The Fat Lady Sings the Blues for San Jose Sharks...Again

Photo credit:  Ronald Martinez for Getty Images 

Say it with me, kids: Quadruple overtime.   Three extra 20-minute periods and nine minutes of a fourth for a total of 129 minutes of all-out, do-or-die play with San Jose's playoff life at stake.

Make no mistake—Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the San Jose Sharks and division rival Dallas Stars was not for the faint of heart.  

For 68 of those extra minutes, the game was knotted at one goal apiece.  With heroic goaltending from both Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov, fans must have been wondering what it was going to take to put the puck past either man.

I certainly did.  They both looked completely unstoppable.

And although both teams were beyond tired, no one gave up.  It wasn't a question of who wanted it more, but a question of which team could endure the crippling mental strain of fatigue while keeping their heavy legs moving. 

The Sharks gave everything short of their souls in Game 6.  But nearly halfway through the fourth overtime, Brian Campbell got called for a minor penalty, putting the Stars on the power play.  

Stars' captain and all-around badass Brenden Morrow finally figured out how to score on the superhuman Nabokov, garnering Dallas the win and the right to move on to face the Detroit Red Wings.

A note to the Sharks:  next time, sell your souls.  Sign the papers.  Make the deal.  Do whatever needs to be done.If you're wondering who might broker such an acquisition, look no further than the Stars' No. 10, Brenden Morrow. I'm sure he'll gladly take what you're offering.  He did last night.

Now, here's where I'm gonna take a different approach to the end-of-the-season wrap-up.  Not wanting to be overly negative (because believe me, I could be!), I feel like focusing on the good things from the Sharks season. 

Despite a premature and unceremonious departure from the second round (for the third straight year) and certain players and coaches who need to pack their bags, this has been the most entertaining season of hockey that the Sharks have put forth in a long time.

Here are the highlights, according to me:

Torrey Mitchell, Mike Grier, and Patrick Rissmiller

This line clicked so well and made some seriously jaw-dropping plays. Torrey Mitchell is fast and exciting and even though I've slammed Rissmiller in the past, he really seemed to find his stride alongside the veteran and the rookie.

These guys single-handedly made hockey thrilling for me again.

 
Curtis Brown and Ryane Clowe 

Both came back from fairly serious injuries to really contribute when it counted.  Why was Curtis Brown was scratched from so many post season games?  The world may never know.

 
The Acquisition of Jeremy Roenick

This had me scratching my head a little, but I think JR has shown that he is FAR from finished in the NHL.  Look for him to come back for another season.  His leadership is undeniable.

 
Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo

So what if these two didn't have another Rocket Richard/Hart Trophy winning season?  Those two really compliment each other's strengths.

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