Tom Eppenberger Jr’s blog

So what road game will we be going to? Denver? Phoenix? Calgary? Montreal? Hmm…

We are already planning to hit a game in L.A. or Anaheim at some point, but we want to hit one other road game a little further from home. Preferably to a city that we haven’t been to previously, meaning Vancouver is out of the race. Montreal is a long shot since the game is the last day in February, and Shelly is cold during the summer!

It also might come down to where we can get the best seats. I’d love to get seats at the glass like we did for the game we attended in Vancouver, but they are really $$$ and I am not sure whether Lane would love or hate being that close to the action. Hmm… Lots of thinking to do…

San Jose Sharks 2008-2009 Schedule

The Sharks played 4 overtimes last night before losing 2-1, and thus ending another year in disappointing fashion.

Nabby, who should win the Vezina, made what could be the best save I’ve ever seen…

But, it still wasn’t enough. We lost in the second round of the playoffs… again.

Lots of people seem to want to give them a pass this year because they got down 3-0 in the series, won the next two and then took the 6th game into a 7th period. Huh? Wasn’t this supposed to be “the year?” Wasn’t this the season where it was cup or bust? Well, bust. It doesn’t matter that we made it as far as we did, we didn’t win.

I’ve seen a bunch of media types saying that the fact that we got the series to a Game 6 saved the coaching staff’s jobs. This doesn’t compute to me. How does blowing leads and sleeping through parts of 3 games in a second round playoff series, only to finally show some desperation in three straight elimination games save someone’s job? We liked to believe that the first round series proved this was a different team, with different leaders. Nope. Sorry. The coaching staff is obviously failing, and while the players are to blame, coaches get fired.

I think, and hope, that there will be a lot of changes (for the better) this summer. Both with the coaching staff, and the “big guns.” Can we live through another season of Marleau’s bi-polar play? Do we try and sign Brian “free wheeling (on his skates and with the puck)” Campbell? Can we watch Jumbo Joe disappear from the scoring sheet in the playoffs again? Yeah, I said it, should we look to deal Joe? The phrase “sell high” comes to mind…

Ryan Garner, a Sharks blogger for HockeyBuzz, made a good point in his post this morning:

The most dangerous offensive threat on the ice, Joe Thornton posted three assists over six games. He finished the season fifth in league scoring, but he was outscored by five Dallas players during the second round. I’m reminded of the great line from Wayne’s World 2, when Wayne calls out “Hey, my girlfriend’s in there!” only to hear, “A lot of people’s girlfriends are in there.” Yes, Joe’s effort was there, but a lot of people’s effort was there.

Now, I know that what I think means zero. I’m just another crazy, obsessed fan who is really pissy and depressed today. I seriously doubt that Patty or Joe are going anywhere, but I’m reasonably sure that the coaching staff will look different. I just wonder who would be a better candidate than Ron Wilson.

Ugh, I hate this……………..

As if the first round playoff schedule wasn’t proof enough…

Game 1 is Friday night in SJ
Game 2 is Sunday night in SJ

I have tickets to Game 2, and have to leave for a week-long trip to Quincy on Monday morning…

Hurray for me!

All day long, I prepared myself for a loss.

Sharks score first… and I think we’re going to win.

Flames tie it up… here comes the let down.

Flames take the lead 2-1 (on a questionable goal)… yep, we’re losing for sure.

Sharks tie it… the night will be stressful.

Sharks take the lead 3-2… big smiles.

Sharks score again… it’s 4-2… we’re going to blow them out!

Sharks score again… it’s 5-2… their already etching the names on the cup right?

Flames score… it’s 5-3… ah, hell, we’re totally going to blow another 3 goal lead…

The remainder of that third period took something in the neighborhood of 3 months off my life. I was convinced we were going to blow that lead…

All that I can say is this… good riddance to the Flames. Let’s hope this really did battle test us for Dallas in the second round, and not set us up for yet another disaster in the conference semi-finals.

Oh, and I take back everything that I thought about Doug Wilson when he signed J.R. last off season…

While at Beck’s Shoes yesterday, Lane picked up what turned out to be a free promotional water bottle. He brought it home, and Shelly had the great idea of adding it to the top of his hockey net. He’s very excited that the pretend goalie how has a proper water bottle resting on the top of the net to drink out of .