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San Jose Sharks
Overall: 9
Pacific Division: 3
You would
think that the eight-year-old Sharks, who have never had a
.500 season, would have regarded 1997-98 as a modest
success. San Jose closed the regular season solidly
(25-20-8 in its final 53 regular-season games), secured a
playoff spot and played the
vaunted Stars tough before suffering a six-game, first-round
loss. But Sharks coach Darryl Sutter
wasn't impressed. He has reached the playoffs in each of
his 12 NHL seasons as a player and coach, so such
accomplishments are expected. "We have a long way
to go," he
says.
That echoes the sentiments of Dean Lombardi, who took over
as San Jose's general manager in March 1996 and who,
despite the Sharks' pitiful past, set his sights on the
Stanley Cup. His strategy was simple: bring in young talent
and surround it with
experience and
grit.
That plan seems to be working. Precocious centers Patrick
Marleau, 19, and Marco Sturm, 20, both have exceptional
skills. The main reason they've blossomed so quickly into
respected NHLers is because they learned so much last
season playing behind savvy
veterans Mike Ricci, 26, and Bernie Nicholls, 37. "We
know Marleau and Sturm can play," says Lombardi,
"but what matters is to get them to the level where
they can compete against centers like Joe Sakic and Sergei
Fedorov."
The youth education program is also clicking on defense.
During the off-season, the Sharks signed four-time All-Star
Gary Suter, 34, and reliable Bob Rouse, also 34. These
veterans are ideal models for such promising blueliners as
Andrei Zyuzin, 20;
6'6", 240-pound rookie Andy Sutton, 23; and Brad Stuart,
18, the No. 3 pick in June's
draft.
Aside from Jeff Friesen (31 goals), one of the Sharks' four
unsigned free agents, San Jose lacks young punch on the
wing. However, it has a goaltending tandem that fits
perfectly into its scheme. Steve Shields, 26, was acquired
to back up 35-year-old
Mike Vernon. The Sharks hope Vernon's competitiveness will rub
off on Shields because he may be the
No. 1 goalie in a couple of years—about the time the
Sharks should have made enough progress to draw a rave or
two from their
coach.
—By Kostya Kennedy
Fast Fact
Center Jeff Friesen,
22, is the Sharks' career leader in goals (89), assists
(107), points (196), game-winning goals (14) and
shorthanded goals (9). He's the youngest active player to lead
any club's lists in all those
categories.
Keys To Success
- Power forward Owen Nolan, who had 30 or more goals in five
earlier NHL seasons, needs to rebound from a poor 1997-98, in
which he scored only 14 times.
- The veterans must keep the intensity level high because the
Sharks can't match the talent of the top teams in the West.
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