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Cry of the FIsh Monger Oh Yeah, the Season Started. Somebody Tell the Players- Part 2
Our hockey correspondant Ian continues his look at the Sharks season with player reviews.
Ah. the Sharks roster, chock full of the most unique, special, fragile snowflakes that ever graced a consistently good (regular season) team. And Mike Grier. I'll also grant an exception to defenseman Douglas "Crankshaft" Murray, crypto-Swede, inventor of the Ubertap, and capable of some of the most punishing checks
Sharks fans have ever seen. Too bad he's not faster, or he'd be more than just a 6-7 d-man.
Sharks fans have been spoiled recent years by spectacular individual performances by guys like Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek, and Grier. As we mentioned in Part I, those feats didn't mean diddly in the playoffs, and so far this year the team has played even more inconsistently. Let's look at some of the key players, and what they need to do to help the team get over the team's mini-funk.
Reviews after the jump
Joe Thornton - He's still a superstar, he's over a point per game, and he's shooting more and therefore getting more goals, so no real complaints here. We'd really like him to take control of a game when the Sharks are back on their heels. He's capable of it, but needs to do it more.
Patrick Marleau - Where to start? He's not scoring. He's not clicking with his linemates. He's not going to the net hard to shake off his slump. He needs a mulligan on this season, starting like now.
Jonathan Cheechoo - Another guy that needs a mulligan. He's bounced around on all 4 forward lines, and appears to be working hard, but isn't the kind of player that can do it alone. He needs to work better with either Marleau or Thornton to get himself in position to use his laser shot, and just keep shooting until he gets the timing right.
Evgeni Nabokov - With Vesa Toskala traded to Toronto in the off-season, he should have been happy with the vote of confidence and consistent work. But Nabby has mirrored the rest of the team in looking alternately great and terrible, often within a single period. You're the man, dude. Start playing up to that.
Christian Ehrhoff - Stop being such a space cadet.
Sandis Ozolinsh - Whoa, flashback! Oz has had a rough decade since his trade from the Sharks and subsequent Cup win with Colorado. He's now back after dealing with substance-abuse issues, and GM Doug Wilson may have pulled an ace out of his sleeve if Ozolinsh can regain his potent yet also crazy offensive touch. Or Wilson may have pulled an older, Latvian version of Christian Ehrhoff out of his sleeve. It's a gamble.