Next week the National Hockey League playoffs begin.
Unlike last year, the San Jose Sharks clinched a spot in the Pacific Division
this time around. They won’t know their opponent until the end of regulation
play on Sunday, 4-10.
To get in the play-off mood, I thought I’d review my top
ten favorite All-Time San Jose Sharks players.
As the team is celebrating its 25th anniversary, selecting only ten was tough but I
managed.
Here are my choices (not in any particular order):
Arturs Irbe (G)
played five seasons with San Jose, 568 games winning 236 from 1991 through 1996
season. ‘Like Wall’ was his motto and he stood tall in goal
leading the team to the play-offs for the first time in the 1993-1994 season. Irbe
set records: first shut-out and most minutes played by a goaltender but it was
his charisma that made him a favorite.
Evgeni Nabokov (G)
was drafted in the ninth round (219th overall) by San Jose. Nabby
played ten seasons for the Sharks from 1999 to 2010. Nabokov is the only Sharks
player to have been awarded the NHL Calder trophy for Rookie of the Year award
(2000-2001 season). During his time as a Shark, he played 657 games, winning
353. Nabby also became the seventh goalie to score a goal.
Mike Ricci (C)
played seven seasons with San Jose from 1997 to 2004. Known for his wild hair
and gritty play, Mike was no stranger to the sin bin, either. He scored 243
goals and earned 362 assists for a total of 605 points. He saw 974 penalty
minutes. One of my favorite moments was his ‘wow’ face on sticks passed out to
fans to hold up as a booster.
*Patrick Marleau
(L) was drafted in the first round in 1997 second overall and has only
played with San Jose. He has represented the Sharks at the World Cup (four
times) and the Olympics (twice). To date (end of this years’ regular season) he
has 481 goals and 555 assists for 1,036 points He’s played in 1,411 games (all
as San Jose Shark), and was a former Captain.
Igor Larionov (C)
/ Sergei Makarov (R) One can’t speak of one without the other: Larionov and
Makarov were part of the famous KLM line for the Soviet National team. The two
Russians made an incredible impact on the Sharks team. Larionov played for three seasons, one more
than Sergei. He scored 169 goals and 475 assists for a total of 644 points.
Sergei played for two seasons (1993-1994, 1994-1995) and during that time he
scored 134 goals and earned 250 assists for a total of 384 points. Together,
they helped to bring the Sharks to the play-offs and energized the team as a whole
under Kevin Constantine. Igor went on to play with Detroit where he helped the Red Wings win the Cup.
Jeff Freisen (L)
was drafted by San Jose I 1994 in the frist round, 11th overall.
Jeff played from 1994-2000. During his time wearing the Sharks colors, he
scored 218 goals and earned 298 assists for a total of 516 points. Friesen was
my son’s favorite player. When we went to the first kid’s event, Friesen was
the player he had to get the
autograph and phot shoot with. Jeff went on to win a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils.
*Joe Pavelski (C) selected
in the seventh round (205th overall) in 2003, Captain America never fails to
keep us excited with his puck handling skills and leadership. Joe has
represented the USA at the Olympics, bringing home a silver medal. Beyond that,
as Captain of the Sharks, Joe has no problem speaking up when things aren’t
going well with the team.
Owen Nolan (R)
played twelve seasons for the Sharks from 1995-2002. He served as a Captain.
Owen scored 422 goals and earned 463 assists for a total of 885 points. His
most memorable play was his hat trick during the All-Star game in San Jose
where he scored a hat trick – actually pointing to the goal to call the shot just prior to
scoring the third goal in front of the screaming crowd of San Jose fans. We
were sad when he was traded – it was the end of an era. Owen was a former
Captain of the team.
Link Gaetz (D)
only played for San Jose in their inaugural season but he made an impact. The
‘Linkster’ had an impressive 412 penalty minutes. Gaetz didn’t have any problem
dropping the gloves to stand up for his teammates. Gaetz scored six goals and
had 6 assists (the Sharks site has him credited with 2 extra assists) for a career
total of 14 points. His career ended after a car crash.
Ray Whitney (L) was drafted in the second round of the 1991
NHL entry draft (23rd
overall) by San Jose, He played for the team from 1991 through 1997 (1330
games, 385 goals, 679 assists for a total of 1,064 points). What placed Ray on
the lists was his willingness to interact with the fans – specifically the
kids. During his tenure with San Jose, my son was a member of the Finactical
Kids Club. Ray tossed him a puck duding one of the events. I witnessed Ray wave
at the young fans at every event we attended. That’s how to make a dedicated hockey fan!
*active Sharks player
Looking forward to the play-offs...Go Sharks!!!
Stay safe out there!
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