Tuesday night Patrick Marleau played in his 900th game with the San Jose Sharks. He celebrated by scoring his 18th and 19th goals of the season in the Sharks’ 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

“Patty” Marleau is off to a great start this season. His 19th goal puts him first on the team and second in the league for goals scored. His 33 points this season (goals and assists) currently has him in third place in the league. Of course, these numbers will change quicker than you can say “Peter Puck.”

Over his 11-year career, Marleau has had his ups and downs. There were times when “so called” Sharks’ fans demanded he be traded.

Marleau’s success this season may be attributed to being on the top line with Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, no longer having the pressure of being team captain, vying for a spot on Team Canada, and that it is a contract year.

Congratulations Patrick Marleau, 900 games with the San Jose Sharks.

We suppose it’s possible that you have no questions for the San Jose Sharks President, General Manager, Head Coach or any of their players. 

Maybe you were completely satisfied with how the team played this year. 

Maybe you were thrilled with the value you received for the price of your playoff tickets. 

Or maybe you’re really a Ducks fan.

But maybe you think these same people actually have some explaining to do.

Satisfied or not with the season, Thursday is your chance to ask questions.  The annual “State of the Sharks” event will be held Thursday, May 14 at HP Pavilion at 7pm (TODAY).  Open to the general public, as always it will provide a forum for Sharks fans to ask questions directly to members of the organization as the team prepares for the 2009-10 season.

Scheduled to be in attendance along with President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Jamison are Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson, Head Coach Todd McLellan and players Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski.  Other players may possibly join too.

There will not be any talk about future player picks or the draft as none of that will be settled until late June.  You’re certainly welcome to give your opinion however.

Free parking will be available in the rear parking lots adjacent to HP Pavilion and attendees are asked to enter through the North doors, located near the rear of the building. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more details, please call 408.999.5757.

SHARKS STORE SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE 

In happier news, SVSE Merchandise will hold the annual Sharks Store Summer Clearance Sale starting Tuesday, June 18 through Sunday, June 21, with an early in for Season Ticket holders, Suite Holders and Sponsors.  They will be offering up to 75 percent off team merchandise for the Sharks, SaberCats, and Stealth.  Click on link above to see the sale schedule.

Maybe Yogi Berra was including the Sharks.

Maybe they need different players.

Maybe they need a new coach.

Maybe a new general manager.

Maybe new owners.

Maybe they need new broadcast announcers.

Maybe less East Coast pizza.

Maybe the City of San Jose’s inferiority complex has rubbed off on the team.

Maybe a realization that how they finished the regular season would carry over into the playoffs.

Maybe more finger pointing.

Maybe playing exciting hockey in the regular season.

Maybe there is a force in the Universe …

fanballoting.nhl.com

The Sharks are off to a great start; they have been enjoying sellouts at home. There is a buzz around the Bay Area that this truly could be the season the Sharks make it to the Stanley Cup finals. However, when it comes to the NHL All-Star voting Sharks’ fans are out to lunch.

None of the Sharks on the ballot are leading the way; for that matter they are down the list of players getting more votes from cities like Chicago, Detroit, Calgary and Anaheim. Heck! Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are leading the league in votes. Sidney Crosby has received the most votes ever in NHL All-Star balloting history. The Bay Area’s only current superstar Joe Thornton is down the list!

The Sharks on this season’s All-Star ballot are Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, and Evgeni Nabokov.

You vote for three forwards, two defencemen and one goaltender in each Conference. Since only two Sharks are listed in the forwards category, Devin Setoguchi is currently the Sharks fan’s leading “write in” candidate for the third forward

You may vote as many times as you want; which we hope is often.

You can vote for all the Sharks on the ballot by texting SHARKS to 81812 or online at NHL All-Star Fan Balloting where you can include your “write in” candidate.

The All-Star Fan Balloting closes at 05:59:59 pm PST on January 2nd, 2009.

Vote!

Quick drive-by post: According to a Goal.com article, the San Jose Sharks are geared up to own 10-15 percent of the San Jose Earthquakes. That means both teams will be cross-promoting each other and share the database with fans.

This deal makes total sense to me. After all, hockey is essentially soccer played on a colder field.

The National Hockey League season is under way. Tonight the Anaheim Ducks of Southern California near Los Angeles visit the Tank for the home opener against the Sharks of San Jose.

The Sharks will begin their quest to make it past the second round of the playoffs. Last season everyone and their puppy said the Sharks would be Stanley Cup champions. That assumption, I believe, was based on the outcome of a video game. This season the so-called experts have them dueling it out in the Pacific with Anaheim and Dallas.

But wait, do not despair. The Sharks have added three new defensemen to help improve on last season’s suspect defense. Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich, and Rob Blake are the new additions. You remember the L.A. Kings’ Rob Blake; he is the guy you booed every time he stepped out on the ice.

If Marleau plays as he did last season after the trade deadline, Cheechoo finally gets off to an early start scoring, and Joe is, well Joe, then there is an excellent chance to see some exciting hockey. No, I was not going to say they would make it to the finals. I no longer hold my breath in anticipation.

Jeremy Roenick is back! Kyle McLaren is gone.

We will once again be mesmerized by the outstanding saves by Evgeni Nabokov.

We will cheer for Ron Wilson and Vesa Toskala in Toronto.

With the current economic situation, some of you may need to watch the pocket book and stay home. At least you can listen to Randy Hahn, Drew Remenda (TV) and Dan Rusanowsky (radio).

For the real story about the Sharks visit the Sharks’ website, Broadcaster Blog, and our friends at Sharkspage.

…but there is still work to be done.

      
Everything is ready. The colors are flying on San Pedro Street , the Tank is decked out with cool sidewalk art, our dinner sandwiches are made, the TV is set to high-definition Comcast, and we know the Sharks  are ready to do this!

Today was the NHL’s trade deadline, noon Pacific Time.

The Sharks big deal of the day was the acquisition of “puck-moving” defenseman Brian Campbell from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for right wing Steve Bernier and a first-round pick in this year’s draft. Campbell should be a help on the struggling power play.

Campbell, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, he rejected the Sabres offer of a three-year deal worth more than $17 million. Doug Wilson must be ready to offer a better deal this summer.

The Sharks also traded defenseman Rob Davison to the New York Islanders for a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.

The Sharks did sign a veteran goaltender Brian Boucher to backup Nabokov. Boucher does have NHL playoff experience.

Many fans and the press were calling for Patrick Marleau to be traded; I was not one of them. Marleau is having an off-season, big time. Let us hope that with the passing of the trade deadline he turns things around.

The Detroit Red Wings from the L.A. Kings acquired former Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart.

The number one deal of the day was forward Brad Richards going to the Dallas Stars from Tampa Bay. Look out for Dallas.

The Sharks did improve; however, so did Detroit, Dallas and Anaheim the last few weeks.

The game against the Nashville Predators marked milestones for the Sharks’ Jeremy Roenick and Ron Wilson.

It was Jeremy Roenick’s 1300th game in his illustrious career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, and Sharks.

With the Sharks victory (4-3), it was Ron Wilson’s 500th win as a coach. He has coached the Anaheim Ducks, Washington Capitals, and currently the Sharks.

Congratulations JR and Ron Wilson!

The Sharks, as a team overall, are still not playing to their potential. This, of course, will be very important come playoff time as Detroit, Dallas, and Anaheim are not sitting on their hands.

Speaking of Anaheim, shouldn’t there be a cutoff date when retired players can return to a team?

Upcoming later this month is the trading deadline, Feb. 26. I think the Sharks are fine. The only issue is having a solid backup goalie. Trade Marleau? No. Actually, if the Sharks were to make a trade, they could trade away their radio analyst.