Was 2009 the biggest choke in San Jose History? That one is easy, yes. The 2009 year saw the Sharks set franchise records in wins and points, draw the top card and lose the first round of the playoffs in six. I cannot quite remember anything so ugly. Oh wait a minute, I have it the Oakland Athletics making 3 world series playoffs in a row only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers (1988) and Cincinnati Reds (1990), while beating the beloved San Francisco Giants in between. That is three title appearances in row for Oakland and zero for San Jose. I guess that's just residual pain from Oakland losing to the Dodgers and beating the Giants via the sweep.
Which brings me to the Warriors. Man that’s a whole lot of losing. They did go 12 straight years without a playoff appearance and an additional nine years in the 70s and 80s, but at least they have a title. So there really are no more demons to exorcise for them.
The San Jose Sharks are far and away the best team in terms of management, (financially and strategic) and players (in NHL history), but they seemed to have the least desire, execution, and drive at crunch time. Man does it suck to be a Sharks fan right now.
What time are the Giants on tomorrow? I need to have more pain inflicted. I’m into that.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
Well, a 1-seed lost to an 8-seed, but that was no ordinary 8-seed. They almost pushed the Red Wings to the brink of elimination, and with Detroit rolling through the playoffs otherwise, there appears to be no shame in losing to the Ducks.