increased roles for Logan Couture and Jason Demers. San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson compared new goaltender Antero Niittymaki to Antti Niemi and Craig Anderson, two goaltenders the Sharks faced in the postseason.

Head coach Todd McLellan commented on whether or not Joe Pavelski or Dan Boyle were favorites to become the next captain of the Sharks. “Until you’re in the locker room and you see how certain individuals react, you can’t just assume, based on his on-ice performance, that someone is the innate captain,” McLellan told Pollak.

The Sharks top 10 prospect ranking was also a pretty hearty miss. Logan Couture, Nick Petrecki and Charlie Coyle were listed as the top three. Worcester Sharks goaltender Tyson Sexsmith (13GP, 4-6-1, .860SV%, 3.94GAA, 1SO) was ranked over fellow W-Shark Alex Stalock (61GP, 39-19-2, .908SV%, 2.63GAA, 4SO), who should have been at or near the top after his record performance in the AHL. In fact, Stalock was not even listed in the top 10. Two other ranked prospects, #6 Patrik Zackrisson and #10 Julien Demers, are no longer part of the Sharks organization. Hard hitting defenseman Nick Petrecki took a couple of steps back in 2009-10, but after only one year of professional hockey he has more than enough time to develop at the AHL level.

The Yearbook went to press before the addition checking line winger Jamal Mayers, but one look at the depth chart shows why Doug Wilson may have pulled the trigger on the move. Frazer McLaren and Brandon Mashinter on the left wing, and Cam MacIntyre and Benn Ferriero on the right, all four will have one less position to fight for in training camp with Mayers in the fold. Like the defense, the Sharks hockey staff favors experience and grit up front. Mayers will bring that in a fourth line role alongside Scott Nichol, and he could contribute on the penalty kill and from the faceoff circle as well.

THE HOCKEY NEWS 2010-11 NHL FANTASY POOL GUIDE

Not a whole lot to mention from the 2010-11 edition of The Hockey News Fantasy Pool Guide. If you are going to participate in fantasy hockey, it should be at the top of your list at draft time. The fantasy player mock draft results were oddly divergent from the top 50 player rankings in the Yearbook. Patrick Marleau was taken at #23 (with a projected 80 point season), Dany Heatley at #26 (with a projected 89 point season), and Joe Thornton was the 6th overall pick (with a projected 96 point season). Pavelski (#54) and Boyle (#81) were also taken in the top 100.

The Fantasy Pool Guide mock draft skewed a little more towards how the players should actually be ranked than the Yearbook. Thornton, while being taken in the top 10, was not completely let off the hook by the Pool Guide. “Questions about his leadership capabilities wil continue until he wins a Cup”. Two years ago after a first round loss to Anaheim, this blog asked him if he learned what he needed to do in order to be successful in the postseason. He responded with an emphatic yes. The first year after that bitter first round playoff exit, the Sharks made it to the Conference Final. With Thornton in a contract year, he could push the team even farther in 2010-11.

[Update] Fantasy Hockey Top 300 rankings – ESPN.

7 Dany Heatley, LW SJ F7 $24
26 Joe Thornton, C SJ F20 $18
29 Patrick Marleau, C SJ F22 $18
39 Dan Boyle, D SJ D6 $16
135 Devin Setoguchi, RW SJ F93 $6
165 Joe Pavelski, C SJ F110 $4
179 Antero Niittymaki, G SJ G20 $3
185 Ryane Clowe, LW SJ F119 $2
202 Jason Demers, D SJ D54 $1
240 Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D SJ D68 $0

The Hockey News/XM Home Ice 204 Podcast: NHL expansion, women’s Olympic hockey, Boston Bruins

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This week on The Hockey News Radio Show with Adam Proteau on XM Satellite Radio Home Ice Channel 204: Adam is joined by guest-co-host Jim “Boomer” Gordon for another bi-weekly, summer edition of THN Radio. It’s an all Ask-Adam this week, featuring questions from emailers and tweeters on NHL expansion, the future of women’s hockey at the Olympics, the Bruins’ salary cap issues, the so-called “.500 mark” in the NHL, Kris Versteeg’s potential with the Leafs, and more.

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.

Playboy Fight Night to the Mansion hybrid kickboxing/mma/boxing card in San Mateo finishes with style

2 OF 3 FINALISTS THAT BEAT OUT 2 DOZEN LADIES FOR PLAYBOY MANSION

JON PRYOR LANDS RIGHT VS SKLYR PENNA IN IKF TITLE FIGHT

IKF CHAMP JENNA CASTILLO LANDS HARD KNEE VS TIFFANY VAN SOEST

There are a number of smaller shows that help build up talent for larger kickboxing or MMA promotions, they are the lifeblood discovering talent for organizations like the UFC, K-1 or San Jose-based Strikeforce. Saturday night’s ‘Fight Night to the Mansion’ event from the San Mateo Event Center was unique. It served as a feeder program not only for kickboxers and MMA competitors, but also for models to participate in the upcoming September 11th event at the Playboy Mansion. A smaller setup than past MMA events at the San Mateo Event Center, Saturday featured two live DJs (DJ Tuesday and DJ Wednesday), several former Playboy playmates, over 2 dozen ring girls auditioning for the Playboy Mansion, and 12 entertaining kickboxing, boxing, and MMA fights.

The headline co-main event kickboxing title fights delivered in a big fashion. Hometown favorite and IKF Muaythai Bantamweight champion Jenna Castillo (San Jose) was pushed to the limit by previously undefeated U.S. California Welterweight Muaythai Champion Tiffany Van Soest (San Diego). Castillo entered the ring preceeded by a vibrant Punjabi drum and dance team, and she started the first of five rounds with a deliberate but mauling style.

A technical Van Soest tee’d off with a heavy high kick to the head. It was blocked by Jenna, but still registered. Van Soest also scored a trip takedown, but towards the end of the round an awkward collision forced an injury timeout. Castillo was checked for shoulder damage, but she was deemed fit by the ringside physician and allowed to proceed. San Diego’s Sean Ueda was forced to stop an earlier fight early in the first round with a torn bicep, it was in the back of the audience’s mind during the stoppage. The ref re-started the fight, and Jenna Castillo landed a hard hook to the head seconds after the horn. “Time Bomb” shook it off and returned to her corner.

In the second round a relentless Jenna Castillo kept coming forward. Hard hooks to the head stunned her opponent, and hard knees to the body in the clinch slowed her down. Blue Ocean trained Tiffany Van Soest was wobbled with 30 seconds left, but head movement and good footwork got her out of danger. The movement continued for TVS in the third, but a counter-punch low kick combination backed her into a corner. Two extended flurries punished Van Soest until she was forced to take an 8-count. The flamboyant San Diego native slowed down considerably against her larger opponent in the fourth, and a pair of trip takedowns in the fifth punctuated the end of the fight and a 50-44, 49-45, 49-45 unanimous decision win for Jenna Castillo.

In the co-main event IKF North American Super Welterweight Champion Skylr Penna met IKF West Coast Champion Jon Pryor in a distinct clash of styles. The World Team USA trained Penna out of SF held a significant height and reach advantage, and he used it effectively to create distance and set up strikes early. In the first round Pryor had problems adapting to Skylr, who was landing effectively from outside and dominating the clinch. The domination continued in the second round. Pryor checked several knees inside, but absorbed a lot of damage in the process. When there was an opening, Pryor tried to land hard, looping hooks to the head.

The tide turned for Pryor in the third round despite a large San Francisco cheering section ringside. Pryor shortened up his punches, and started landing effective strikes of his own from outside. Several hard knees to the midsection finished off the third, earning the Sacramento native his first round on the Sharkspage scorecard. Pryor backed Skylr Penna to the ropes in the fourth with a solid left hook to the head, but Penna came back with a withering clinch attack to the body. The Robinson Taekwondo trained Pryor was gassed in the fifth and final round. Skylr Penna effectively worked inside and out, and earned a 49-46, 49-46, 49-46 unanimous decision win for his efforts.

Undercards often deliver suprising fights and surprising finishes. Saturday in San Mateo it was mixed martial arts and boxing going head-to-head for the quickest knockout of the night. In his pro boxing debut, heavyweight Juan Hernandez came out to the ring wrapped in a Mexican flag. The Redwood City native had near full support of the San Mateo crowd. Before the ring announcer could even reach his seat, Hernandez stepped into a monster right uppercut that dropped Escondito native Seth Keeling. Hernandez followed with a left hook, but Keeling was already out on his feet and headed for the canvas. The fight was over with an official 22 second KO.

Two fights later, local standout kickboxer Tristan Arenal topped that with an even quicker finish in his professional MMA fight against AKA Fresno’s Josue Tirado. The Milpitas-native Arenal staggered Tirado with a quick left jab. Tirado dropped to his knees, quickly regained his feet, but was the recipient of an enormous overhand right. Tirado got to his feet to Arenal’s left, allowing Tristan to wind up across his body and step into a simply gigantic punch. Josue Tirado was knocked flat, and the fight was stopped with an official 17 second KO.

Also successful on the undercard: AJ Fonseca defeated Joey De La Cruz by unanimous decision, Gilbert Melendez trained Phil Baldacci used superior grappling to earn a second round TKO over Rene Gabaldons, Sean Ueda was forced to stop an amateur kickboxing bout with Kevin Arceo due to a torn bicep, San Diego’s Kristina Alvarez earned the IKF Super Lightweight West Coast Title in a 4-round slugfest against the East Bay’s Katie Toliano, Anthony Gonzalez remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over Ryan Mazon, Gary Archuletta remained a perfect 6-0 with a win over Fairtex’s Arturas Barkauska, and Dereck Leung earned a majority decision win over Phil Devera in the opening contest.

The event, produced by Phantom Promotions and George Chung, was also filmed by four Playboy cameramen. There was no word on when, or if the event will air on the Playboy TV channel. Several playmates and former playmates performed two dance routines inside the ring, including Playmate of the Year Kara Monaco, Deanna Brooks, Sharkspage favorite Hiromi Oshima, and Qiana Chase among others. Of the nearly two dozen aspiring ring card girls, only three were chosen to head to the Mansion. Playboy feeder events are being held around the country to qualify for the Fight Night at the Mansion September 11th, and one ring girl will be featured in the magazine. The next Playboy Fight Night will take place in Tacoma, Washington on August 28th. Current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Meldendez, and former Elite XC Welterweight Champion and Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields were seated ringside. Shields will meet the well rounded Danish fighter Martin Kampmann at UFC 121. San Jose’s Cain Velasquez will meet Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Also seated ringside were NFL alumni and East Bay standout Hardy Nickerson, and UFC veteran Matt Wiman.

Three bouts scheduled for the August 14th card were scratched. Richard Hargraves vs. Benjamin Rivera in a pro boxing bout, local boxing standout Bruno Escalante Jr., and Yohan Banks vs. Charles Leveque in a pro mixed martial arts bout had their fights nixed. Banks was at one time scheduled to meet Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley in Florida before the FSBC ruled against sanctioning the fight. Playboy has hosted several boxing events at the Mansion including ESPN and Fox Sports televised cards, and a pair of Strikeforce mixed martial arts events in 2007 and 2008.

A photo gallery from the event is available here. Event highlights and full Arenal-Tirado, Quares-Lira MMA fight videos are available here. Thanks to DaleShirley.com and MMAko.tv for their help on this post.

[Update] Event results courtesy of Vincit Magazine and Sharkspage:

Playboy Fight Night to the Mansion
Kickboxing/MMA/boxing
San Mateo Event Center – Saturday, August 14, 2010

Jenna Castillo (19-2) def. Tiffany Van Soest (7-1)
IKF Muaythai Bantamweight Title
Unaminous Decision (5 rounds), 50-44, 49-45, 49-45.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

Skylr Penna (9-0) def. Jon Pryor (5-3)
IKF North American Super Welterweight Title
Unaminous Decision (5 rounds), 49-46, 49-46, 49-46.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

AJ Fonseca (5-3) def. Joey De La Cruz (1-3)
Unaminous Decision, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
ICSF Pro MMA.

Tristan Arenal (1-1) def. Josue Tirado (1-1)
KO, 0:17 1st round.
ICSF Pro MMA.

Phil Baldacci (2-2) def. Rene Gabaldons (1-3)
TKO (strikes), 1:09 2nd round.
ICSF Pro MMA.

Juan Hernandez (1-0) def. Seth Keeling (1-1)
KO, 0:22 first round.
IAB Pro Boxing.

Geoffrey Quares (1-0) def. Moses Lira (1-3)
Submission (RNC), 1:20 2nd round.
ICSF Pro MMA.

Kevin Arceo (9-1) def. Sean Ueda (6-2)
TKO (doctor stoppage, torn bicep), 1:43 first round.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

Kristina Alvarez (4-1) def. Katie Toliao (3-2)
IKF Super Lightweight West Coast Title
Unanimous Decision – 39-35, 38-37, 38-37.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

Anthony Gonzalez (4-0) def. Ryan Mazon (3-1)
Unaminous Decision – 30-26, 30-26, 30-26.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

Gary Archuletta (6-0) def. Arturas Barkauska (5-4)
Unanimous Decision – 29-27, 29-28, 30-26.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

Dereck Leung (2-3) def. Phil Devera (2-3)
Majority Decision – 28-28, 29-27, 29-27.
IKF Amateur Muaythai Kickboxing.

[Update2] Castillo Guts Out Win Over Van Soest – Mario Ortega Jr. for 15rounds.com.

[Update3] First-round KO for Hernandez in debut – Palo Alto Daily News.

[Update4] The PGP Podcast with Gina Grad and Randy Wang produced a show ringside, part 1 and part 2.

Toronto Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports unconfirmed offer of Joslin + 1st to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle

The deadline is ticking down until Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle’s no-trade clause activates Sunday at midnight. GM Brian Burke has been actively trying to work a lethargic summer hockey media into a lather in order to put more pressure on NHL GM’s to up the ante. Up until this point, it has not been successful. Cap constraints and self imposed payroll limits have narrowed down the willing Kaberle trade partners, of which the San Jose Sharks have appeared in heavy rotation.

The latest rumor by the Toronto Sun’s Bruce Garrioch details an unconfirmed Sharks offer of defenseman Derek Joslin and a first round draft pick for Tomas Kaberle:

The San Jose Sharks are looking for help. But Kaberle, 32, who carries a $4.25-million hit, wants to stay in the East. That hasn’t stopped talk of Sharks GM Doug Wilson offering prospect D Derek Joslin and a first-round pick. Bieksa and his $3.75-million hit might make more sense. Not sure what to make of whispers that San Jose is willing to trade LW Jamie McGinn or C Logan Couture for Bieksa, but the talk is out there.

There has been no mention of Jamie McGinn or Logan Couture this summer in San Jose. It should be noted that Couture’s rise within the organization has been substantial enough to influence the $1.8M one-year contract RFA Devin Setoguchi signed this offseason. Couture is the top offensive prospect in the Sharks organization. Any rumor involving #39 should be treated with a healthy amount of skepticism. McGinn is a quick skating, developing two-way forward. Given his cap hit of under $1 million, and the fact that he is versatile enough to play on the third and fourth lines, it is hard to see him being dealt either.

The retirement of captain Rob Blake has opened up a hole on the Sharks blueline for 2010-11, one that San Jose GM Doug Wilson believes he can fill with nine NHL caliber defenseman. Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Niclas Wallin currently fill out the Sharks top-4. Veteran Kent Huskins, rookie power play specialist Jason Demers, Jay Leach, and prospects Derek Joslin and Mike Moore are all capable of filling a 5-6 defensive role at the NHL level.

The Sharks have upwards of $3 million in cap space according to capgeek.com, putting them in a position to add a quality defenseman to the fold. Derek Joslin, this blog’s pick to make the 2008-09 roster after a solid training camp, and Mike Moore, a hard hitting blueliner that was this blog’s pick to make the 2009-10 roster out of training camp, give the Sharks a depth of talent that will create a competition for roster spots in training camp.

“Are we looking to add another player on the back end? We are always looking to add. If there are guys out there that fit, we have room in our payroll, we have all our picks left,” San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson told KNBR on Wednesday. “I would venture to say we will probably add a defenseman at some point between now and the trade deadline, like we have in the past.”

With former San Jose head coach Ron Wilson at the helm in Toronto, GM Brian Burke has about as good a scouting report as possible on prospects in the Sharks system. If Kaberle is not San Jose bound by midnight Sunday, then it will be the Vancouver hockey media’s turn to ramp up interest in Kevin Bieksa.

[Update] Burke expecting best offers for Kaberle to come at last minute – TSN.

[Update2] Burke Statement On Kaberle – MapleLeafs.com.

The hockey club confirms this evening that Tomas Kaberle remains a Leaf. While a number of Clubs made offers to trade for Tomas, none of them reflected Tomas’s value to our team. I understand a period like this is stressful to the player, and we are pleased that there is a resolution, and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season.

Joe Pavelski attends Comcast post-Giants game BBQ, dunks LA Dodgers fan

JOE AND SCOTT PAVELSKI AT GIANTS GAME - @DEVONFOXCSN

Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area posted a pair of Joe Pavelski interviews from yesterday’s post-Giants game fan BBQ. Above CSNBA’s Kate Longworth interviewed Pavelski on what he has been up to this offseason, and gets him to drop a Dodger fan in the dunk tank. The Sharks penalty shot specialist dropped the LA fan in the water on the first throw. In the second video, Chronicle Live guest host Dave Benz interviewed Pavelski along with CSNBA’s Brodie Brazil. Brodie asked Pavelski about signing a new 4-year deal this summer. “It was awesome… The team we have together now, all four of the years I have been here we have went in thinking we can win the Stanley Cup,” Pavelski said.

Pavelski also noted that San Jose Sharks training camp starts September 17th, rookies report one week earlier, and he complimented Indycar driver J.R. Hildebrand for the ride to AT&T Park in the 2-seater Indycar. Race weekened for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma takes place August 20-22nd at the Infineon Raceway in the north bay. Joe Pavelski attended the Giants game with his brother Scott Pavelski, who participated in the Sharks prospect camp earlier this summer. Scott will be a sophomore playing for the University of New Hampshire next season. More videos from the Comcast fan BBQ are available via Chronicle Live.

Photo used with permission.

San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson interviewed on KNBR’s Fitz and Brooks show

SAN JOSE SHARKS EVP/GM DOUG WILSON - PHOTO JON SWENSON

San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson was interviewed on KNBR’s Fitz and Brooks show yesterday afternoon. Wilson covered the summer outlook for his team after a run to the Conference Finals last season, which players may fill a Dustin Byfuglien role for the Sharks, the departure of Evgeni Nabokov, the NHL trend towards goaltenders, the departure of Manny Malhotra and addition of Jamal Mayers, whether they will add a defenseman, and the voided Ilya Kovalchuk contract as well as many other topics.

A partial transcript of the interview:

One thing is the players felt as if they left it all on the ice, not sure if they felt that the prior year. It is a tough league. When you are competing against the top two or three teams in the league, you got to play your best. I think the players can look in the mirror and feel that way. Beating Detroit was a very good accomplishment. Not beating Chicago is something we should be a little sour about and used as motivation. The age of our group, and the experience they have gone through, guys are really excited about this upcoming season.

Competition is a great motivator. You have got young people that are coming through our system that have played either at Worcester last year or part of the year at Worcester, that are going to be important players for us this year. Guys are always looking over their shoulder. Obviously you always have the ability to add players from outside the organization, which we have done in the past. Whether it be a Thornton, a Boyle or a Heatley. We are positioned that way too, to always make our team better. We have lots of draft picks this upcoming year, we have a lot of players within our system that other teams like. We also feel like we have got a very good hockey team. Knock on wood, you stay healthy and play up to your capabilities. We are always looking to add people who can make us a better hockey team.

We got a couple guys (who can fill that Dustin Byfuglien role). We have Brandon Mashinter, who played well for us last year in Worcester. We were fortunate enough to sign a guy by the name of Cam MacIntyre, who signed with us from Princeton. Cam is 24 years of age, he is a big man. He is 24, not a kid. He is a very, very good hockey player that understands what he needs to do to play in this league. Having Dany Heatley back healthy. Unfortunately in the playoffs last year, he tore his groin so he was not able to do the things that we needed him to be able to do, particularly in the last series. When you talk about the Chicago series, the three guys that beat us from their team we feel were Dustin Byfuglien, Dave Bolland and Antti Niemi. You have to give them credit. Our guys, they know they accompished a lot last year, they also know that it is something to build upon not something that is going to satisfy us.

We appreciate everything Nabokov did for this organization, how hard he played for us and how hard he worked. You take a look back over the last five years under this system we play, not only the salary cap system but also with the new rules, the goalies that have gone on and had success, the Niemi’s, the Leighton’s, the Halak’s, Hiller, Osgood, Roloson, the Cam Ward’s… It’s not the high profile, high salary goaltenders, it is a certain style of play, how team’s have to dedicate their dollars to certain positions. That is what we did. It was not an easy decision, but out of respect to Nabokov we made the decision early. We let him know so he could go get a contract in Russia that I think is a very good contract for him. The goaltender we acquired, Niittymaki, in 2006 was the MVP of the Olympics. He played in Philadelphia, he played in Tampa. He got healthy last year, played very, very well for Tampa. We love the style of play, we love his size, we think he fits very well for us in a tandem with Thomas Greiss, Alex Stalock, Hari Sateri, who is another goaltender we believe strongly in. We think we are in a good position goaltending-wise.

Every team has done the same type of research we have done. There is a trend in this league, it is not just the who, it is the what. It is the style of play, the size of the goalie, things like that. The supply of goaltenders this summer far outreached the demand, there were not that many nets available. I think it was fairly predictable (Nabokov going to KHL). Marty Turco who has been around the league for a long time, ended up getting a contract in Chicago for 1.3 million. The market has changed. Goaltenders, the view of what successful teams are dedicating dollar-wise, but also style of play has certainly changed.

(Wink if you didn’t mind either signing Hjalmarsson or putting Chicago in a more precarious salary cap position) I guess you will never know if I winked or not. The reality is we liked the defenseman, Rob Blake retired, we put in a very fair offer, which was four years at 3.5 million, which would have worked within our salary structure. They would have got a first round pick and a third round pick for compensation. That is how the system is supposed to work. Whatever the fallout is, whatever other issues they have to deal with, that is their problem, not ours. My responsibility is to build the best team we can in San Jose. I won’t apoligize for that.

You want this to be a place players want to play, and you want to treat them with respect. When Curtis Brown came here, we gave him a fair deal, a short term deal. He was offered a 4-year deal in Chicago and I told him the same thing (I told Manny Malhotra), for your family’s sake, you are not going to get that offer from me. I will drive you to the airport, you have got to take it. In Manny (Malhotra’s) case, he gave us a very fair deal a year ago for $700,000 dollars. In the role he was going to play with us, and with the growth of Logan Couture, that probably wasn’t going to be the same role. For him to get the offer he got in Vancouver and with a no-movement clause, he had to take it. I don’t mind that it works out that way because other players will do the same thing. They would like to come to San Jose, play with a very good team, and if they can springboard back up to a higher end contract, it doesn’t fit for us but it does for somebody else, that’s ok.

You want guys who play a lot of minutes, who bring certain elements to your game. A name that is really important to our team dynamic is Douglas Murray. A big, physical guy who played really well last year and compliments Dan Boyle. Marc-Edouard Vlasic broke through in the playoffs and showed what he is capable of. Jason Demers, the best compliment I can give him is that Dan Boyle said he sees the same thing in him I saw in myself. When Dan Boyle compliments a player like that, it tells you something. We have Kent Huskins and Nick Wallin, who are veteran guys. We have a group of younger guys Mike Moore, Derek Joslin, Nick Petrecki, Matt Irwin, (UMass-Lowell free agent signee) Nick Schaus. We have a group of guys that are going to come in and compete for that 6/7 spot that will make the team in the future. You want competition, you want a physical guy, you want stoppers, you want puck movers. What we do is we use a forward on the point on the power play in Joe Pavelski, much like Detroit did with Mikael Samuelsson and many other teams. You need to have certain ingredients, not only in your defensive play, your stopping play, your physicality, the speed because of the transition play. Speed in hockey is not only through skating, speed can come from the ability to pass tape-to-tape. We have got all those compliments. Are we looking to add another player on the back end? We are always looking to add. If there are guys out there that fit, we have room in our payroll, we have all our picks left. I would venture to say we will probably add a defenseman at some point between now and the trade deadline like we have in the past. In the first instance you want your young guys to come in and compete for those spots because they are ready for that opportunity.

I think that is up to the league office to operate under the spirit of the collective bargaining agreement. Certainly there is another CBA up in a couple of years. I’ll leave it with them. We operate the way we operate. I don’t think we have to worry about the ramifications of any of what happened down the road. We treat our players very fairly. We want them to be played well. I think there are certain instances within this, I think I saw a GM use the word exploit the salary cap. Any time exploit is used as a verb, that brings into question what they’ve done. We work the system, we are always pushing the envelope, and we are as creative as we can be. I think there are times where if you get chalk on your toes, you crossed the line. I think it is up to the league to address that. That is what they have done in the last little while. I am sure they will address it going forward. There are always those Gordie Howe’s those Chris Chelios’, but that is more the abberation than the rule. I think you have to take a look at what the spirit of an agreement is, or the spirt of a collective bargaining agreement in particular, and make sure that is policed appropriately.

Too often in the world of sports you have people that are look at me people, and try to bring attention to themselves. (Patrick Marleau) is a true professional who won a gold medal last year representing his country, scored 44 goals in this league, has always carried himself in a classy way. He is one of the fastest players in the league. He is 6-2, 6-3, 225 pounds. His teammates respect him immensely. When you get chose for probably the hardest team to make in the world, the Canadian Olympic team, that should speak volumes. For him to step up, and as a pending unrestricted free agent, for him to decide to stay here in San Jose and see something through, particularly after last summer where we took the C off his shoulder because it was in his best interest and the team’s. He responded with character. He responded with work, and how he played on the ice. That is what you want as an athlete, that is what you want as a teammate. The outside noise, the people that don’t really know Patrick, they are entitled to their opinion but until you truely know somebody and spend time with them everday and see his commitment and his character, I would be very careful to judge him. He is one of the best players in this league. Hockey players never think they are bigger than the team or bigger than the game. Patrick Marleau is one heck of a hockey player. We are very proud to have him as a part of this organization.

More Shark Notes: A few Sharks are making the community rounds, defenseman Dan Boyle will ring the bell at the Winchester Mystery House 13 times on Friday the 13th. The late Victorian mansion has over 160 rooms, and many of the elaborately constructed stairways, windows and hallways lead to nowhere to trap ghosts. Joe Pavelski and SJ Sharkie will represent the teal nation today at Comcast Sports Net’s post-Giants game barbeque. Athletes from several local sports teams and the cheerleaders from the Niners and Warriors will be in attendance. The BBQ will start after the game at 370 3rd Street in San Francisco. Tune in to CSNBA’s Chronicle Live tonight for a special BBQ edition.

A final NARCh North American Rollerhockey Championship recap is up from California Rubber Magazine. The largest amateur inline hockey tournament in the world, this year hosted by San Jose, was expectedly California heavy in the results. 23 of the 32 divisional championship games had at least one Califorinia team participating, and 12 were all-California finals according to CR. One interesting note from the NARCh Pro Division (video of the Pro Division Finals here from Sharkspage), 6 of the 14 teams that qualified were from California (Eschelon Jr. Ducks HB, Eschelon Jr. Ducks, L.A. Pama Cyclones, Mission AKS Empire, Mission Axiom and Mission Momentum). The Tour Mudcats, who repeated as champions with the benefit of a last minute power play, lined up opposite of Mission Labeda Snipers forward and Philadelphia Flyers 2007 sixth round draft pick Patrick Maroon. Also noted from California Rubber, San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan was in attendance at Rollin Ice during the Finals weekend.

San Jose Sharks 2010 first round draft pick Charlie Coyle checked in with the Kings blog Mayors Manor on the recently completed USA Hockey evaluation camp in Lake Placid, NY. “I thought I was just going to come to camp and be a grinder. I didnt expect to put anything on the board or anything. So, those two goals boosted my confidence. It let me know that I can play with these guys and that I can be a big part of this. Knowing that I could score and contribute definitely helped me out a little bit,” Coyle told MM. The San Jose Sharks checked in with 2009 second round draft pick Taylor Doherty at Team Canada’s evaluation camp. “The World Junior team means the world to Canada. This is the first step to the development of the team. Everybody here is really excited about it; the players, the coaches and the staff. It’s pretty special for me to be invited here and participate in this camp.” the 6-foot-7, 230-pound defenseman told SJsharks.com last week.

[Update] New San Jose Sharks winger/grinder Jamal Mayers was interviewed Tueday on KNBR’s Razor and Mr. T show with Ralph Barbieri and former Golden State Warriors grinder Tom Tolbert. “I like to think of myself as being tough to play against, using my speed and being physical,” Mayers told Ralph and Tom on his style of play. As a former Maple Leaf, Flame and Blue, Mayers was also asked his thoughts about the Sharks from the outside looking in. “You can tell when (Sharks) come into your building, they are a team that expects to win.”

[Update2] Yahoo Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski has more on the Sharks decision to go with Niittymaki over Nabokov. The examination of goaltending styles with regards to San Jose and Evgeni Nabokov this offseason really began with this post, also with thoughts by SI’s Darren Eliot.

DOH Podcast #110: Devin Setoguchi, Jamal Mayers, Antti Niemi

[audio:http://dudesonhockey.com/podcast/doh_2010_0810.mp3]

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana discuss Devin Setoguchi’s one-year contract extension, the addition of unrestricted free agent grinder Jamal Mayers, RFA defenseman Derek Joslin, the Chicago Blackhawks pressing the eject button on Stanley Cup winning goaltender Antti Niemi in favor of Marty Turco, and the ongoing Ilya Kovalchuk saga among other topics on the 110th 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.

Music capital of the NHL? Faith No More, Metallica, Neil Young… San Jose Sharks fans

METALLICA LEAD SINGER JAMES HETFIELD AT SHARKS WCSF GAME 5

Interesting story from SJsharks.com yesterday, Boyle’s Summer Trips End with Olympic Reunion in Edmonton. In addition to touching on the Canadian Olympian mini-renunion to receive their championship rings, it was also noted that Boyle traveled to New York City to catch the reunion tour of Faith No More. The Bay Area based band split at the height of their fame in the late 90’s, but returned in February 2009 to start a scaled down global tour after over a decade on hiatus.

“They’ve been broken up for 14 years and just got back together for a summer tour and were playing a gig in San Francisco a couple days before the Colorado series,” Dan Boyle told SJsharks.com. Boyle is an avid music aficionado, one who hosted a weekly show called Boyle’s Blue Line on 98 Rock in Tampa Bay before being traded to the Sharks. According to the NHL, it began when he started playing music in the locker room, and lead to the hour long program. In San Jose he got to meet one of his favorite bands Faith No More.

“To make a long story short, Tom Holy (Sharks media relations manager) got a hold of their manager and they pretty much set me up backstage. I met everybody and since have become good friends with a couple of guys.” Boyle mentioned that two of the band members came down for a Colorado game in the 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals, and possibly another game against Chicago in the Western Conference Finals.

Dan Boyle also noted that lead singer Mike Patton, born in Eureka California, was scheduled to sing the national anthem prior to a game but had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. Patton is an interesting musical figure, one who splintered off into a wide array of different musical projects after Faith No More, some of them compelling, many of them unusual. He co-founded the independent Ipecac Recordings to produce an eclectic mix of bands, he created the background score for the short film (A Perfect Place, 2008) and (Crank High Voltage, 2009), and collaborated with dozens of performers and bands including the East Bay’s Dan the Automator and Jennifer Charles as part of Lovage.

If Patton would have sang the National Anthem prior to the Sharks series clinching Game 5 against Detroit in the WCSF, he would have done so in front of another famed Bay Area native. The lead singer for Metallica, James Hetfield, was spotted in one of his many appearances in the crowd at the Tank. Grammy award winning folk singer Neil Young and his son, a die-hard Sharks fan, are also regulars at HP Pavilion. Even local college bands are getting in the act. The Whiskey Avengers penned the infectious Cheechoo-Tameu ska tune, which may be the best song about hockey in California starring Finnish and Cree-Nation hockey players ever made.

Los Angeles and New York may lead the NHL in star musical fans, but how much credit does a Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber engender (pun intended). For sheer talent and ability to not suck, San Jose may be knocking on Nashville’s door as music capital of the NHL.

One of Sharkspage’s goals for 2010-11 is to get noted East Bay cellist Nathan Chan nominated to play the national anthem at a game. He debuted at Carnegie Hall at 12, was asked by Roberta Flack to play on her album at 13, and released his first CD at 15. Sign him up.

Kontinental Hockey League/SKA Saint Petersburg Evgeni Nabokov press conference

GREBESHKOV, MEDVEDEV, NABOKOV ATTEND PRESS CONFERENCE - KHL

The KHL released a partial transcript of Friday’s press conference to announce the signing of former San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, and former Kings/Islanders/Oilers/Predators defenseman Denis Grebeshkov with SKA Saint Petersburg. They were joined by KHL/SKA president Alexander Medvedev to answer questions from the Russian media.

[Q] How did your relatives feel about the move to Russia? It’s no secret that Evgeny Nabokov’s kids don’t even speak Russian.

[Evgeni Nabokov] The fact that my kids don’t speak Russian was one of the reasons for the move. They should know their roots, the country’s culture. My wife supported me completely on this. My parents were really happy, especially my father, who’ll be able to see me play more often.

[Denis Grebeshkov] My parents were also very excited. My mom will finally have a chance to visit me during the season, and my father will be able to watch hockey on TV at a normal hour in the evening, instead of late at night.

[Q] Seeing a goalie wear No. 20 reminds everyone of Tretiak. What led you to that choice, Evgeny?

[Evgeni Nabokov] That’s the number my father wore.

[Q] As you were signing contracts with a Russian club, were you at all motivated – in addition to the good terms – by a desire to benefit Russian hockey with your play?

[Evgeni Nabokov] Without a doubt. That’s exactly why we’ve returned to Russia. Russian players want to perform at home, that’s logical. I think that’s a trend that will continue for the near future.

[Denis Grebeshkov] Perhaps it would be a bit immodest for us to say that we’re going to take the KHL to a new level with our play, but we’re going to try to do everything possible to improve our hockey. It’s more satisfying to compete for your own native Cup.

[Alexander Medvedev] I’d like to add that 250 Russian hockey players have left for North America over the past decade. Of them, just 15 played in the NHL. And of those who returned, just 10 players have been able to continue their professional careers in Russia. This is yet another reminder that no one is planning to interfere with players who want to test themselves in the NHL. It’s just a question of at what age, and at what physical and mental state, it makes sense to do that. It’s no coincidence that we want to include age restrictions in our future framework agreement with the NHL, in order to protect the futures of kids who not only do not develop there, but often degrade as players. Don’t forget that Ovechkin and Malkin, before their NHL debuts, played more than 100 matches each at Russian hockey’s top level. Before leaving for North America, you need to learn something at home first. So that some North American coach in the AHL won’t tell a young defenseman: “Forget all your Russian tricks and just fire the puck along the boards.”

[Q] In the upcoming season we’ll once again have pauses for the Euro Hockey Tour. How would you prefer the season be held: with four breaks in the calendar, or with all of regular season games in a row?

[Denis Grebeshkov] Of course it’s easier to play 82 games in a row and not have to think about anything else. But it’s always a pleasure to travel for the Russian national team. We’ll play for the fans.

[Evgeni Nabokov] I’ll answer briefly: If it’s necessary, I’ll come.

[Alexander Medvedev] I want to stress that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) will fulfill all of the contract obligations that it has agreed to. We anticipated a “window” for the national team. There are no Olympics this year, and the world championship time frame is reasonable. That allowed us to schedule the playoffs, with the exception of the first round, without so-called doubled matches, where the first and second games, as well as the third and fourth games, are held back to back in two days.

As for the players who will be called on to compete for the national team, it’s entirely logical that Russian fans want to see the best. The only question is how strong these competitions will be. Which is exactly why for the 2011-12 season, I, as a member of the IIHF, and FHR President Vladislav Tretiak will propose ways to reform these competitions, to improve them. We need higher-quality competitions without losing money for the FHR. It’s no secret that the Euro Hockey Tour is a source of financing for the FHR. But the KHL also has a financial relationship with the FHR. And that means that from September or October we’ll be discussing the competition format with the Federation. Russia has the ability to influence the fate of this tournament.

In conclusion, to make this press conference even more interesting, I’ll add that I’ve received confirmation that forward Maxim Afinogenov has agreed to the terms of his contract with SKA. It’s a so-called 5+1 deal, where he’ll sign for five years with an option for a sixth season if both sides agree. Maxim Afinogenov is returning to Russia.

[Update] Nabokov talks about coming home to KHL, why league isn’t ‘step back’ – Dmitry Chesnokov for Yahoo’s Puck Daddy.

Nabokov: “It’s very interesting, why does everyone always think that when you come back it’s a step back?”

Reporter: I mean that the level of competition is a little different.

Nabokov: “Let me ask you, would you want to play for the Edmonton Oilers, for example?” [laughter] “Let me tell you that when you have a choice and you have something to choose from, you always want to play for a good team, compete for medals and such. I will speak for myself, but the situation was such that I had no choice of a good team to play for and to play at the high level. To me it was very important to play for a good team, to try to win.”

Nabokov also said that he wanted to stay with the Sharks saying “when my contract with the Sharks ended my family and I discussed my career options and decided that if I was offered to stay with San Jose I would definitely have to agree. Overall all NHL teams are full of players so there is nowhere to go, you can say. Before, when a player became a free agent, he had a lot of choices, he was sought for. It all different now … At the end of June I spoke with the Sharks GM who told me that the club would not be able to keep me. They needed to “fill other holes.” It was a difficult decision for the club as well.” He added: “the situation is such that clubs’ management has to choose whether to sign a second line player or a goalie. That’s why right now they are seeking second goalies, younger guys are given a lot more chances. It is a question to GMs.”

The combative side of Evgeni Nabokov comes through in his comment about Edmonton. It should be noted that 4 days before Nabokov’s comment, the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers agreed to a co-affiliation with an ECHL team in Stockton. For the Sharks, the contracts that needed to be locked up were 4-year deals for Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski. GM Doug Wilson opted to go with a tandem of Niittymaki and Greiss instead of the veteran workhorse Nabokov, and the move allows him more flexbility under the salary cap to make adjustments for 2010-11.

[Update2] More bits from championat.ru (rough google translation):

[Q] You know about the transition Afinogenov?

[A] I do not know, but it’s great! SKA – a good team. I want to play it in such a team, which set itself the task to win in the league, and not just get into the playoffs.

[Q] You have an American wife, and she supported your decision to move to Russia? It’s amazing.

[A] We’re going out of our comfort zone. Six or seven years ago such a scenario would have been unrealistic, but I spoke with Alexander Medvedev on the conditions he saw his attitude, and a desire to move to the SKA. Based on this, to weigh all the pros and cons easily.

[Q] Did you consult with players on SKA?

[A] Yes, I spoke with Maxim Sushinski, Sergei Zubov, Andrei Zyuzin. They outlined the situation to me. I need to know what’s what, before making a decision.

[Q] SKA now the most-most star team composition.

[A] Probably, I may say so. But this does not guarantee victory. Buy a cup is not possible. How old is the Rangers could not win the Stanley Cup. In San Jose “We had a good team. But somewhere out of luck, somewhere injury.

[Q] What in “San Jose” was not enough?

[A] It would be nice if I knew the answer. Over the past five years, we claim the high ground, but always something was missing.

[Q] Many people in general have drawn parallels between SKA and the “San Jose”. Teams perform well in the “regular season” and then something happens in the playoffs …

[A] We will try to overcome this. When you come out on the ice, all these thoughts and calculations are forgotten.

[Q] You have heard that Sergei Zubov had difficulty adjusting after the NHL? He complained about the weather, and the fact that he could not get his car repaired…

[A] Well, in Chicago, there is bad weather too (laughs). I can not say anything about this, for myself I have not experienced it.

[Q] Do you fear that you will be focused on with much attention as the star?

[A] It will be interesting championship for the spectators.

[Q] Still, why you decided to go to the KHL? After offering the same in the NHL to stay?

[A] I ended the contract with the San Jose, we discussed options with his family to continue my career and have decided that if the offer to stay in San Jose, you certainly have to agree. In general, NHL teams are now full of players who can say that nowhere to go. Previously, when a player becomes a free agent, he was a great choice, he was snapped up. Now everything is different.

[Q] When did the option come with the SKA?

[A] In the circle of loved ones we have discussed that option before, but so far acted in my contract with the San Jose, I thought much about it.

[Q] During the Olympics representatives SKA with you contacted?

[A] No. SKA has expressed interest during the week before July 1.

[Q] Of other CHL clubs were suggestions?

[A] For me it was important to get a good city and the team claiming victory.

[Q] From Moscow was there interest?

[A] No.

[Q] Your family has come too?

[A] No, they come closer to the end of August.

[Q] “San Jose” in general tried to keep you?

[A] In late June, I spoke with general manager, who said that the club can not hold me back. They had to “fill other holes”.

[Q] And other NHL clubs?

[A] I was eager to make a decision. Maybe if I waited, the proposal would have received. But I never regret my choice.

[Q] Finally when they decided to go to the SKA?

[A] 4 or 5 July. I do not want to wait. It is psychologically difficult.

[Q] Ovechkin said he was extremely surprised by your decision and was waiting for you in “Washington.”

[A] What, he did not call me (laughs)? General Manager of “Washington” said that they have two young goalkeeper, and “Semyon Varlamov” very promising …

Full video of the press conference is available from championat.ru here, in Russian.

[Related] Former San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov signs 4-year, $24M contract with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg – Sharkspage.

The Hockey News/XM Home Ice 204 Podcast: Ilya Kovalchuk saga, Antti Niemi, Atlanta GM Rick Dudley

[audio:http://rstorage.filemobile.com/storage/3093217/31.mp3]

Last week on The Hockey News Radio Show with Scott Laughlin and Adam Proteau on XM Satellite Radio Home Ice Channel 204: Adam and Scott were in Toronto for another bi-weekly, off-season edition of THN Radio. In the show’s opening segment, the guys talk about Ilya Kovalchuk’s ongoing contract saga, the remaining free agents on the market, and Antti Niemi. In the second block, Atlanta GM Rick Dudley joins the guys to talk about the Thrashers’ numerous off-season changes and the changes in the free agent marketplace. In the final block, Ask Adam takes questions from callers regarding the Vancouver Canucks, Clarke MacArthur and the arbitration process, and the Buffalo Sabres.

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.

UFC 117 Silva vs. Sonnen weigh-ins in Oakland, main card preview

ANDERSON SILVA, CHAEL SONNEN MAKE WEIGHT FOR UFC 117 MAIN EVENT

HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (240lbs) IN OAKLAND

SAN JOSE'S JON FITCH MADE 171, THIAGO ALVES MISSED AT 171.5

JON FITCH GAVE ONE MORE POSE BEFORE FACEOFF WITH ALVES

UFC 117 Silva vs. Sonnen is a reclamation project of sorts. The USA Today/SB Nation consensus #1 ranked Middleweight and Sherdog’s #1 ranked pound-for-pound mixed martial arts athlete, Anderson Silva, is looking to rebound from one of the most embarassing performances in the history of the sport.

The longest tenured UFC Champion outclassed a game Damian Maia at the inaugural UFC 112 event in Abu Dhabi, but completely lost his mental focus and proceeded to dance around the cage in the later rounds. Silva tapped the mat with his gloves, stuck out his chin, pounded on his chest and asked Maia to hit him, embarassing himself in front of a global audience. UFC president Dana White was so upset by the performance, he did not remain cageside for the full fight and for the first time asked a fighter’s corner to hand out the championship belt.

If it was Anderson Silva’s intention to change hearts and minds in the leadup to UFC 117 in Oakland, it has not been successful. Instead the media buildup and hype has centered around the borderline insane rants of former Oregon wrestler Chael Sonnen. Sonnen has jostled a sleeping mainstream media into paying attention for this main event. Sonnen has touched on apropos subjects, citing Silva’s failure to engage by calling him anti-UFC, he has said he will take Silva down to the mat and blow a hole through his head, and he has said that he is going to retire Silva. Then there is the straight bizarre. Chael Sonnen veered off into intricate racial insults based on Silva’s Brazilian heritage, the Portuguese language itself, homophobic insinuations about Silva’s pink t-shirts and earrings (Anderson Silva subsequently wore a pink sweater to the pre-fight press conference), and an unhinged remark made and then denied about Lance Armstrong taking drugs and giving himself cancer.

He finished with a question at the pre-fight press conference when asked about how he felt in the leadup to the fight. “I am sick, tired, under the weather, overtrained, under motivated, and still tough enough to beat this guy,” Sonnen said to a laughing crowd. It is has been par for the course for the largest heel in MMA.

What Chael Sonnen’s rants have done is distract from the mandate Anderson Silva was given by UFC president Dana White. After his performance against Maia at UFC 112, White said he would cut Silva if he did it again. When asked about that statement after the 117 weigh-ins, Dana White walked backed the remarks. “It wasn’t about (having a bad performance), lots of guys are going to have a night where they are not going to have a good performance. It is not about that,” White told MMA Weekly. “It is about acting like a lunatic. If he goes out and acts like a nut, like he did that night, yes I would cut him.” Then White responded to Chael Sonnen’s quote that Silva would be cut just by losing. “He is pound for pound the best fighter in the world, he loses one fight in 3 years and I am going to cut him? No,” White responded.

That is a lot to wade through, but Silva-Sonnen may not even be the most compelling or second most compelling fight of the night. #6 USA Today/SB Nation ranked heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos will meet former IFL heavyweight champion and The Ultimate Fighter season 10 reality show winner Roy “Big Country” Jones in a fight with title implications. The UFC Heavyweight title picture is back front and center after Brock Lesnar retured from a life threatening injury, then picked himself off the mat for a come-from-behind win over Shane Carwin. Quickly vaulted to the top of the heavyweight rankings, Lesnar will have to run the gauntlet of Carwin, Cain Velasquez and JDS to begin to approach the tenure of the #1 ranked heavyweight that preceeded him, Fedor Emelianenko.

Junior dos Santos is looking to build on a 6-fight winning streak, 5 of those coming in the UFC (including knockout of the nights against Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum). JDS is a well rounded competitor, can push fighters the distance, and he has heavy power and pinpoint accuracy in both hands. Many are targeting San Jose based Cain Velasquez as the heavyweight with the best chance to upset Brock Lesnar. Velasquez will meet Lesnar at UFC 121 October 23rd, 2010 in Anaheim. Junior dos Santos can make a statement on his rightful place in the heavyweight proceedings, and earn the UFC heavyweight #1 contender spot with a win over BJJ black belt Roy Nelson.

San Jose’s Jon Fitch has earned four straight unanimous decision wins after losing to UFC Welterweight title hodler George St. Pierre in August of 2008. The USA Today/SB Nation #2 ranked Welterweight Jon Fitch will meet the #3 ranked Thiago Alves in the co-main event at UFC 117 in Oakland. Both having lost to GSP, the winner Saturday night will earn a rematch and a shot at the title. The Fitch-Alves meeting was delayed after Alves was diagnosed with an unusal formation of blood vessels in his brain that turned up in a routine pre-fight cat scan. According to the UFC preview show, it was likely there since birth. Alves had a successful procedure to remove the problem, but his historical problems with cutting weight surfaced again. He missed Friday’s 171 pound weight limit by a half a pound. Alves declined to drop the final weight and opted instead to forfeit 20% of his show purse to Fitch as a result.

“It is going to be a lot of pressure, tight technically, checking leg kicks,” Fitch told Sherdog’s Greg Savage when asked to preview the fight in a recent video interview. “It is pretty obvious what I need to do with him, it is just a matter of getting it done.” Fitch dominated the action en route to a 2nd round TKO over Alves at UFC’s Ultimate Fight Night 5 in June 2006. “I am comfortable fighting anywhere, but I let the fight dictate itself,” he said of the sequel.

Savage also asked about the possibility of fighting American Kickboxing Academy San Jose teammate Josh Koshcheck, should Koshcheck defeat GSP in their meeting rumored to be in December. “If Josh Koshcheck wins and defends, then I will go up to 185,” Fitch said. He noted that a Koshcheck win would amost certainly result in an instant rematch. In the interim 8-10 months, Fitch said there are still competitive matches for him at 170 including the impressive Dane Martin Kampmann, former WEC Welterweight champ Carlos Condit, and Dan Hardy. “If (Koshcheck) wins and defends, I will have fought everyone at 170 and would still move up,” Fitch said.

First he will have his hands full with Thiago Alves Saturday night in Oakland.

[Update] Full-size Jon Fitch black and white photo is available here. Bonus weigh-in photo #1: Fitch-nation invades Raider-nation. Bonus weigh-in photo #2: UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste.

San Jose Sharks sign forwards Jamal Mayers, Steven Zalewski, and defenseman Derek Joslin

SAN JOSE SHARKS ANNOUNCED SIGNING OF RW JAMAL MAYERS WEDNESDAY

Over the last two days the Sharks have announced the signings of unrestricted free agent right wing Jamal Mayers, and the last remaining restricted free agents Steven Zalewski and defenseman Derek Joslin. “Jamal is a fast, physical, team-first player who brings the ingredients we were looking for to this role,” San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson said of Mayers. “He is an extremely fit athlete who can kill penalties and we think he will mesh well with our group of forwards.”

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound winger registered 3 goals, 14 points and 131 penalty minutes in 71 games split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calagary Flames last season. St. Louis radio host and Hockeybuzz.com columnist Andy Strickland broke news of “Jammer” coming to San Jose on Tuesday, and noted that he signed a one-year $600,000 contract for an expected fourth line role alongside center Scott Nichol. In an email to Sharkspage, Stickland described Mayers as a player “who will provide a good dressing room presence, and stick up for his teammates. He can kill penalties as well as take important defensive zone face-offs.”

Mayers was traded from the last place team in the Eastern Conference, to a Western Conference Calgary Flames squad with more than its share of problems. Alleged locker room issues forced former Sharks head coach and current Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter to trade defenseman Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie to Toronto January 31st for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers. One day later, Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust were traded to the New York Rangers for underachieving forwards Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalík.

After ceding the eighth and final playoff spot to the Colorado Avalanche, and finishing with a horrible 7-3 performance to end the season on the road in Vancouver, Mayers stepped in front of reporters and in front of the media criticism last April. “We’ve got a lot of character people in this room, we came up short, and the responsibility lies with us to get better and make sure this never happens again,” Mayers told the Calgary Herald. Flames GM Darryl Sutter offered Mayers a contract to remain in Calgary, but the unrestricted 12-year veteran did not re-sign.

Instead he will join a potent San Jose team with a clearly defined role. The Sharks will look for an energy element along with Scott Nichol on the fourth line, look for Mayers to absorb some of the penalty kill and faceoff duty lost with the departure of Jed Ortmeyer and Manny Malhotra, and look for him to ramp up the intensity to another level or three should the Sharks make the playoffs. More of a middleweight than a true heavyweight, Mayers did tie a career high with 15 fighting majors last season. Jason Plank offered an excellent statistical analysis of Jamal Mayers at Fear the Fin, noting that quality of competition, penalty killing, and penalties taken vs penalties drawn were all areas of recent concern. One has to factor in the two teams he did play for, the system-wide problems they struggled with, and his regular season and playoff experience against San Jose during his long St. Louis Blues tenure.

Manny Malhotra played for the Sharks last year at less than 50% of his 2008-09 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although he expected to remain in San Jose for a longer term, Malhotra’s subsequent 3-year $7.5 million deal with Vancouver more than rewarded his well rounded contributions. Mayers took a similar pay cut for fourth line duty in San Jose, signing for less than 50% of his $1.3 million 2009-10 salary with Toronto and Calgary. With the possibility of lining up two rookies alongside Scott Nichol on the fourth line, GM Doug Wilson opted instead to bring in a veteran grinder who can skate and play the body. Last year during training camp, Wilson added veteran experience bringing in Jed Ortmeyer, Manny Malhotra, and tryout Dan Hinote. Hinote did not make the team after 3 preseason appearances.

In addition to adding veteran experience, the Sharks also went a little off the board adding youth to the roster. Very few print or online pundits would have predicted Jason Demers and Benn Ferriero making the 2009-10 opening night roster. There was fairly in-depth analysis of the Sharks defensive prospects online during the rookie tournament and training camp, but Demers came into training camp with very little hype. Whether a Cameron MacIntyre, Steven Zalewski, Andrew Desjardins, Frazer McLaren or Brandon Mashinter will join a Logan Couture (25 NHL games played) or a Jamie McGinn (94 NHL games played) on on the 2010-11 opening night roster in Stockholm will remain to be seen.

More Shark notes:

While it was reported last week, the Sharks confirmed today that Worcester’s second leading scorer (22G, 40A, 78GP) Steven Zalewski signed a one-year contract. The Sharks also reported that the last remaining restricted free agent, defenseman Derek Joslin, also will return to the organization with a one-year contract. A polished, puck-moving defenseman Joslin registered 3 assists in 24 games played with the San Jose Sharks last season, and 5 goals and 27 assists in 55 games played for the Worcester Sharks. Joslin took a small step back on the defensive depth chart last season, but he is more than capable of earning a spot on the NHL roster out of training camp, or serving as a depth replacement.

Star Tribune reporter Michael Russo reported today that UFA Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell received a clean bill of health after taking physicals from several NHL teams. “The former Wild defenseman, I’m told, actually could sign a contract with performance bonuses because he spent 100 days on injured reserve last year — including the playoffs… I bet it’ll be for a base of $1 or $1.5 million on a one-year deal plus bonuses,” Russo said. The Sharks have over $3.1 million in cap space with a full NHL compliment of players according to capgeek.com. A $1 million or $1.5 million contract would certainly fit into the Sharks salary cap structure, but any large scale performance bonuses could set up the Sharks for a Chicago Blackhawks-esque penalty after the season. They could be looking to sign a one-year deal to improve a player’s profile, or could wait up until the trade deadline to trade for a player under more favorable circumstances. According to Michael Russo and the Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle, Washington and San Jose are possibilities for Willie Mitchell’s services. Sportsnet.ca reported Monday that Mitchell narrowed down his choice to 4 teams: Vancouver, Detroit, San Jose and Washington.

Two notes related to Monday’s Sharks/Oilers affiliation press conference with the Stockton Thunder — Stockton head coach Matt Thomas said he could confirm one NHL contracted goaltender assignment from the Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks. Highly regarded Finnish prospect Harri Sateri may be slated to remain in Finland, but two other possibilities for Stockton could include Thomas Heemskerk or recent collegiate free agent signee Carter Hutton. The San Jose Sharks also severed their ECHL affiliation with the ECHL Kalamazoo K-Wings. “The opportunity to have an affiliation in Stockton that is geographically and economically beneficial was hard to pass up,” assistant GM/VP Wayne Thomas said.

San Jose’s first round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft has been impressive at USA Hockey’s evaluation camp. Center Charlie Coyle was named to the U.S. under-20 roster, one of 29 first or second round NHL Entry Draft selections to be invited to compete from July 30th to August 7th. The USA roster was trimmed from 42 to 28 on August 2nd after three scrimmages, but Coyle remained on the squad. In the first 2 games against Sweden and Finland at Lake Placid, Team USA is 2-0. Coyle had the game winning goal in a 6-3 stomping of Team Sweden on Tuesday. Team USA will face Sweden again on Friday (1PM PT), and Finland in the final game on Saturday (1PM PT). Games are available via pay-per-view on USAHockey.FASTHockey.com, full camp coverage is available via usahockey.com.

In a Top-10 list on TheHockeyNews.com, Jamie Ross named former San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov as the top NHL player to ever leave the NHL for Russia. This blog reached a similar conclusion here.

[Update] Welcome to San Jose Mr. Mayers, 12-Year NHL Veteran Inks One-Year Deal with Sharks – SJsharks.com.

[Update2] The Workhorse Goaltender – Mile High Hockey.