The Sharks won't have the most experienced TV broadcast team next season -- but they might have the most penalized.

Marty McSorley, whose penalty totals are the fourth highest in NHL history, will replace Drew Remenda as the team's TV analyst alongside Randy Hahn, the Sharks announced Wednesday.

But what Kingston didn't expect in the Sharks' first ever training camp would be having his two trainers, Tommy Woodcock and Bob Crocker, Jr., go down to injuries. Plus, one night his team sat in an airplane on the tarmac thanks to a flat tire.
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"One went down with a bad back caused by carting along the extra bags and the other went down with a cut hand that took him out of the action," Kingston remembered. "The players stepped right in, sharpened the skates, did the things that needed to be done to keep the show on the road. The players were great."
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Wayne Presley and Jayson More stood out. Presley found out he could sharpen skates pretty well and More knew his way around the washer and dryer, an essential skill for any hockey team.

"Wayne was very, very good," said Kingston. "I think what you do, you find talents of your players and talents of the people in the organization that are not called upon to use very often. Certainly, 'Press' did a great job with the skates and other players picked up and each shouldered part of the responsibility to make the job of the team functioning well.

"You name the player and they all shouldered a different responsibility. Jayson, I think his wife had him well trained, sure."

The official verdict from Sharks management to keep teenage defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the roster was somewhat anticlimatic.

Vlasic had played so well that it was obvious he wouldn't be shipped back to juniors. He had already aced the most important part of his test — acceptance from his teammates.

"All you do is watch how your players respond to him," coach Ron Wilson said. "That's more important than anything. If he's only playing because I like him, but they're sitting there going, 'What the hell is this guy doing in the lineup?' You'd see that right away. But there is none of that."

Vlasic's locker room nickname is a predictable one.

"I said 'Pickles, you're out with Hannan,'" Wilson said. "And it stuck."

For the record, Vlasic said his family isn't connected to the famous brand of Kosher dills and sweet relishes.

The San Jose Sharks assigned right-wing Steve Bernier and defenceman Matt Carle to their AHL affiliate in Worcester on Tuesday, a surprising demotion for two of their top young regulars.

General manager Doug Wilson needed two weeks to calm down after the San Jose Sharks' second-round exit from the playoffs, and he's still not ready to make any quick decisions on the futures of his players and coaches.

Saying he's "frustrated and disappointed" with the end of an otherwise successful season, Doug Wilson plans to decide by next week whether coach Ron Wilson will return to San Jose next season.

EAGLE TRIBUNE/MONTREAL GAZETTE/EDMONTON JOURNAL/NEW ENGLAND HOCKEY JOURNAL: recently published articles regarding potential off-season moves by the San Jose Sharks. Brian Messenger suggests re-signing Joe Thornton, who'll be a UFA next summer, to a new contract around $8 million per season might be a risky move, considering he's yet to carry his strong regular season performances into the playoffs. Pat Hickey also weighs in on Thornton's poor post-season numbers, suggesting Sharks GM Doug Wilson might be tempted to trade Thornton if the price was right.

Jim Matheson believes Thornton is the Sharks only untouchable player, although he also doubts that team captain Patrick Marleau will be shopped, although he acknowledged the club will be hard-pressed to retain both next summer, when Marleau is also eligible for UFA status. Matt Kalman seized on Doug Wilson's recent statement that the goalie tandem of Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala will be broken up this off-season, speculating as to what it might take for the Boston Bruins to land one of them. He suggests an offer of veteran forward Glen Murray, a prospect or two and goalie Hannu Toivonen for Nabokov, and Toivonen and either lesser prospects and/or PJ Axelsson for Toskala.

Spector's Note: Hat tip to GJ Berg for most of these links. If it comes down to a choice between Thornton and Marleau, the Sharks will retain Thornton despite his less than stellar post-season numbers. I concur with Matheson: Thornton's untouchable, Marleau probably won't be dealt.

As for Nabokov, he's got a no-trade clause. And no, players don't waive them all the time, only if they're in the final year of their contract and playing for a team going nowhere (hello there, Peter Forsberg and Keith Tkachuk). Toskala, on the other hand, doesn't have a NTC and carries a very affordable contract ($1.375 million) for next season, making him the most likely Shark to be traded.

Coach Ron Wilson returns to Sharks with vote of confidence from GM

Ron Wilson and assistants Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler will get another chance to coax post-season success out of the Sharks despite a second-round playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings last month. The post-season exit - culminating with three straight losses - infuriated Doug Wilson, apparently prompting the GM to consider major changes to his winning club.

"This coaching staff will be back, and I'll look forward to the work we're going to do," Doug Wilson said.

Rookie forward Devin Setoguchi became the first player in San Jose Sharks franchise history to tally two goals in his NHL debut as the Sharks defeated the Stars, 4-2, on Monday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Setoguchi, 20, became just the 12th Sharks player to score a goal in his NHL debut and the first to score twice. Current teammates Joe Pavelski (Nov. 22, 2006 vs Los Angeles), Matt Carle (March 25, 2006 at Minnesota) and Milan Michalek (Oct. 9, 2003 at Edmonton) are the only other Sharks on the current roster who have accomplished that feat.

Mutt And Jeff

Sharks rookies Torrey Mitchell and Devin Setoguchi room together at home and on the road, drive to work together and hang out with each other, but the irony is it didn’t start out that way.
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“They live together, they go everywhere together,” said Jeremy Roenick. “If one bends down to touch his foot, I think the other does the same.”
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As for laundry, Setoguchi would rather take the money he saves on an extra car and buy new clothes, but there was a reprieve recently.

“His girlfriend was in town and did his laundry and mine,” said Setoguchi.

“It needed to be done,” pointed out Mitchell.

The more I see of the San Jose Sharks, the more I do not see a true Stanley Cup contender.

Sure, the Sharks staged a nifty little third period comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night, but what the heck were they doing trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes in the first place?

Clearly the Sharks were no more prepared to play hockey against Toronto than the Leafs were against the Kings in Los Angeles Thursday night or the night before that in Anaheim when they were smoked by a combined score of 10-2.

<Click on image for bobblehead action...>

A most sad and ironic death:

SHARKS FAN KILLED BY A SHARK

Yikes...

Good thing I'm a Ducks' fan.

I wasa thinking the same thing. I can't see any of us getting mauled to death by a duck.

Obviously you haven't seen this ghastly video of the terrifying Ducks of Yorkshire! Watch at your own peril (decapitations, bodies flying, oh the humanity!)

DUCK ATTACK

It is official.

Ron Wilson's out.

Ron Wilson said this on NBC... (in response to rumors of him being fired in San Jose)

"That's irrelevant. I mean, you look at my record and it's second to none... literally." He then said he's not worried about being fired or something to that effect, don't remember exactly so I don't want to quote it. I don't have a contact inside the Sharks organization or anything, but how ignorant can you be?

Some of their players specifically came to San Jose to play for Wilson (if you can believe the media). I wonder if there will be a little bit of abandon ship mentality going on this Summer in the silly valley?

No Ron Wilson please. I couldn't stand him seeing him everytime we played the Sharks so I don't want him on our bench. He'd probably stop the action to alert the refs that Selanne's stick is too curved or something.

The San Jose Sharks will announce that Todd McLellan has been named as the new Sharks head coach at a press conference on Thursday morning at HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Multiple media sources have reported that former Norfolk Admirals coach Trent Yawney will return to the NHL coaching ranks as a San Jose Sharks assistant.

Bay Area sports teams reach out to non-traditional groups

... From cultivating gays in San Francisco to trying to make San Jose the launch pad to promote ice hockey in China, Bay Area pro sports teams are facing the demographic fact that the biggest growth in their fan base isn't necessarily among fans with a lifelong affinity for their sport.

Latinos and Asians will comprise the majority of U.S. population growth between now and 2020. But in Santa Clara County, they will represent 90 percent of all growth, according to state and federal population projections. Teams like the San Jose Sharks and the 49ers will increasingly need to attract fans who did not grow up watching Joe Montana throw on Sunday afternoon, or hearing the crack of a slap shot on a winter night.

Recognizing that demographic fact, the four mainstream professional leagues are trying to expand their demographic base. They are cultivating female, Latino, Asian, and gay and lesbian fans; signing international stars who can forge lucrative immigrant connections in a team's home market; and even planting teams outside the United States.

The Sharks are following that last route. San Jose's NHL franchise will have an affiliated pro team in Shanghai this fall with North American and Asian players - the China Sharks - playing teams from Japan and Korea.

The goal, said Sharks President and Chief Executive Greg Jamison, is to seed hockey interest in the world's most populous nation.

"It's a generational process," Jamison concedes...

A handful of lucky Sharks fans were surprised when they opened their front doors this week to be greeted by San Jose Sharks players.
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Elliot showed Setoguchi all the Sharks memorabilia in his house, which included his son Ben’s room. The room which had a huge Sharks logo painted on the wall, included a dry erase whiteboard with “Make bed” and “Pick up clothes off floor” listed as chores.

Setoguchi autographed Ben’s whiteboard and wrote, “Sorry I missed ya. P.S. I always made my bed.”

Are there other compelling issues, or things that bear watching, as the Sharks enter training camp?

McKeon: Two big things to watch are what changes will the new coach bring in terms of style of play and handling of the team. Another is watching the new defense take shape. McLellan is certainly going to make changes, and he’s expected to put a system in place that emphasizes moving the puck quickly and getting on opponents more aggressively. Certainly, too, McLellan will try to bring some of the things that worked in Detroit, but he’s going to have to do it without a Nicklas Lidstrom. Speaking of the blue line, it will be interesting to see what Blake has left, how Boyle transitions from an open style of play in the East to a more defensively accountable game in the West, and how much players such as Ehrhoff and Vlasic are ready to step up and take more responsibility. Sub-plots in camp, too, include the need for bounce-back seasons, especially offensively, from Ryane Clowe, Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, to some extent. Also, can Mitchell avoid the sophomore jinx?

The San Jose Sharks are being bitten by the injury bug – again.

Forward Mike Grier is out for four-to-six weeks after getting his knee scoped and veteran Jeremy Roenick is also expected to be out for four-to-six weeks with a shoulder injury.

Both, however, are expected to return to the Sharks lineup prior to the playoffs.

They join forwards Marcel Goc and Torrey Mitchell on the injured list.

Goc has a lower-body injury and will be out another few weeks. The Sharks also hope Mitchell will be fully recovered from a broken leg in time for the playoffs.

While the Sharks are reasonably confident all those players will return in time for the playoffs, San Jose is looking at some depth-oriented trade options at the deadline. Ottawa's Chris Neil and Colorado's Ian Laperriere veterans with an edge...

TSN

Whenever San Jose hangs its Presidents Trophy banner, it'll be a constant reminder of failure, not achievement. The Sharks were built to contend for a title this season, and their inability even to take the first step in that direction could mean the end of patience from their fans and management.

"It's just disappointing. I can't say much else besides that," Patrick Marleau said. "I think having the team that we've had, going through a great regular season, we expect more out of ourselves, and we didn't live up to that."

Now, it’s time to change the core, the kind of deals Wilson didn’t want to have to pursue. We’re talking about players from this group – Marleau, Thornton, Nabokov, Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and Christian Ehrhoff.