Well, that was fun, wasn't it? Sharks win 5-1 and outshoot the universe.

What I learned tonight:

Corey Perry showed us that he's still a huge douche by ramming into Greiss at one point during the game. Goal tender interference. More like GOALIE SEEKING MISSLE. Whatever. He also ran his own goalie over shortly after the start of the game. His goalie hate knows no bounds.

Bobby Ryan servers ALL THE PENALTIES!

Douglas Murray has a helluva shot. Do I smell anothe rpreeason hatty? I think I do.

The way to prevent the opposing team from scoring is to yell NO! repeatedly until they exit the zone.

Dudebros come in age 40+.

Patrick Marleau is faster then a Kenyan drinking power thirst.

It is a delay of game call to come back from intermission late. The Ducks learned this too.

Brad Winchester would like a spot on the team, please.

Mark Bell still plays hockey.

Getzalf is still talented. How annoying.

The boards really are a lot more lively. Pucks were bouncing all over the place. The Sharks were doing their best to use this to their advantage. Clearly something they've ben working on since they realized how drastic the change was.

Where fooking bear sweaters come from.*

Clowe/McGinn or the field? Monster Mash

Brad Winshcester does not like being cross checked.

Monster Mash does not like being boarded. Both incidents resulted in fights.

The Ducks are very good...at taking penalties.

Aside from some sloppier play for the WorSharks and kids, the Sharks D is much improved.

This is going to be a great season.



*not from fooking bears, sadly.

It's that time again! G-G-G-GAME DAY!

The Sharks face off tonight in their second preseason bout against the Ducks. At 7:30pm the Tank will be rocking, so don't come a'knocking.

Remember, DUCKS SUCK! *CLAPCLAP*

(Don't care about my boring recap of the pre scrimmage lines I stood in? It's ok, I understand. Scroll down and skip to "ONTO THE SCRIMMAGE!" and rejoice in brevity)

It has become and annual tradition for us, making the trek to stand outside in the heat, or cold, in order to be one of the few to stand in another line for signatures, or food, and then sit close to the ice and watch a scrimmage. It's a Season Ticket Holder event, and we always have an invite, although this time my invite was with Mina, who was about 90 minutes behind me in arriving. I was in before she parked because I'm that awesome.

(Bored? You probably just want to click this and get to the part marked ONTO THE SCRIMMAGE!)

It was interesting to hear that Kyle Wellwood was holding out for a spot on the Sharks roster despite the rapidly approaching end of summer. For a player who already saw a similar situation land him in the KHL this season, one would think that he'd have jumped at a chance to sign with whatever team offered him the best deal. Yet, he remains determined to regain his spot on Team Teal.

In a largely forgotten quote from Wilson this summer, he said of Wellwood, “We haven’t had conversations with him for awhile. He has options and we can explore our options. Not saying that we won’t circle back. Every day we’re looking at ways to improve this team. We’re not finished in building this team.” (Working the Corners 7/01/2011) Interestingly, this was after the Burns acquisition but before the Havlat one on July 3rd. According to Andy Strickland, Wellwood has been told that he may have a shot at a tryout spot, but no contract. Despite this, he waits.

Where would Wellwood find himself if he landed a spot? Third or fourth line is most likely, as the first two lines are pretty well set at this point, and he really clicked with Mitchell last season. With several Wor-Sharks already contending for a spot on those lines, does it make sense to send one of them back to the AHL for a season in favor of Wellwood?

The fact that Wilson hasn't already resigned Wellwood probably means that he doesn't feel that there is room for him on the team anymore. The recent re-uppings of Couture and Burns, it's pretty clear that Wilson will resign folks as soon as he possible can, IF he wants them.

The Jets are more willing to offer him a contract and a solid chance at a home, but it's pretty clear that Wellwood not only feels he fits with the Sharks, he knows he has a decent shot at the Cup by staying with them. The Jets? Well, they could have an explosive first season back, but the odds of that are probably rather low.

Will Wellwood once again find a home with San Jose this season? Right now, it doesn't seem very likely, but Wilson has been known to surprise us before. If some of the Wor-Sharks don't pan out at camp, he could find himself back home in San Jose. I wouldn't hold my breath, though.

Great news now breaking for Team Teal! Logan Couture, known here as "Teeth", has signed a two year contract extension with the Sharks. No word on numbers yet, but I don't really care. This is a kid who, like Marleau, should be kept for the long haul. In my opinion, he should have won the Calder, and he truly does have captain potential. You can see a lot of similarities leadership and attitude wise between him and another young potential future captain, Joe Pavelski. Both players have great hockey sense, a good head on their shoulders, and the ability to preform with strength and grace under pressure.
The Sharks treat this kid right, and he could be quite the boon for a long time to come. I am very happy to have him secured for a few more seasons. Welcome back, Teeth!

Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 are here of you need a refresher.

I was drawing my own version of this, which turned out terribly and needed to be redone, so I didn't post it. Then I found this: Sharkception, your Day 5 Shark Week image. (I'm being nice and not hot linking)

Day 6 has a more refined flavor.

Day 7 comes care of imgur and features 2 creative interpretations of sharks, one made from fruit, and the other of snow.

Hope you enjoyed Shark Week, everyone!

Today it was announced that DW has made yet another trade with the Minnesota Wild, this time a third round pick in 2013 for LF/C James Sheppard. Sheppard was a first round pick, 9th over all in 2006, but he hasn't quite lived up to expectations. He's also currently out recovering from knee surgery and not at all likely to be ready for camp. The main question is why take on a guy with a lackluster history, (3 seasons, 11 goals, 38 assists, and a dismal plus/minus), and an injured knee? DW clearly sees something in the Wild that none of the rest of us have. (Even the coaching staff). To be frank, I'm still not to sure what that is, but I do trust his hockey sense, and the man is  pretty solid negotiator when you get down to it, so I'm not going to worry.

While it's not clear yet what positives Sheppard could bring, his teammate Brent Burns was clearly very happy about the decision, tweeting the following:



The gamble isn't too risky; Sheppard only cost the team a third rounder, so, if he has something that DW thinks might be useful, he will have been quite the deal. If he turns out to continue to be a bust, he didn't cost much and the losses will be minimal. Pollak says Sheppard stands to make a salary in the low $700s if he makes the team, which is a pretty low cost for an a guy with questionable NHL abilities. If he doesn't make the team he costs nothing in terms of salary.

Overall, while I know very little about what Sheppard could provide when healthy, this is a fairly low risk acquisition.