My take on the Sharks...  So, everyone is opining about what
happened to the Sharks. I've been watching hockey for a very
long time and I'm not sure it's the most overanalyzed sport
there is, but it's getting that way. People quote meaningless
statistics that aren't predictive of anything in the short term
or long term.  There is one common denominator to almost every
successful team: goaltending.   Everyone says the reason the
Ducks won was Hiller, Hiller, Hiller. Yet there's so much talk
about the Sharks not having heart or Thornton being a failure or
Marleau being a puss. All of these same people would be telling
us how big of heroes these guys were if the team won, even if
they were out there crying for their mommas the whole game.
Marleau has been around for a while, but the Sharks problems
pre-date Thornton's arrival by many years. The Sharks know what
it's like to have a goalie steal a series. Artus Irbe or Steve
Shields anyone? But who's been there the entire time they were a
purported contender? Nab