Hockeyville USA
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Imagine if the Sharks draft Suter (like the broadcast thought they would) and Parise instead of Michalek and Bernier in 2003...
As a Canucks fan, those Sharks teams remind me a lot of the Canucks during that time. Thornton and Marleau were much like the Sedins, they just weren’t as good in the playoffs vs. Regular season. Kesler was the main reason we won the Nashville series in 2011 and was probably the best forward in the finals. The Sedins only feasted on a weak Niemi. Luongo though shaky at times was the biggest reason the Canucks made it to a game 7 or even the finals that run. That’s one thing the Sharks didn’t have. An elite goalie in his prime.
It a shame. Those Sharks teams were loaded with talent and they will probably go down as some of the greatest teams to never win a cup.
The situation between that era and sharks and the sedin era is like night and day. The biggest difference being Sharks had (for the most part) depth while the Canucks were a one line team with a 3rd line center as their #2. Yes, that 3rd line center was hot for one round vs the preds in 2011.
@The Macho King @Voight ... you "like" this?Being led by magic men like Marleau and Thornton is probably issue #1.
I hate Ryan Kesler(as a player of course) as much as anyone could. He was dirty, he would dive and he was a crybaby. That being said he put up 59-75-73 points playing with.... Which linemates? How exactly is that not a legitimate second liner? I'm not sure what alternate reality you are living in but your post makes less than zero sense. Even later on with the Ducks he had 47,53(3rd both years in scoring) and 58 points.
Still 2009-2017 Kesler was #14th in center playoff points, scoring like Bergeron-Carter-Marleau.We are talking playoffs here bud. Which is the point of the thread not his regular season heroics.
Points wiseWe are talking playoffs here bud. Which is the point of the thread not his regular season heroics.
I hate Ryan Kesler(as a player of course) as much as anyone could. He was dirty, he would dive and he was a crybaby. That being said he put up 59-75-73 points playing with.... Which linemates? How exactly is that not a legitimate second liner? I'm not sure what alternate reality you are living in but your post makes less than zero sense. Even later on with the Ducks he had 47,53(3rd both years in scoring) and 58 points.
Marleau and Thornton weren't as productive as they should have been in the playoffs in certain years, in part because their play styles weren't very conducive to the playoffs Goaltending wasn't quite good enough either. Toskala and Nabokov giving up bad goals in 2006 and 2007, Niemi's collapse in 2014.I dont think you have to overthink it.
They were a great team, but never the best team. There was always somebody a little better.
Many of the times they lost, they lost to the eventual Western Conference champ or Stanley Cup champ. I know there’s little comfort in that, but the truth is they were generally beat by the best.
Marleau and Thornton weren't as productive as they should have been in the playoffs in certain years, in part because their play styles weren't very conducive to the playoffs Goaltending wasn't quite good enough either. Toskala and Nabokov giving up bad goals in 2006 and 2007, Niemi's collapse in 2014.
Not sure if they would have beaten the Ducks in 2006 or 2007, but they had a 2-0 series lead on Edmonton in 2006 and a 2-1 series lead (with the lead in Game 4 with a minute to go) on Detroit in 2007 before falling apart.
The team simply choked in 2008 and 2009, losing to the Stars' last good team of the Modano Era and a Ducks team who had underachieved in the regular season, but the Sharks were clearly better than going into that series.
The 2009 Sharks. they won the President's Trophy and bowed out in the first round to the Ducks. I remember Getzlaf outplaying Thornton that series too.