Petshark: Talking Stick
Entries with the tag: Tommy+Wingels
Who’s on third?
by petshark on 05/15/12 at 05:00 PM ET
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As praise for the Kings is heaped onto the web, one of the explanations that keeps being presented is the acquisition of Jeff Carter. I agree, if he and Richards are such great buddies, playing together can’t hurt. Happy players play better.
Oh, they don’t mean that? They mean Carter made the top six so much better? Oh. Here I was getting used to the happy notion that teams know they need more than two lines to really do the job. I guess we’re back to only needing a top six. Please tell me GMs aren’t really thinking that way anymore. Please tell me it’s just confused people trying to make sense of the LA Kings suddenly getting their act together.
Sigh.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Doug+Wilson, Jamie+McGinn, Kevin+Kurz, LA+Kings, scoring+depth, Tommy+Wingels,
Elimination Day, April 21, 2012
by petshark on 04/22/12 at 12:58 AM ET
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This is going to be long. It is, after all, the end of the Sharks’ 2012 playoff run.
Hands shaking. Why? I’m not even watching the game live. This has all happened before, it has literally happened already, I am watching on delay because I am that paranoid. Still with the hands shaking.
Before the game, Boyle said that no one outside the room believed they could do it. That was a dagger.
Why is a win so important to me? I won’t lose pay if the Sharks don’t come back to play another day. Hell, I might get more paid work done if this is over.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Brent+Burns, elimination, experience, fan, Joe+Thornton, Justin+Braun, playoffs, St.+Louis+Blues, Tommy+Wingels,
Glint
by petshark on 03/23/12 at 06:30 PM ET
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“Don’t write the obituary just yet,” tweeted David Pollak last night. Put that big syringe with the scary blue stuff in it down. Give the Sharks’ playoff hopes a few hours, they might be stabilizing.
Just before the Sharks beat the Bruins, Minnesota won too, with Devin Setoguchi’s help:
Michael Russo @Russostrib: “Since Setoguchi fell March 1 in Montreal in the shootout, he’s gone 2 for 2 on shootouts, 1 for 1 on a penalty shot. Impressive #mnwild”
If that isn’t Shark behavior in a nutshell, I don’t know what is. Good for you, Seto. I would take a low-light reel embarrassing fall down in a shootout over the full season fall down the Sharks have demonstrated any day.
Maybe.
The story of the prodigal son cruelly illustrates how doing good and right all the time doesn’t necessarily make you a favorite. People are so excited to see the drifters or the missing come back, they forget all about the diligent, hard-working, loyal ones who never left. Oh well. Life’s a bitch and then you die.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: bully, Joe+Thornton, Tommy+Wingels, You+Can+Play,
Anaheim @ San Jose, morning skate
by petshark on 03/19/12 at 04:29 PM ET
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It was 1977 on KFOG’s Ten at Ten. That was more exciting in theory than reality for me, because I had guessed the year from the clues. Those clues were a very young Carrie Fisher saying: “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” followed by a clip of “Three is Company too…” The songs that started the set didn’t really resonate with me.
It’s bright and clear in the Bay Area but darn it was cold this morning. Of course I forgot to pack gloves. Of course.
All the Sharks but Galiardi were on the ice this morning. For the second game day in a row I saw Couture, Vlasic & Braun stay out a little late with White and Vandermeer, tipping shots in front of Niemi. They didn’t stay as long as the scratches but they were out longer than everyone else who expects to play.
Good thing to do, giving your goalie a little extra attention like that.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Antti+Niemi, Jonas+Hiller, Michal+Handzus, Tommy+Wingels, Toni+Lydman,
Win for the road
by petshark on 02/12/12 at 05:45 PM ET
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In just over an hour, the Sharks will hit the ice for their first of nine road games. That’s a long road trip, even for a team used to a lot of travel. McLellan says he doesn’t put much stock in the theory of road trip bonding, but he does see the benefits of getting away from the distractions of home life:
“Some of the players will get more rest on the road,” McLellan said, “maybe get an afternoon nap when the little ones aren’t jumping on you. The family activities obviously don’t exist on the road, so there is a chance to get a little more rest for some of them.” -Mercury News
That’s why people go on vacation or work retreats, to get away, be in the moment instead of the past and future and all the things other people need from them. Maybe I need to get away again, my brain is flying in six different directions right now, only a few of which have anything to do with hockey. At least a few of them do.
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Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, Jason+Demers, Jim+Vandermeer, road+trip, St+Louis+Blues, Tommy+Wingels,
Get a little crazy
by petshark on 02/10/12 at 07:30 PM ET
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Marleau, Pavelski and Niemi are the first on the ice. Marleau sprinkles pucks around one end of the rink, gives the bag to Niemi, who takes it to the other end. Pavelski and Marleau start shooting, others come out on the ice.
McGinn begins doing goalie drills with Niemi, while others do shooting and tipping drills.
I check Twitter. When I look up, Marleau and Pavelski have left. It’s an optional skate I guess.
Boyle is there, smiling.
Clowe is there too, visorless. I think he looks sheepish without it but I must be projecting, imagining he knows he should wear one. I’m sure he doesn’t think so. I hope his head is as hard as it seems. Sigh.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, crazy, goalies, grit, James+Sheppard, Ray+Emery, Tommy+Wingels,
Sources say… trade!
by petshark on 02/06/12 at 10:30 PM ET
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So many rumors, so little time, mere weeks before the NHL trade deadline. When I see the phrase “sources say…” I always hear “survey says…!” in my head, the way they used to say it on Family Feud. Perhaps I only hear it that way when I’m on cold meds. Meds or no, something tells me that what most sources say is less reliable than game show surveys. Bruce Garrioch mentions the Sharks in two different scenarios in a single rumor pack, beginning with Ryan Smyth:
If Smyth does decide to waive his no-movement clause, there won’t be any tears shed. The 35-year-old could easily go to a contender as a pure rental, take the chance to win the Stanley Cup and then return to the Oilers. -Ottawa Sun
Then there’s Teemu Selanne. Garrioch says San Jose is one of many waiting for him to decide to waive his NMC:
The Sharks would be an attractive option because of San Jose’s proximity to his family in Anaheim. -ibid
Those are fun. I especially like the part about Smyth being able to go back to the Oilers later since he likes it there so much. That’s sweet.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Andrew+Murray, Benn+Ferriero, John++McCarthy, rumors, Tommy+Wingels,
Welcome to the Year of the Dragon
by petshark on 01/23/12 at 04:30 PM ET
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Luck and legend distinguish the Dragon from the other symbols in the Chinese and Mongolian zodiac. It is said to be the very luckiest birth year, the sign of the emperor. Unlike the other symbols, a dragon is not the sort of critter most of us will see in our lifetimes. Since there are twelve signs in this system, that is a little surprising. The year starts today and ends around this time in 2013.
As someone who grew up in San Francisco, I guess I should say something about the Niners. They lost. Bummer for Niners fans. I wasn’t all that anxious for them to win because I feel that trips to championship finals disperse geographically in such a way that if the Niners had gone on, this would have been bad news for the Sharks. Look what happened with the Giants- the other Giants I mean. Condolences to Niners fans, may the loss not be in vain.
The Sharks begin the year in Edmonton. I don’t know if any of them attended a parade, but a big spectacle like an NHL game should do. Wow… that would be cool, if someone brought a paper and silk dragon to the game and sent it around the stands… I know, that probably won’t happen.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Dan+Boyle, James+Sheppard, Jamie+McGinn, Jason+Demers, Joe+Thornton, Logan+Couture, Patrick+Marleau, Thomas+Greiss, Todd+McLellan, Tommy+Wingels, Year+of+the+Dragon,
Sharks recall McCarthy, send others to Worcester
by petshark on 01/20/12 at 09:40 PM ET
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Niittymaki’s back in Worcester for conditioning. McLaren’s on waivers, probably going to the Woo. Wingels joins Clowe on the injured list. What does it all mean?
Nitty: maybe when he played in that first conditioning stint, he discovered he wasn’t 100% yet? Maybe now he is? Or… what, the Sharks wanted him elsewhere when the Tampa Bay scouts came to town? Why? They weren’t going to see him anyway, and they’ve seen him before. Seems most likely a function of reconditioning, plain and simple. No reason to “showcase” him in the AHL.
McLaren: maybe the team thought he did pretty well game before last, so he was back against the Sens. I guess they rethought that after seeing him against the Sens. I don’t know, didn’t seem like he did anything too dreadful. He took a penalty, who didn’t? I think he spent less time in the box than Pavs did. I think anything sub-par from him would hardly stand out in the mess that was that game.
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Tags: Antero+Niittymaki, Frazer+McLaren, John+McCarthy, Tommy+Wingels, Worcester+Sharks,
Caution: sometimes the Blue Jackets don’t lose
by petshark on 01/05/12 at 05:20 PM ET
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After sleeping on it and reading Sharks game recaps, I realized that there were a lot of good things about last night’s game against the Ducks. Things like allowing no shots on goal during penalty kills. Things like out shooting and out scoring the other guys, blocking a lot of shots. Burns coming back after blocking a shot with his hand, and, apparently, Demers feeling okay. These are all very good as karmic signs go, no matter who the other guys are.
Like the Blue Jackets. They’re sharing a nest at the bottom of the standings with the Ducks. Unlike the Ducks, they haven’t had a single good spell this season. They started out losing and injured, they are still losing. Maybe I’m being generous when I say the Ducks had a good spell. They won four in a row at the start of the season and since then have only won six more. The Blue Jackets, however,only won their first game after losing their first eight. It was a race to get a win in before November.
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Tags: Columbus+Blue+Jackets, Rick+Nash, Thomas+Greiss, Tommy+Wingels,
Turn, turn, turn: time to win one
by petshark on 10/17/11 at 06:04 PM ET
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Turn the page. Turn it around. Turn up the volume. Okay, not sure how that last one works but I think it is time for the Sharks to take a turn for the better. Yes yes, they did win one already but that was ages ago. We’re ready for another.
The odds of losing three in a row are not a lot better than the odds of winning three in a row. I guess you could say three’s a charm. The Ducks already won three in a row, has to be harder to win four, right?
The odds of the Sharks starting two seasons in a row by winning one and losing three in a row have to be very long.
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Tags: Anaheim+Ducks, Andrew+Desjardins, Andrew+Murray, Antti+Niemi, Jamie+McGinn, Martin+Havlat, silly+prediction+methods, Tommy+Wingels, Torrey+Mitchell,
Hurry up and wait
by petshark on 10/10/11 at 10:00 AM ET
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The Sharks wanted to start the season off fast. That sounds like a good plan, even if the NHL schedule made us hurry up and wait for a week before the next game. I also wish these starts were not against the Yotes and the Ducks. The Ducks should offer some resistance but the current incarnation of the Phoenix Coyotes is hardly rigorous competition for what some are calling the best Sharks team ever, or in a very long time. That’s why a blowout was sort of on the agenda Saturday night, especially after that preseason game I can’t seem to remember.
Everything was going according to plan until the end. I imagine it’s hard to keep playing hard when there’s not much push back. The Sharks won 6-3, but for quite a while the score was lots more lopsided than that. There are several good recaps of the game:
•Fear the Fin
•Mercury News
•Working the Corners
If you haven’t already, go read those. I did.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Jamie+McGinn, Phoenix+Coyotes, practice, Thomas+Greiss, Tommy+Wingels,
Sharks hockey starts tomorrow, and so does Greiss
by petshark on 10/07/11 at 04:00 PM ET
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Welcome back NHL hockey. Yesterday’s practice gave me some what ifs to ponder. What if the Sharks had to manage a penalty kill and, for whatever reason, the only forwards on the ice were McGinn & McLaren? What if the team was down two men, and the only forward was Andrew Murray? Apparently, in these situations, the team could make due with White and Vandermeer there too. Something tells me that exercise was more about who was on the power play than the penalty kill but it still made me wonder.
Tomorrow the Sharks play their first game of the season, and there are several things I’m looking forward to, not the least of which is being there to hear the noise.
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Tags: Andrew+Murray, Antti+Niemi, Jamie+McGinn, Jim+Vandermeer, Martin+Havlat, Thomas+Greiss, Tommy+Wingels,
Questions and a few answers
by petshark on 10/05/11 at 06:00 PM ET
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For those going to the game Saturday, the Sharks will host their annual opening night street rally from 5 to 7, next to HP Pavilion. There will be food, music, carnival festivities (face painting, dunk tank, slap shot hockey, other fun stuff), and a scavenger hunt. For more on the scavenger hunt and a chance to win game tickets, go to: www.sjsharks.com/streetrally.
They’ll have a benefit beer booth and Sharks gear to tempt you. Even if you aren’t going to the game but are in the area, check that out. It’s all subject to change in case of inclement weather, fingers crossed.
Mike Moore and Cameron MacIntyre reported to Worcester today. Evidently MacIntyre got there last night, and was promptly interviewed. Thanks to @worcestersharks for posting the vid.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Antti+Niemi, Cameron+MacIntyre, Frazer+McLaren, Jamie+McGinn, Martin+Havlat, Sharks+Street+Fair, Tommy+Wingels,
Sharks roster taking shape? All set?
by petshark on 10/01/11 at 12:00 PM ET
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Just because it seems like the thing to do these days, I’ll share my lineup guesses. Today could be the last chance to do that since tonight is the last exhibition game. Announcement of the final decisions are imminent, though there aren’t a lot of decisions left to make.
Marleau-Thornton-Pavelski, Clowe-Couture-Havlat, Wingels-Handzus-Mitchell, McGinn-Desjardins-A Murray, Ferriero, McCarthy.
Boyle-Murray, Burns-Vlasic, Demers-White, Vandermeer.
Niemi, Greiss.
There, that’s what I guess the Sharks roster will look like come October. Why? The top six are self-evident (F and D), even if they get moved around a bit. The goalies? It sounds like Niemi will be just fine by the start of the season. If not, no biggie. He’ll be back and Greiss seems to be finding his groove.
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Tags: Andrew+Murray, Benn+Ferriero, Brad+Winchester, Frazer+McLaren, Jamie+McGinn, Jim+Vandermeer, John+McCarthy, Justin+Braun, Tommy+Wingels,
Niemi, Stalock on the ice, Wingels on 3rd, who’s on 4th?
by petshark on 09/28/11 at 05:59 PM ET
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When you know someone has been hurt, you watch them differently than you would watch someone you assume to be healthy. Any little misstep will be cause for doubt. Considering the gravity of the injury sustained by Alex Stalock last season, I think it’s nothing short of a miracle that I only noticed one misstep this morning. He wore lower pads only. I’m no expert and I don’t know how his leg feels but it looked like both legs were doing what he told them to. Between exercises, he tossed the puck around, hitting the wall, and shooting at both nets. Part of me thought “Dude! Don’t even play around with putting the puck in your own net!” But having fun is good for healing, so he should do whatever amuses him for now.
Filed in: , San Jose Sharks | Petshark: Talking Stick | Permalink
Tags: Alex+Stalock, Antti+Niemi, Ben+Guite, Justin+Braun, Matt+Pelech, Sean+Sullivan, Tommy+Wingels,
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