Hockey Post: Sharks Go On Ron-less

Have the Sharks Lost Their Bite?

"I don't understand why there would be [any question about my keeping my job]; I've got a record that's second to none." Ron Wilson snapped this comment at a reporter only a few weeks ago, confident that Doug Wilson in San Jose would let him keep his job. But a week ago, the San Jose management booted Wilson out, turning to look for a fresh outlook and a path not only to the playoffs, but to the Cup. "In most ways, I was shocked," Ron Wilson said. "I can honestly say that I couldn't be prouder of my work here. I think our team's record speaks for itself."

"'You know, that was surprising, to tell the truth,' Evgeni Nabokov, the goaltender for the Sharks, said. 'Ron did a good job and got us to the playoffs a lot.'"

After two years of going to the second round and out, what's wrong with the Sharks as a team?

Joe Thorton hasn't played up to expectation. Evgeni Nabokov, an AllStar goalie with an AllStar game, couldn't even keep their team in the Playoffs. Did you watch any of the games? Seriously, you watch a Detroit game, or even one of the Eastern Conference games, then switch to the Sharks games in the Playoffs, and its night and day. Comparing Sharks play to Detroit is like comparing the Hershey Bears to the Pens. There is no comparison. Other then Detroit, there are no teams able to make it into the Stanley Cup Finals without a lot of luck, or a lot of injuries on the other team.

But was it the management?

"'Really when it comes down to it, it's the on the players to deliver and we didn't do that; so it's hard to have that happen,' Nabokov noted. 'We let him down and it's too bad, but that's part of the business.'"

So who will take over? "In San Jose, they're saying the perfect guy would be Pat Burns," NHL Insider Bob McKenzie answered, in an interview on May 16, 2008. And why not? Joe Thornton has worked with him in the past, and has a lot of respect for Burns. But would it be enough to get them to the Cup?

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Last Hockey Post: May 18, 2008

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