1994 Playoffs: Could the Sharks have taken out Vancouver?

[Buck Aki Berg]

I'll never forget this.

Game 6 of the 1994 Western Conference semifinal, San Jose at Toronto. The game goes to overtime, tied at two. In the extra frame, Johan Garpenlov had a golden opportunity to win the game and the series for the Sharks.

I was sure he scored. My brother was sure he scored. We began celebrating the elimination of our least favourite team in sports, let alone the NHL.

He hit the crossbar

Moments later, Toronto scored to stretch the series to a seventh game, which they also won.

Do you guys think that the Sharks, had they eliminated the two best teams in the Western Conference (remember the miracle upset of Detroit in the previous round), could have dispatched the 7th seeded Canucks in the Conference Finals, or would fatigue and inexperience have caught up to them?

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[Nalyd Psycho]

Anythings possible, but, I think a 'nucks win is more likely.

SJ's biggest advantage was Irbe's stellar play. But McLean was out playing him.

 

[Big Phil]

No, the Sharks don't win. They didnt beat the Leafs and the Leafs lost to the Nucks convincingly.

WHo would have stopped Bure? Linden? And like it said above, McLean was playing better than any other goalie that playoff.

BTW, Gartner IIRC got that goal in overtime to win Game #6. He scored another OT goal in '96 for the Leafs. Just goes to show you that he had different moments in the playoffs where he came through considering he gets shafted a lot on here for that

 

[Section311]

As a Ranger fan I was praying that Toronto didn't make the finals.....I really didn't want to root agaisnt Gartner

 

[The Perfect Paradox]

As a Ranger fan I was praying that Toronto didn't make the finals.....I really didn't want to root agaisnt Gartner

Same with me. I think the 'Nucks still would of won the series. They were the 7th seed that season, but McLean was playing out of his mind. They had some leadership in Trevor Linden, and Bure was unstoppable. The Sharks would of put up a good fight, but i doubt they would of eliminated the 'Nucks.

 

[cynicism]

I was listening to Bill Berg on hockey central last year (where is he now?) and he was saying how unprepared they were at Vancouver's level of play. Toronto on the first game in OT but it was only due to a last minute goal from the Leafs that got them there. That team was something special. They just ripped everything they ran into.

 

[Jinsell]

I was listening to Bill Berg on hockey central last year (where is he now?) and he was saying how unprepared they were at Vancouver's level of play. Toronto on the first game in OT but it was only due to a last minute goal from the Leafs that got them there. That team was something special. They just ripped everything they ran into.

Saw Bill Berg last night on NHL Network's NHL On The Fly.

 

[Elwood Blues]

Saw Bill Berg last night on NHL Network's NHL On The Fly.

Berg is a regular there.

 

[seventieslord]

If only Ozolinsh shot, hey?

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

If only Ozolinsh shot, hey?

Are you talking about the 2-on-1 that the Sharks had a few minutes after the Garpenlov crossbar, where Potvin was beat, but it was passed to the corner where the right winger booted it?

Yeah, that was painful to watch too.

 

[cynicism]

Berg is a regular there.

That explains it. I can't get NHLN over here

 

[seekritdude]

Was McLean really better then Irbe that year? Or was it that Vancouver actually had a somewhat competent defense? This was San joses defensive line up.

Norton, Ozolinsh
Kroupa, Pederson
More, Cronin

In general durning the early days san jose for some reason had a huge boner about just getting big dudes. And most the defense durning those early days were not only "just" big, they of course were just starting off, basically no experience what so ever. Obviously norton and ozolinsh are more known to say... But in general I dont see how you can say McLean was out playing Irbe when this is who Irbe was working with. Also irbe was vs the wings the first round as well. A pretty high scoreing team to say the least that year. ****ing ray sheppard was scoreing 50 goals back then come on. Who was McLean going up against compared to what Irbe went against that playoffs?(of course only counting the first 2 rounds since thats all irbe got...)


And of course like others said you could say theoretically sharks had it..... Ozo passed to larionov on that great chance, and garpenlov hits cross bar. What could have been.....


Also the ov line that year almost every game if you go back and watch, was the best line on the ice. Larionov was a dominate player that year. Its to bad he was injured so much durning the regular season, and it wasnt even till later that the coach finally started to let them "play" to say. But again if you go back and watch those old games, they out play all the other big guns for other teams a good chunk of the time.


Plus you could also have the storyline of larionov going back to vancouver which could have added a little "drama" to the series. And then of course if san jose won, you woulda had the most exciting goalie to watch match up in the game in that time with irbe vs richter.(granted hasek is up there to...)So goalie showdown wise that woulda been awesome.



Anyway im baised so id like to say the sharks. Again its just a matter of how much san joses defense holds up. Bure of course was ridiculous that year as well, but again I dont think the OV line gets enough credit for how ridiculous they were those playoffs to. They really controlled the pace of games that year.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

As a Ranger fan I was praying that Toronto didn't make the finals.....I really didn't want to root agaisnt Gartner

by cheering them to lose weren't you in effect rooting against him anyways?

 

[seekritdude]

Biased dude resurrecting this thread again I guess...


I watched the games back from that season again. And just for the comment that of how the sharks lost to leafs, and nucks beat the leafs convincingly. I think the leafs though defiantly were pretty lucky to beat the sharks that year. Unlike the wing series where the breaks/calls/bounces and what not, werent particularly uneven towards any team. In general for the Toronto series, they got the breaks, they got the calls(as a matter of fact id say some of them had to be pity calls. Sharks were the least penalized team that year, and they just couldnt keep calling them on Toronto cuz it would just seem.. i dunno strange? So they had to let them get away with more)and more bounces then the sharks did. Mind you, im not saying the leafs were a worse team then the sharks. But that series the leafs did not "deserve" to win.


Anywho im trying to put up a lot of clips/high lights from that playoffs. So.. if you care/are baised towards the sharks lol...
http://www.youtube.com/user/SaishuuKessen

Im gonna try and put up some more interviews with that to. Theres some nice stuff, with wings talking about how irbes pads are to big, and he is getting lucky. And wanting the NHL to measure them to make sure he is not cheating. Only to find out, they are actually if anything a full 2 inchs under the limit lol.