Bleacher Report - Articles by Anthony Wai

San Jose Sharks: Jeremy Roenick Returns For Another Season In Teal

Anthony Wai — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:38:35 -0400

NHL veteran Jeremy Roenick has reportedly re-signed with the San Jose Sharks to a 1-year, $1 million contract.

After failed stints with the Los Angeles Kings and Phoenix Coyotes, many fans and analysts wrote Roenick off as being at the downturn of his career. San Jose took a gamble and signed the free agent for the 2007-2008 season, at a heavily discounted price of $500,000.

The feisty forward took advantage of the chance and reignited his career with 33 points in 69 regular-season games. He also brought a much-needed veteran presence to the Sharks. His unwaning passion for the sport served as a model for the younger players.

On Nov. 10, 2007, Roenick scored his 500th career NHL goal in a 4-1 Sharks victory over the Phoenix Coyotes, for whom Roenick played a substantial amount of his career. He was only the third American-born player to accomplish the feat, with Joe Mullen and Mike Modano being previous ones. He has yet to win a Stanley Cup championship in his 19-year NHL career, but decided to return to the defending Pacific Division champions.

Roenick's return can only be viewed as a victory for Sharks management and fans, as he helps the franchise retain a stable and reliable player in this off-season of uncertainty for the club. With their long-time head coach Ron Wilson fired and captain Patrick Marleau possibly on the trade block, it's important that the team has some type of stability. Because of his experience (and just as importantly, the energy he brings to the rink everyday), he can serve as a mentor to any new faces that are expected to come in before training camp in September.

The team needs to feel confident that they're still contenders, and turning to Roenick would provide some reassurance to his teammates' psyches. While he isn't expected to put up a major amount of points like the Sidney Crosbys or Joe Thorntons of the league, he does provide a relatively consistent and competent performance on the ice. The Sharks don't really have anything to lose by retaining Roenick, but there is that potential for a decent gain for them. His 10 game-winning goals last season proved that he could still contribute to his team's fortunes.

Files from TSN.ca were used in this report

NHL Playoffs: March of the Penguins from Last Place to Cup Finals in Three Years

Anthony Wai — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:13:02 -0400

With Sunday's victory over and the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pittsburgh Penguins advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992.

The last time this happened, they won the 115-year-old trophy. The team should take that as a good sign, as things are finally looking up for the franchise.

It was not too long ago that most people wouldn't expect the Penguins to get this far, let alone make the playoffs in the first place.

Three years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were like the ugly girl in high school that no one wanted to date. They were perennial bottom feeders, and the once proud franchise played to empty seats at "the igloo."

To make matters worse, there was a chance that there wouldn't even be seats at all.

With the Penguins having one of the oldest arenas in the league and a lease that gives little revenue, it was economically impossible for them to stay in the 47-year-old Mellon Arena for long. But it looked like there wouldn't be a new arena funded by the government, and the two-time Stanley Cup winner was ready to move from Steel Town.

To say that Penguins fans expected Armageddon is an understatement.

But then the hockey gods heard the cries of the suffering and sent a savior.

A special draft lottery was held subsequently after the NHL lockout, which saw the league become the first in North American history to lose a season, and Wayne Gretzky's anointed successor was up for grabs.

Since he was a child, Sidney Crosby was predicted to follow in the legend's footsteps and become the one-man super player that only appears once a generation.

Imagine, then, the joy amongst the Pittsburgh faithful when they were awarded the first pick. Not only was "Sid the Kid" the savior for the league and the Penguins, he was a worthy heir to their own "Super" Mario Lemieux.

Hall of Fame member Lemieux was the man that mesmerized the igloo's fans with his in-human goals done with hands quicker than Houdini's. He led the team to two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, which made the team relevant for the first time since its creation in 1967.

Lemieux saved the team again in 1999, buying the team after they were on the verge of bankruptcy.

In December 2000, he decided to become the first professional owner-athlete and suited up in the black and gold uniform again. He continued to play with ease, but he was aging.

Crosby would be his true successor.

When Sidney Crosby was unsurprisingly picked first at the entry draft, the 18-year-old pimply kid posed for a portrait with his new team's jersey. He sat down while a suit and tie-clad Mario stood tall behind him with a muscular hand over Crosby's shoulder.

They looked like father and son. The young player even lived in Lemieux's house during his rookie season from 2005-2006.

Lemieux played one more year until the end of that season, before he retired. The Penguins were still performing poorly in the standings, but hope had been renewed by the arrival of hockey's revered son.

Eventually, the team added talented Russian Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the young corps finally returned to the playoffs in 2007. That same year, Crosby won the Art Ross Trophy (Most Valuable Player in the regular season) and they were only a few points short of winning the Atlantic Division.

Still, the inexperienced team was clobbered by the eventual Stanley Cup finalist, the Ottawa Senators.

The next season, Crosby was named the youngest captain in NHL history at only 19-years-old.

Some critics complained that he was too young, and merely received the position due to his reputation. He responded with scoring 72 points in only 53 games, and the Penguins clinched the Division championship.

At the 2008 trade deadline, the Penguins decided to go for broke and acquired star sniper Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers. He has been a vital facet of the Penguins' offense in the playoffs, with 19 points through 14 playoff games.

The Penguins marched through this year's playoffs like an unstoppable army, going 12-2 to advance to the Finals.

For good measure, they swept the Ottawa Senators in the first round, which stopped Ottawa from defending their title as top team in the East.

As the Penguins await the winner of the Western Conference Finals (Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars), the city of Pittsburgh is once again abuzz with hockey.

The final game on Sunday was crammed with 17,132 fans—Mellon Arena only has 16,958 seats. Outside, more fans watched the game on a big screen, sitting on picnic blankets and lawn chairs.

Local city papers reported on how other Pittsburgh pro teams had become obsessed with Cup-fever. Steelers' (American Football) coaches and players have been spotted at games lately.

Imagine the reaction if a time traveler had gone three years into the past and had told a hockey fan about the current Penguins. The fan would have called the local asylum, and would have had the man locked up.

But truth can be stranger than fiction and America loves the rag-to-riches underdog story. This time, though, it's an under-bird that's going the distance.

Only time will tell if they'll be sipping champagne from the sterling silver trophy, but everyone has already seen how powerful a simple hope can be.

The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals will be exclusively broadcast in the US on Versus. The rest of the series will be featured on NBC, in prime-time. Check NHL.com for updates on broadcast schedule.

Files from TSN.ca and Penguins.nhl.com were used in this report.

NHL Conference Finals: Huge Marketing Opportunity

Anthony Wai — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:39:37 -0400

May 4, 2008.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Battle of Pennsylvania is on. Hold on to your hats and glasses; shield your children's eyes from the incoming blood splatter.

This is where the term "heated rivalry" becomes too much of an understatement. With Sunday afternoon's elimination of the New York Rangers by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Eastern Conference Final is now set.

Pittsburgh's Sidney "Sid The Kid" Crosby and his lethally offensive teammates of Evgeni Malkin of Marian Hossa, will face off against the loud tough-talking Philadelphia Flyers.

Steel Town against the "City of Brotherly Love" (where ironically, wearing an opposing jersey would get you torn apart); what else could NHL marketing, sponsors, and fans want?

Sure, it's not featuring the major media market of New York City, but Pittsburgh and Philadelphia do love their teams. And having a traditionally hockey-mad city (and media market) such as Philly, combined with the game's heir-apparent to the legendary Wayne Gretzky (Crosby), isn't such a bad consolation.

As global warming brings the summer heat closer to much of the United States, frozen rinks will be reflecting off plenty of watching eyeballs in the East Coast.

Meanwhile in the West, the final conference match-up has yet to be determined. If the Dallas Stars seal the Sharks' fate tonight in Game Six, they will clash with the regular season's top-ranked Detroit Red Wings.

Of course, there's always the chance that the San Jose Sharks could pull off a historic comeback and continue California's hope of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. The last time a NHL team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, was in 1975 by the New York Islanders.

The Dallas Stars have yet to appear in the Final since 2000 (the year following their Cup win), but hockey has boomed in the Lone Star State since. The number of registered players and ice rink facilities had increased substantially in the Dallas area, becoming one of the largest in the country.

While that hasn't necessarily translated into huge local TV ratings or put the city in the same level buzz as a Original Six city, there is a passionate fan-base that will only continue to grow. With each step closer to the Cup, the crazier Dallas will get.

If San Jose pulls off the upset against Dallas, then one of the NHL's expansion success stories will have a chance to show Detroit that the hockey is just as good from the Sunshine State.

Unlike the attendance problems found in Detroit's Joe Louis Arena (partially caused by the economy, admittedly), the city of San Jose bleeds teal and provide a significant boost to the coffers of local bars and downtown restaurants.

Most small businesses already proudly display "Sharks Territory" signs in their front windows. If they can bring their team to the national stage, hockey fans will see that frozen lakes aren't necessary to get a place mad about pucks.

Detroit boasts one of the biggest fan-bases strewn around the country thanks to their long period of dominance, and being one of the NHL's Original Six teams since 1926.

The Red Wings call their Michigan home "Hockeytown" for a reason (besides being a marketing idea), and anything less than another championship is unacceptable to their fans.

Many transplants in places such as California and Florida will be tuning in to see their team make another run for glory.

Things are expected to heat up in the East. Regardless of the outcome in the West, it will still be a showcase of exciting hockey. Ratings have reportedly been up in many key markets and national broadcasts this year.

Sports and hockey fans can only expect plenty of entertainment in the coming weeks, as more blood, sweat, and broken bones are shed for North America's oldest professional trophy: the 115-year-old Stanley Cup.

Files from TSN.ca were used in this report.

Teemu Selanne To Play In World Championship; Could Foreshadow Playing Future

Anthony Wai — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:33:09 -0400

April 30, 2008.

Teemu Selanne made it official today that he would be joining Team Finland for the 2008 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Halifax and Quebec City. The Anaheim Ducks forward should have plenty of energy left after the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, considering his team had a early first round exit by the Dallas Stars. Having contemplated retirement for more than half the season, he only played in twenty-six regular season games.

Selanne's performance for the upcoming tournament starting Friday, means much more than his homeland's chances at a medal. For Ducks fans, it could be a indicator if the long-time franchise player would return for another tour of duty with Anaheim. If Selanne lights it up with Team Finland and keeps that fiery love for the game, then he would be more inclined to give one more push for a second Stanley Cup. If he under-performs, then he would feel that anything less than 100% to the Ducks wouldn't be fair. He could then decide to hang up his skates for the last time, and be the first player to have his number retired by Anaheim.

Finland and Duck fans will keep their eye on Teemu for the next few weeks, and see if there's still some sparks left in the Finnish Flash.

Sharks-Stars Game 2: San Jose Loses Nerve In 3rd To Blow Lead 5-2

Anthony Wai — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:15:55 -0400

San Jose, California, USA.

April 27, 2008.

The crowd at San Jose's HP Pavilion was loud, and regularly erupted in adrenaline-inducing chants of "Let's go Sharks!". The Sharks responded well at first, skating with a sense of urgency and checking the Dallas Stars with the ferociousness of a biker gang who'd just had their Harley's keyed.

In the second period, San Jose's Milan Michalek went on a breakaway that sent the fans (and Dallas goalie Marty Turco) springing. Using some deft stick-handling work, Michalek faked Turco out, who over-committed too far out from the goal. Michalek only had to hold onto the puck a half second longer before tossing it into an empty net. When intermission came, the Sharks went to the locker room with good spirits and the all-important lead. They were poised to tie the series 1-1, after falling to Dallas on Friday evening.

But things horribly went wrong when the final third period commenced. Within thirty seconds, Dallas forward Brad Richards fired a wrist shot that rocketed past San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov's glove. Game tied, 2-2. Richards was a trade deadline acquisition for the Stars, who seemed to return to his old form, when he won the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP in 2004 while on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

At 16:21, the Stars' power play proved deadly as alternate captain Mike Modano scored to give them the lead 3-2. Afterwards, it became obvious that a change had happened to the Sharks. They seemed to tense themselves too much, feeling too cautious to be overly physical. Whenever they had the puck, they were too eager to pass it and failed to develop any viable offensive breakout. Their cautiousness backfired, as their defense left too much room for Richards to throw the puck in front of the San Jose goal. His teammate Niklas Hagman took advantage of the loose puck, and raced hard to the net. Hagman twitched his trigger-ready wrists for another Dallas Stars goal. They now lead, 4-2.

By this time, the San Jose crowd had gone from passionate cheers to raucous booing. With 1:15 left and San Jose's goalie pulled, Hagman scored on the empty net to cap off an embarrassing loss for the home team.

If it was any consolation for the San Jose Sharks and their fans, they possessed the best road record in the regular season. The next two games of the series now goes to Dallas, Texas, where the Stars only need two more wins to advance to the next round. Game three on Tuesday will be a "must-win" for the Sharks.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday, April 29th 7:30 pm ET on Versus

Sharks-Stars: San Jose Locals Have Shark Fever

Anthony Wai — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 06:46:38 -0400

San Jose, California, USA.

The city of San Jose was mad with Cup Fever, as many fans around the city proudly sported their T-shirts and jerseys before Game One against Dallas on Friday.

A few teal-clad pedestrians admitted they had bought their new apparel that very day, further augmenting the already large Sharks fan base.

One young woman I bumped into in the elevator, excitedly told me about the new Nabokov jersey she'd bought that morning. She and her friend were on their way to Dave & Buster's to watch the game on TV.

Even locals not normally known to follow sports got into the act, deciding to spend Friday night at a bar or sanctioned viewing party to root for their city's team. One of them was my boss.

Sharks talk was prevalent anywhere people congregated on the San Jose State campus. Earlier in the week, tickets were sold out 15 minutes after going on sale. One of my colleagues waited in line for them, but didn't have any of the lucky lottery numbers.

Being from Southern California, it was very charming to see such passion for hockey in a non-traditional area. Get rid of the palm trees, and you'd think you were in Canada.

As expected, the first game of the Western Semifinals was a intense affair. The game went into sudden-death overtime, when the Stars eventually won 3-2.

Next Game: Sunday, April 27 9:00 pm ET on Versus