The Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup, bringing it to California for
the first time.

Anaheim 6, Ottawa 2


By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
June 7, 2007





ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Anaheim Ducks were born on the silver
screen and came of age by capturing the shiniest of silver cups.

They dropped the mighty from their name, but not their game and
skated off with the first Stanley Cup championship in California
history.

The 14-year-old Ducks captured the NHL title with a 6-2 victory over
the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, ending the series in five
games in front of the home folks again.

For the first time, the Stanley Cup can enjoy an NHL western home,
and the Ducks' victory came at the expense of Canada. The cherished
trophy was born in Ottawa, but no team north of the border has won it
since Montreal in 1993.

"Canada loves their hockey, and from what I heard out there, we have
quite a few fans who love their hockey out here, too," said captain
Scott Niedermayer, a four-time champion from British Columbia and
this year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

Calgary, Edmonton and now Ottawa -- in its first trip since the
Senators were reborn in 1992 -- had three straight chances only to be
done in by U.S. clubs from the sun belt. Tampa Bay, Carolina and
Anaheim aren't traditional hockey hotbeds but they have been the
Cup's warm weather homes since 2004.

Wayne Gretzky made the game a happening in Southern California when
he came to Los Angeles in 1988, the Ducks made it legit two decades
later. No longer Disney's darlings, the Mighty Ducks' movie days are
gone. A victory rally awaits the new Ducks on Saturday.

Niedermayer brought his brother Rob and teammates Teemu Selanne and
Chris Pronger along for the ride for their first Stanley Cup. Rob
Niedermayer is one of three Ducks left from the losing side in 2003
when Scott and the New Jersey Devils captured their third title in
Game 7.

Only goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere had something to smile about then
when he was given the Conn Smythe. This was so much sweeter as he
stopped 11 shots in the clincher. The biggest roar for him came when
Antoine Vermette had the puck slide wide of the post during a third-
period penalty shot, the 10th in finals history.

Scott Niedermayer finally earned the MVP award many thought he
deserved four years ago. His biggest thrill came when he handed the
Cup off to Rob, a big reason he came to Anaheim before last season.

"I don't think I'll ever have a better feeling than that in my
career," Rob said. "When he came here, I know he turned down a lot
from New Jersey and he had a lot of fond memories there.

"I never touched it when he won. He's won so much, but he's never
been a guy whose ever rubbed it in a guy's face. He's been rooting
for me my whole career, and I'm just lucky to have him as a brother."





The 36-year-old Selanne, the Ducks' leading scorer this season,
waited 14 seasons to become a champion. Pronger was on Edmonton last
season when the Oilers lost in seven games to Carolina. He returned
to the lineup for the clincher after serving a one-game suspension.

A perfect finish after demanding a trade from Edmonton last summer.

"This is a special moment," he said. "It's always worth it when you
win it."

Sticks and gloves flew in front of Giguere when it ended. Fireworks
went off and streamers fell as the Ducks rushed off the bench to
celebrate.

Selanne bounced on his skates and shook the Cup after Pronger handed
it to him on the opposite side of the ice from where a banner dropped
signifying the Ducks' championship. Heavy showers of confetti fell to
the ice.

"I was just like, 'I couldn't believe it, it's going to happen,"'
Selanne said. "So much hard work, so many years to dream about that
moment.

"There has been times I didn't know if it was ever going to happen."

Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson, the first European captain in
finals history, came up short of his first championship in 11
seasons. He supplied all the Ottawa offense despite feeling the wrath
of fans, who booed him all night in response to his shooting the puck
at Scott Niedermayer in Game 4.

Andy McDonald started the scoring 3:41 into the first period with a
power-play goal, his third tally in two games, and Rob Niedermayer
made it 2-0 with 2:19 left. Travis Moen had two goals, one that never
touched his stick and another in conventional fashion.

Alfredsson scored twice in the second period, including a short-
handed goal that cut Anaheim's lead to one for a second time, but the
Senators couldn't shake off a fluke goal that defenseman Chris
Phillips put into his own net with a pass off the skates of goalie
Ray Emery.





That one was credited to Moen.

When Francois Beauchemin scored a power-play goal with 1:32 left in
the second, the Ducks' two-goal lead was back and the excited crowd
anticipated an appearance by the Stanley Cup.

By then it was just a matter of time for the Ducks, 8-0 at home in
series-clinching games -- including 4-0 this year. Anaheim is 6-0 at
home during the finals.

"They had more depth than us in this series," Alfredsson said. "We
didn't play our best. We tried to come back in the second period, but
that didn't last. It seemed like they were better than us."

In the middle of the third, the buzzing and quacking crowd serenaded
Emery, called for the now-polished Cup, and bellowed with delight
after each whistle.

The Ducks played five games above the minimum in the postseason and
went past five games only in the Western Conference finals when they
won three straight to wipe out Detroit in six.

Ottawa also had a quick run to the finals, needing only five games in
each previous series. But the Ducks proved too tough with their hard-
hitters and tight checkers shutting down the Senators' top forward
line that was broken up after holding the top three spots in NHL
playoff scoring.

"We had some guys that didn't play to what they were playing," said
Senators coach Bryan Murray, a former coach and GM of the Ducks. "I
think that's most disappointing and what we and they have to live
with through the summer."

Anaheim is the first West Coast city to lay claim to the silver
chalice since Victoria of the Western Canada Hockey League defeated
Montreal in 1925, two years before NHL clubs began exclusively
playing for the Cup.

"Their perseverance and determination in defeating the Ottawa
Senators is a testament to the greatness of California's world-class
sports teams," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.





McDonald scored just after the first half of a 5-on-3 penalty
expired, and Rob Niedermayer doubled the lead with a streak down the
right side. He blew past Mike Comrie and backhanded a shot in off
Emery with 2:19 left in the period.

Alfredsson made it 2-1 at 11:27 of the second, but Phillips' big
mistake put the life back in the building. While being chased behind
the net, Phillips pushed a pass as he came out the left side. The
puck went into Emery's skates and found its way in with 4:16 left in
the period.

It was shades of Edmonton defenseman Steve Smith, who short-circuited
the Oilers' chances for a "three-peat" in 1986 when he put the puck
in off the left skate of Grant Fuhr in the third period of Game 7 of
the Smythe Division finals.

But Alfredsson renewed Ottawa's hope with a short-handed goal with
2:22 left. The good feeling was soon dashed when Beauchemin ripped a
long shot past Emery 50 seconds later during the same power play.

Moen made it 5-2 with his second of the game and Corey Perry gave the
Ducks a four-goal lead with 3 minutes remaining.

Emery never looked comfortable in net, allowing six goals on 18
shots. Jason Spezza scored 34 goals in the regular season, but had
none in the finals.

"I knew if I didn't play better it would be tough for us to win,"
Spezza said. "It's extremely disappointing to come this far and lose."

Notes

The Niedermayers are the first brothers since Brent and Duane Sutter
of the Islanders in 1983 to win the Cup as teammates. ... Pronger
owns the only successful penalty-shot goal in finals history. ...
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. sipped beer in the victorious dressing room.


Updated on Thursday, Jun 7, 2007 12:47 am EDT





Gaffe by Phillips costly to Senators

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
June 6, 2007




ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Chris Phillips wore a pained expression as he
removed his pads, then sighed as he slowly took off his socks.

It's tough losing, especially when you commit the most egregious
error of the Stanley Cup finals.

"Now I know how Steve Smith feels," Phillips said, referring to the
former Edmonton Oilers defenseman who inadvertently shot the puck
into his own goal in Game 7 of the 1986 quarterfinals against Calgary
to snap a tie.

A pass by Phillips went off the skates of Ottawa goalie Ray Emery and
into his own net to give Anaheim a two-goal lead late in the second
period, and the Ducks went on to beat the Senators 6-2 on Wednesday
night to win the best-of-seven series in five games.

The 29-year-old Phillips, a member of the Senators since 1997,
brought the puck out from behind the left side of the net, but Emery
was slow getting back in the crease and Phillips' pass went in off
the goalie's skates.


A few minutes earlier, Phillips barely missed getting his first point
of the postseason when his potential tying shot deflected off a
teammate before hitting the right post.

"It has happened 100 times," Phillips said. "I pulled the puck out to
go the other way, it just got caught in his feet."

Emery never saw the puck, apparently thinking it was on Phillips'
stick. Visibly shaken, Phillips skated back to the Ottawa bench with
the Honda Center crowd roaring. Travis Moen got credit for a goal he
had nothing to do with and the Ducks led 3-1.

"I felt bad, obviously a mistake, not something I was trying to do,
that's for sure," Phillips said. "We had a great 10 minutes or so in
the second period until my screwup seemed to take a lot of the
momentum away."

Emery defended his teammate, saying: "It's not his fault. We lost 6-
2. It's not just that play. I saw Philly looking at my feet, I
assumed the puck was at my feet. The crowd roared."

And with that, Emery realized exactly where the puck was.

"We were capable of winning against that team. We didn't play our
game," Emery said. "I didn't play as well as I wanted to, or could
have."

Anaheim stretched the lead to 5-2 early in the third before Ottawa's
Antoine Vermette missed a penalty shot. That sort of summed things up
for the Senators, and assured the Ducks of their first NHL
championship.

Thus, the Senators' quest for their first Stanley Cup in 80 years
came to a decisive end with their most lopsided loss of the
postseason. Each of their previous six losses in the postseason was
by one goal including three to Anaheim.




Ottawa lost only one game in each of its three series against Eastern
Conference opponents, but the Senators were no match for the bigger,
more physical Ducks.

The Senators won 11 Stanley Cups between 1890 and 1934. They returned
to the NHL as an expansion team before the 1992-93 season, and
reached the finals this year for the first time since their return.

The Senators hoped to become just the second of 29 teams to come back
from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple
Leafs, who trailed 3-0 before beating the Detroit Red Wings.

The first bit of bad news for Ottawa came with the announcement that
center Dean McAmmond was scratched following the pregame skate.
McAmmond, who had five goals and three assists in 18 postseason
games, didn't play after being elbowed in the head by Anaheim
defenseman Chris Pronger in the third period of Game 3.

Pronger was suspended for Game 4 by the NHL, but returned Wednesday
night.

Then, the Senators were penalized twice in the first 3 1/2 minutes,
and paid the price when Andy McDonald's goal just as Ottawa's first
penalty expired put the Ducks ahead for good.

The line of Dany Heatley (50), Jason Spezza (34) and Daniel
Alfredsson (29) combined for 113 goals during the regular season and
23 in the first three playoff series. Alfredsson had four goals
against the Ducks. including both scores Wednesday night, but Heatley
had only one and Spezza none.

"Right now, it's pretty disappointing," Heatley said. "They played
well. I don't think we played the way we can play. They did a really
good job, especially with their checking line and their defense. I
think we're better than that offensively."

The Senators beat the Ducks 5-3 in Game 3, but scored six goals in
the four losses.



Updated on Wednesday, Jun 6, 2007 11:51 pm EDT

Behind 3-2 Victory, Sharks Advance to WCSF
April 21, 2007

What a difference a year makes. Just 346 days ago, the 2005-06 San
Jose Sharks defeated a gritty Nashville Predators squad in five games
to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. On Friday night in
Nashville, the 2006-07 Sharks accomplished that very same feat,
eliminating the Predators for the second straight season with the 4-1
series victory.

Captain Patrick Marleau scored the series-clinching goal for the
second time in as many years against the Predators and was a dominant
offensive force in the final minutes of the second period and entire
third period.

"Just like last year he scored the clincher for us, and again he does
it tonight," said Joe Thornton. "He's just a big time player."

Like Marleau, Thornton produced in big spots throughout the series,
posting six assists in the series despite facing a barrage of capable
Nashville defenders.

"That's a great team over there," Thornton said. "They added some
really good players and we added some really good players too. That
was just two great teams going at it. It's just too bad one team had
to lose"

Veteran defenseman Craig Rivet, who had nearly seven more minutes of
ice time than any other Sharks player, was quick to sing the praises
of teammates Thornton and Marleau and the job they did offensively.

"I know the big men worked really hard down low," said Rivet. "I
think that's the identity of this team: big, strong and skilled. Joe
[Thornton], Billy [Guerin] and Patty [Marleau] had an outstanding
shift of just being really strong on the puck.

"I think it's one thing for a guy like him to have the puck, but you
need to give credit to the players that he's playing with to be able
to get into the area to be able to score guys. Guys like Cheech, like
Patty tonight. Moving into a spot where you can receive a pass. These
are things that goal scorers do. Not only is Joe a solid playmaker,
but he's playing with guys that can shoot the puck."

TURNING POINT
Scott Nichol's five-minute major and game misconduct for spearing
Christian Ehrhoff changed the entire complexion of the game on
Friday. At the time of the penalty, Nashville held a 2-1 lead and
appeared to be headed on the power play.

While the referee's arm was in the air, indicating that Ehrhoff was
about to be called for interference, Nichol decided not to take a hit
to draw a penalty for his team, but instead overreacted and
retaliated with a cheap shot. Nichol speared the blade of his stick
into Ehrhoff's groin and collected Nashville's sixth game misconduct
of the series in only five games.

"I don't know what it was," said Ehrhoff. "There was a normal battle
going on. I don't see why he could have been upset.

WILSON'S PEP TALK LOOMS LARGE
At his postgame press conference, Coach Ron Wilson admitted to
challenging his top unit of Thornton, Marleau and Guerin to get
things going and to dominate. Wilson first swapped Milan Michalek and
Thornton during the extended power play at the end of the second
period.

"Putting those guys together sometimes really gets Patty [Marleau]
going," said Wilson. "I didn't think he was effective the first half
of the game. So the idea there was to get a spark on the power play
and I was thinking of making that change anyway. So we carried it
through in the third period.

"They were getting to a lot of pucks. They were really hungry and
wanted to make a difference. That's what great players do."

"That last shift was unbelievable. And all I said to Joe with 10
minutes left was, `Its your time to dominate joe. Both ends.
Dominate.' And we went out and dominated without a doubt."

Thornton had a similar recollection of the discussion between him and
Ron.

"Ronny put us out there for the offensive draw and said, `Hey, do
something this shift.'"

HURRY UP AND WAIT
With half of the Western Conference teams still playing (#3 Vancouver
leads 3-2 over  #6 Dallas, #1 Detroit tied 2-2 with #8 Calgary), the
Sharks seem eager to hurry home, only to wait to see who they will
play next round.

But perhaps more importantly, San Jose will have a handful of days to
get home and get rested before likely opening their Western
Conference Semifinal series on the road.

"For anybody that ever says it's tougher if you have more of a layoff
[before the second round], that's just not true," said Curtis
Brown. "It's real important, especially with the travel these two
teams have endured. To get a couple of days to be able to catch up on
some rest. I'd just as soon see all those series go long. It's a
marathon, not a sprint. It's huge to move on, but the quicker you can
do it, I believe there's an advantage to that."

Sharks Fall In Regular Season Finale, 4-3, In Overtime
April 7, 2007

San Jose looked to take their last attempt at the Pacific Division
title, but it would take a victory over Vancouver and some help from
the Columbus Blue Jackets later in the evening against Anaheim.

San Jose surrendered the opening goal just two minutes into the
contest. Kevin Bieksa beat the defense to a loose puck and put a
close shot on Nabokov from a difficult angle. The stop was made, but
the rebound squirted beyond some Sharks defenders and directly to
Matt Cooke. That shot appeared to bounce off Patrick Marleau and past
Nabokov.

Two minutes later, the Canucks lead was 2-0. This time a simple point
shot by Sami Salo was tipped out front by Taylor Pyatt and the puck
slid inside the far post.

After killing off a Vancouver penalty, San Jose began asserting
themselves offensively and forced Brent Sopel into a slashing
penalty. The Canucks penalty killers were up to the task as well and
the score did not change.

The Canucks were taking every liberty with Joe Thornton in the game's
opening 15 minutes and then the Sharks reached their boiling point.
When Thornton was knocked down away from the play, all 10 skaters on
the ice quickly paired. Few real punches were landed, with the best
coming when Craig Rivet landed an upper cut on Rory Fitzpatrick.

Trevor Linden tripped up Cheechoo with 1:08 left in the first, but
the power play would have to continue in the second as Vancouver took
their 2-0 lead to the break.

With just five seconds left in the Sharks second period power play,
Team Teal lit the lamp. A Thornton delivery to Milan Michalek, who
was parked in front creating havoc, bounced off the winger's leg,
closing the gap to 2-1.

The physical play was still in full force for both clubs early in the
second, but Markus Naslund went a bit too far when he tripped up Joe
Pavelski and the Sharks went hunting for their second power play
tally of the stanza. When Cheechoo entered the zone on the rush,
Brendan Morrison hooked him down, giving the home club 25 seconds of
five-on-three time.

Despite multiple efforts by the Sharks power play units, Vancouver
stopped both advantages, and San Jose avoided giving up a shortie
when Nabokov made the big save on a Canucks odd-man rush.

Vancouver forced themselves into a second five-on-three deficit when
Jan Bulis hooked down Marc-Edouard in the slot on the power – and
this time the Sharks converted. Ron Wilson took the opportunity to
use his timeout and draw up the tying tally. It finally came when
Marleau's shot whistled by the net and came out the other side right
to Thornton. The Seagate Technology Sharks Player of the Year calmly
settled down the puck and pushed it over the goal line.

Just as in the Anaheim contest two nights ago, the Sharks rallied
back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the contest. Whether San Jose would be
alive in the Pacific Division race would be decided in the third
period.

The third began with four-on-four play as Steve Bernier and Mattias
Ohlund were sent to the box for roughing as the second period
concluded. The Vancouver went on the advantage with Cheechoo was sent
to the box. However, the only highlight came when Kyle McLaren
crushed Bieksa into the boards behind Nabokov.

When Curtis Brown was sent to the box with 14 left in the third, it
provided Vancouver with their third tally. A point shot by Bieksa
through a screen found it's way to the back of the net and the Sharks
would have to rally for a late goal.

As the third reached it's midway point, a Bernier shot rang off a
defender's leg to a wide open Clowe. Parked at the sided of the net,
the winger from Newfoundland smacked the puck for what appeared to be
the tying goal – instead, it was a highlight save by Luongo.

The comeback became a bit more difficult when Thornton was called for
boarding with 5:06 left. The PK groups, specifically Grier, Brown,
Goc and Rissmiller did their jobs and the Sharks still had a chance.

With 33 second left in regulation, Cheechoo tied the game on a
brilliant feed from Thornton. The goal extended the game into
overtime, giving the Sharks an opportunity to grab the extra point
and the temporary lead in the Pacific Division race.

But Vancouver killed San Jose's comeback chances just 34 seconds into
overtime. Mattias Ohlund's blast from the point clipped a stick at
the point and fluttered over Nabokov's shoulder. The goal clinched
the game and the Northwest Division title for the Vancouver Canucks.

Friday At The Rink
April 6, 2007

EYES ON DALLAS?

There's no doubt that San Jose Sharks fans will find a way to watch
all, if not some, of tonight's game in Dallas between the Stars and
the Anaheim Ducks. Simply stated, a Ducks win means they clinch the
Pacific Division title.

As play begins today, the Sharks are a point behind the Ducks for
first place in the Pacific and potential home ice advantage to start
the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dallas trails the Sharks by three points
and can only hope for a fifth place finish in the Western Division as
they start the day in sixth place.

Of course, Sharks players will have more than a passing interest in
this evening's events. However, not everyone will be watching the
game closely.

"Are they playing tonight," defenseman Kyle McLaren asked with a
smile. "To be honest with you, no. I'll be checking the updates and
see who's winning and losing. But as for watching it, I'm going to
get my rest for tomorrow (the final regular season game against
Vancouver at HP Pavilion)."

"I'll be definitely keeping an eye on it," defenseman Scott Hannan
said.

  "I watch hockey all the time," center Joe Thornton said. "I usually
turn on the TV around four o'clock and watch a couple of the East
Coast games and then some West Coast. So, I'm always watching the
games.

"I just like hockey," Thornton continued. "It's good to see different
players from around the League."

"I'm sure I'll keep an eye on the score, but I probably won't be
watching it too closely. I'm sure it will be an interesting game,"
left wing Ryane Clowe said. "When I'm away from the rink, I stay away
a little bit from hockey."

Tonight's game is just part of what has been one of the most exciting
finishes in National Hockey League history. The Western Conference
features seven teams with more than 100 points. If Calgary wins their
next two games, they would become the eighth team to hit the century
mark.

Only Western Conference-leading Detroit has clinched their division
(Central) title. Vancouver needs to win one of their next two games
to be Northwest Division Champions. And then there's the two-way race
between Anaheim and the Sharks for Pacific Division supremacy.

The next three days will be very interesting ones in the NHL.

"Often, you don't see this excitement towards the end of the year,"
Hannan said. "Teams are playing against the teams that could make a
difference in whether or not they make the playoffs or how they seed.
This has been a tight race for quite awhile."

The numerous season-ending options can drive any fan, even the most
die-hard, crazy. Don't think that these possibilities haven't caught
the attention of the Sharks. They just can't dwell on them as much as
the fans.

"You really have no idea who you're going to play (to start the
playoffs)," Thornton said. "The only teams we can't play are Detroit
and Calgary (currently in eighth place). You have a ton of playoff
possibilities. You look at them, but you don't really pay attention
to them."

"We definitely want certain teams to win right now. That goes without
saying," McLaren said. "But we've been taking care of business at
home and on the road. I'd rather be in the position we're in, which
is we've locked up a spot. We're not worried about just trying to
make the playoffs. We're trying to go for bigger and better things."

The Sharks have played 13 games in a 26-day period that started March
11. Over that stretch, San Jose has won 11, lost one in regulation
and one in overtime. The hectic schedule has helped San Jose stay
focused on their play, as opposed to wondering how other teams are
playing.

"We've been playing every other night for the last couple of weeks,"
McLaren said. "Our focus has been on our own game. We don't have time
to see what other teams are doing. We worry about ourselves."

"It's good that we're playing this kind of hockey right now,"
Thornton said. "It gets us used to playoff hockey and a playoff
atmosphere as well."

SATURDAY AT THE RINK
The Vancouver Canucks come to San Jose for the Sharks last 2006-07
regular season game. The Canucks (48-25-7, 103 points) lead the
Northwest Division and are third in the Western Conference.

The infamous Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, are amongst the NHL's
top-25 scoring leaders. Daniel has a career high 83 points and 36
goals. Henrik's 70 assists and 80 points are personal NHL bests as
well.

Roberto Luongo, who's a strong candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy
as the NHL's most valuable player, is the first Canuck goaltender to
have won 40 (46) games in a season. He's been a big reason why the
Canucks penalty kill is atop the NHL at .875.

Tomorrow's game, which starts at 1 p.m., is also Fan Appreciation Day.

NHL Recognizes San Jose's 'Three Stars'
March 29, 2007

The San Jose Sharks have definitely been on the receiving end of
awards the past few weeks as Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and
Jonathan Cheechoo have each been named one of the NHL's Three Stars
during the past month.

"It can definitely be contagious," said Marleau. "When one guy is
playing well, you see them and pick up your game."

Thornton has an amazing 29 points (6-23=29) in the past 17 games,
Marleau has 10 (3-7=10) in the last 10 contests and Cheechoo has 16
(9-7=16) in 12 games and others such as Milan Michalek and Bill Guerin
are tearing it up as well.

"That's their job and they are delivering," said Coach Ron Wilson.

And the Sharks are picking up their game at the right time with five
regular season games remaining and the Pacific Division lead in sight.

"The team has been playing well the last few games, playing a playoff
style," said Marleau. "We have to get used to that."

And the three award recipients know that individual awards go
hand-in-hand with team success.

"I don't' think too many people are named to the Three Stars if their
team isn't winning," said Cheechoo. "It makes it a little more
special, but we're going for the big team award at the end."

The three feel that the offensive upswing is a partly due to the
addition of another veteran blueliner. While Craig Rivet may have
plenty of offensive skill, his reputation is based on being a
difficult defender to face.

"It takes the pressure off some of the young (offensive) guys," said
Cheechoo. "They can play more relaxed and it gives the forwards a lot
more confidence. It's nice to have the veterans like (Kyle) McLaren,
(Scott) Hannan and Rivet."

Rivet says there are others who make his job easier.

"I've got to throw it back to Nabby (Evgeni Nabokov) and Tosk (Vesa
Toskala)," said Rivet. "Both have been so strong since I've been here."

As for helping out offensively, Rivet appreciates the forwards who
still do the dirty work.

"We're scoring goals because we're big, strong and dominating in the
corners," said Rivet. "They make it easy on the defense."

GOALTENDER QUESTION
Wilson has not declared officially what he will be doing for the
postseason with the goaltenders. It is likely the every other game
rotation is quickly winding down for the regular season.

"Nabby will play three to four and Tosk will play one to two," said
Wilson. "Tosk missed so much time and Nabby played so well, I don't
want to mess with the team's rhythm. We're going to keep our options
open through the playoffs. If I decide to go with one guy, the players
know that Plan B is the same as Plan A. Both deserve to start."

As for his talented mix of skaters, Wilson will wait and see how the
Pacific Division race shapes up before he decides to rest any of his
forwards or defensemen.

"Everything will depend on Anaheim," said Wilson. "If we can finish in
first, we will play every game like the playoffs. It is a good rehearsal."

Wilson is glad his team is rested for the postseason this year, a
stark contrast to one season ago.

"I don't have to play (Joe and Patty) 25 minutes just to make the
playoffs," said Wilson.

SMITH A HIT
Mark Smith's performance with the Vinyl Trees at The Fillmore in San
Francisco proved to be a hit with teammates who attended the show.

"I've seen him a couple of times and I'm surprised how good he is,"
said Steve Bernier.

Smith's on-stage performance wasn't as nerve-rattling as what was
happening backstage.

"I met the band (The Tragically Hip) and gave them a couple of CD's,"
said Smith. "I was really nervous about that."

NEXT GAME
San Jose will tackle the Phoenix Coyotes Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at
HP Pavilion. Limited tickets are still available at the HP Pavilion
Ticket Office and at www.ticketmaster.com. The contest will be
broadcast on FSN Bay Area in high-definition, KFOX 98.5 FM, Sharks
Radio Network Affiliates and SJSHARKS.com.

East is East, West is best
John Kreiser | NHL.com columnist  Mar 23, 2007, 12:45 PM EDT

Joe Thornton and the Sharks have been
the kings of inter-conference play this
season, with an 8-1-0 vs. East teams.
East is East and West is West. But when the two play each other,
there's no question that the West is the best.

San Jose's visit to Carolina Saturday night will be the 150th and last
inter-conference game of the season, the second under the current
format that sees teams play just 10 out-of- conference games during an
82-game schedule. Just as they did last season, Western teams have
gotten the best of their Eastern rivals. In fact, they're even more
dominant than they were in 2005-06.

With one game remaining, the West leads the series, 82-47-20, while
Eastern teams are 67-63-19. That's even better than last season, the
first under the new inter-conference format, when the West went
79-52-19 to 71-62-17 for the East. The Chicago Blackhawks (3-5-2) and
Columbus Blue Jackets (4-6-0) were the only teams from the West that
got less than half of the 20 points available in inter-conference play.

As they were last season, the Sharks and Vancouver Canucks have been
the best of the West. San Jose is 8-1-0 going into its game against
Carolina, and can match its 9-1-0 record of last season with a
victory. Vancouver was 9-1-0 last season and went 8-1-1 this season.
The Canucks also are the only team to go undefeated at home in both
seasons; the Sharks were 5-0-0 at the HP Pavilion last season and
4-1-0 this season.

John Kreiser
John Kreiser, who has covered the NHL since 1975, is NHL.com's man
behind the numbers. His column appears each weekend on NHL.com.
More by John Kreiser:
[By the Numbers archive]

     * More NHL.com features
     * 2006-2007 player stats

With the Canucks leading the way, the Northwest Division has been the
best in the NHL this season at 29-14-7, including a 19-5-1 mark in
home games. Those games came against the Southeast Conference, which
has a league-worst 16-24-9 mark. Southeast teams went just 6-13-6 on
the road and are the only division with a sub-.500 mark at home (10-11-3).

Just enough? -- Snagging a few extra points against the other
conference might not sound like much, but it can make the difference
between winning and losing a division — or whether a team makes the
playoffs. Vancouver's one-point lead over Minnesota in the Northwest
Division stems from the fact that the Canucks got 17 points against
the East to 12 for the Wild. In the Central, Detroit has one more
point against the West than Nashville, but the Predators have a
one-point lead because they got 15 points against the East to 13 for
the Wings.

In the East, the defending Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes have more
points against Eastern teams than any of the teams they're competing
against in the race for the last three playoff berths. But the `Canes
have just seven points against the West, less than Tampa Bay (11), the
New York Rangers (12) and Islanders (11), Montreal (14) and Toronto
(10) — a big reason they're barely hanging on to the eighth and final
playoff berth as they try to avoid becoming the first defending
champion since New Jersey in 1996 to miss the playoffs one season
after winning the Cup.

Offense or defense -- The West's dominance of the East would appear to
be largely attributable to its defense. Of the nine teams that enter
the weekend having allowed less than 200 goals, only two (New Jersey
and the Rangers) are from the East. Also, of the 137 shutouts this
season, Western teams have 84, with every team having at least three —
a total seven Eastern teams haven't managed. Take out New Jersey's
league-leading 12 shutouts and the other 14 Eastern teams have managed
just 41. Seven Western teams have six or more shutouts, compared with
just two in the East.

But while Eastern goaltenders don't put up a lot of shutouts, Eastern
shooters are much more prolific than their Western counterparts at
ringing up three-goal games. Eastern players have 43 three-goal
performances to just 25 for Western players. Of the 12 players who've
had more than one, eight play in the East.

JOKINEN
Luck of the ... Finnish? -- Florida captain Olli Jokinen comes from
Finland, but he had the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Not
only did Jokinen have two goals and three assists for a five-point
night, he went a career-best plus-6 (helped by a pair of empty-net
assists) — tying Toronto's Ian White (Jan. 4 against Boston) for the
best plus-minus night by any player this season. Two Panthers
defensemen, Ruslan Salei and Mike Van Ryn, were plus-5.

Wrong place, wrong time -- Unlike Jokinen, Boston defenseman Dennis
Wideman won't have fond memories of his St. Patrick's Day. Wideman was
in the penalty box for three of the four power-play goals allowed by
the Bruins in a 7-0 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The
only other player this season to be in the box for three opposition
power-play goals was Toronto's Matt Stajan, who was in the box for
three of Detroit's five power-play goals on Dec. 9.

The shutout was a rarity in the Rangers-Bruins series. It was the
first by either team since New York won 3-0 at Boston on Feb. 3, 1994,
and Rangers' first against the Bruins at the Garden since a 4-0 win on
Dec. 8, 1991. The Rangers hadn't had such a large shutout win over the
Bruins since a 9-0 rout at MSG on Feb. 23, 1969.

LUNDQVIST
All hail 'The King' -- New York Rangers fans sometimes refer to
goaltender Henrik Lundqvist as "King Henrik," and he's doing his best
to live up to the name. Lundqvist has allowed just one goal in his
last three games, sandwiching the 7-0 shutout of Boston last Saturday
and a 5-0 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday around a 2-1 victory over
Pittsburgh on Monday. Lundqvist now has seven career shutouts — all at
Madison Square Garden. He has four shutouts in his 19 starts since
Feb. 3 after putting up just three in his first 92 starts.

Firing blanks -- The Washington Capitals set a season low by managing
just 10 shots on goal in Thursday night's 4-3 loss at Carolina. The
previous low was 11 by Atlanta against Tampa Bay on opening night. The
10 shots are the fewest in any game since the Caps had just 9 at New
Jersey on Dec. 4, 2003. The Caps were out-shot 41-9 that night in a
3-0 loss.


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Sharks Win 4-1 Set Franchise Mark With 45 Wins
March 21, 2007

San Jose used a 4-1 victory in Chicago, thanks to two goals each by
Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, to move within four points of
Pacific Division leading Anaheim .  Evgeni Nabokov stopped 28 of 29
shots for the win.

Click here to watch video highlights.  Click here for the photo gallery.

Team Teal would jump on the scoreboard first thanks to a monumental
effort by Joe Thornton.  The defending NHL scoring champ, held the
puck behind the net, skated out high, then went back through the slot,
before finding Scott Hannan at the point.

The veteran blueliner then fed Cheechoo at the low slot and he beat
Patrick Lalime upstairs.


Chicago was firing away at Nabokov and, following 10 consecutive
saves, found the tying tally.  Nabokov made a strong initial save, but
when the puck couldn't be cleared, Patrick Sharp grabbed it in the
slot and rifled one to the back of the net.


Period one ended tied at one.


The Blackhawks would have found themselves up a goal early in the
second, but Nabokov made an unbelievable stop on a breakaway,
sprawling across the ice for the stop.


Chicago put the NHL's most dangerous power play out for three straight
second period opportunities and the Sharks made them pay.  This goal
came when Michalek was parked in front and simply redirected the pass
coming through the crease.  San Jose was up 2-1 again.


Team Teal was then forced to fend off a high-sticking double minor to
Kyle McLaren and Chicago put their best shot on net with five seconds
remaining in the four minutes.  On the play, the puck bounced off two
players, and through Nabokov's legs.  It then took a fortuitous bounce
back into the crease where Nabokov covered it.


The second ended as the first did, with San Jose up a goal.


Following an early post shot by Bill Guerin in the third, Steve
Bernier drew a penalty while driving the net to put the Sharks on the
power play.  And again the Sharks made Chicago pay.


A Thornton pass bounced off Matt Carle in the slot and went right to
Cheechoo.  The Moose Factory, Ontario product then put it short side
for the Sharks first two goal lead of the night.


Michalek joined Cheechoo with a second tally of his own in the third.
  For this marker, Thornton peeled around the net and fed the wide-open
Czech in front.  With no defender around, Michalek took his time and
recorded the fourth multi-goal game of his career.


That would close out the scoring as the Sharks would have a happy
flight to Carolina thanks to the 4-1 victory.


UP TO SECOND
Thanks to his three helpers against Chicago, Thornton is now second in
the NHL's scoring race with 99 points.  Only Pittsburgh 's Sidney
Crosby leads the Sharks scoring center.


FORMER BLACKHAWKS
Mark Bell and Curtis Brown returned to the city they played in for the
2005-06 season.


LINES
Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo
Bell-Marleau-Guerin
Rissmiller-Brown-Grier
Clowe-Goc-Bernier

Carle-Rivet
Hannan-Vlasic
McLaren-Ehrhoff

Nabokov-Toskala

NEXT GAME
The Sharks return to the ice Thursday with a 4 p.m. start against the
Atlanta Thrashers.  The game will be carried on FSN Bay Area, 98.5
KFOX and sjsharks.com.

Sharks Dominate Hawks, 7-1, On National TV
March 13, 2007

Evgeni Nabokov saved 18 of 19 shots and Bill Guerin scored his first,
second and third goals as a Shark as San Jose dominated the Chicago
Blackhawks on Tuesday night in San Jose.

Click here for video highlights from Tuesday's game. Click here for
photos from Tuesday's game.

The San Jose Sharks looked to grab their ninth point in their last
five games when the Chicago Blackhawks came to town.

The red-hot Evgeni Nabokov looked across at Patrick Lalime as his
Russian Olympic teammate Nikolai Khabibulin took the night off. Ron
Wilson gave Joe Pavelski the night off to rest and put Mark Bell in
his slot against his former club.

San Jose had the game's first power play, but came up empty. They
continued the pressure when even strength play returned and the
Sharks stayed the aggressors. Mike Grier set up Curtis Brown in close
for one opportunity, but Lalime turned away the redirect.

Guerin scores his first as a Shark.Lalime wouldn't be as lucky seven
minutes into the first when Bill Guerin struck for his first as a
Shark. Beating his defender to a Christian Ehrhoff dump-in, Guerin
swiped the puck toward Lalime and beat him between the pads.
Following a Steve Bernier shot a minute later, San Jose was
outshooting Chicago 12-1.

The offensive press kept coming as Team Teal made it 2-0. This time,
Guerin played the role as setup man and found Bell alone in front of
the slot. Bell took his time and went upstairs for the tally.

A Cam Barker penalty gave San Jose a power play to close out the
first, but they could not add to their 2-0 lead. After 20 minutes,
Team Teal was outshooting Chicago 16-2 and both Blackhawks shots were
well outside of scoring range.

Early in the second, it appeared as if Chicago was onto their first
scoring chance of the night was they created a two-on-one rush.
However, a nifty reach by Craig Rivet broke up the play.

When Martin Havlat put on a mini one-man show, including a breakaway
and a wraparound, Nabokov was there to turn him away.

While Chicago began surging on the shot chart early in the second,
posting nine shots to the Sharks one, but it was the Sharks second
shot that lit the lamp. Skating behind Lalime, Thornton fed Michalek
out front and he slapped it short side on the Chicago netminder.

San Jose has two power play opportunities late in the second, but
would have to settle for keeping the lead at 3-0 after 40 minutes.

Brown and Williams take the draw.Five minutes into the third, the
score moved to 4-0. Jonathan Cheechoo was controlling play, first
firing a shot on net and then retrieving the rebound himself.
Cheechoo then circled around front and fed Scott Hannan at the point.
The British Columbia product fired on net seeing the traffic in front
and Thornton tucked in the rebound.

Fisticuffs nearly broke out when Steve Bernier was hauled down from
behind by Danny Richmond and only a struggling linesman could keep
them apart. On the play, Clowe had already been whistled for
interference and Chicago went on the power play.

When even strength play returned, the Sharks jumped back to the
attack. Thornton helped propel Grier and Michalek on a two-on-one and
they were off to the races. Grier fed Michalek who then drew Lalime
over before returning the puck to Grier who fired it in, making it 5-
0.

Only a diving Chicago prevented an easy conversion on a following odd-
man Sharks rush, but Team Teal would earn a power play on that play
and convert for a 6-0 advantage. San Jose would not let the puck
leave the zone and finally scored when Marleau dished to Guerin and
he stuffed in the wrap-around for his second Sharks tally.

With just 3:30 to go in the game, Martin Lapointe spoiled Nabokov's
bid for his fourth shutout in his past five starts, scoring an
unassisted goal to make it a 6-1 game.

Not to be done however, the Sharks closed out the game in style. With
17 seconds to play, Marleau made a tape-to-tape feed to Guerin who
snuck behind the Chicago defense. Guerin swooped in one-on-one
against Lalime, but was hooked on the arm and missed the backhand bid
at the hat trick.

However, referee Kerry Fraser deemed that Guerin was clear of his
defender and was awarded a penalty shot with just 12.3 seconds
remaining. The penalty shot was the first of Guerin's 14-year NHL
career. Guerin drove into the zone and whipped a forehand wrist shot
through Lalime's five-hole sending the capacity crowd at HP Pavilion
into a frenzy. The goal made it 7-1, the final total of the game.

LINES
Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo
Bell-Marleau-Guerin
Rissmiller-Brown-Grier
Clowe-Goc-Bernier

McLaren-Ehrhoff
Hannan-Vlasic
Carle-Rivet

Nabokov-Toskala

NEXT GAME
San Jose will travel to Phoenix for a Thursday showdown at 6 p.m. on
FSN Bay Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

FINAL  1  2  3  T
	 Chicago    0  0  1  1
	 San Jose    2  1  4  7

Video Highlights  	 Game Photos
Official Scoresheet  Official Super Stats
Boxscore  Faceoffs
Play-by-Play  Shift Chart
Rosters  TOI - CHI|SJS
CHI:  LAPOINTE, M. (16:30 in 3rd)
SJS:  GUERIN, B. (07:04 in 1st), BELL, M. (10:42 in 1st), MICHALEK,
M. (13:11 in 2nd), THORNTON, J. (05:34 in 3rd), GRIER, M. (10:30 in
3rd), GUERIN, B. (PPG, 13:05 in 3rd), GUERIN, B. (19:47 in 3rd)

Rivet Excited For West Coast Challenge
February 25, 2007

The San Jose Sharks acquisition of Craig Rivet will bolster their
blueline for a playoff run by adding a few simple, but overlooked
factors to San Jose's blue line corps.

"We're very pleased to get Craig," said Doug Wilson. "The best
example is to look at Mike Grier and he is that type of player on the
backend. He is a hard-nosed player with outstanding character and he
won a gold medal at the World Championships with Patrick Marleau.
Craig is a right shot and all our other guys are left shots. He was
at the top of our list in many different categories. He has a very
detailed game and I know our coaches are excited about this."

Rivet plans to join his new teammates in San Jose, but will likely be
out for Monday's contest against Anaheim.

"I'm really excited to get down there," said Rivet.

"We anticipate it (his immigration) taking a couple of days," said
Wilson.

The move to the west coast will be a new test for Rivet, as the 1992
third round pick of Montreal has never played for any NHL franchise
but the famed Canadiens. His entire junior career was spent in
Kingston, making this his first ever trade.

"This is new and very exciting," said Rivet.

Rivet was prepared for the possibility of a move with his impending
free agency this summer.

"I'm doing pretty good," said Rivet. "I think I had an idea and I was
prepared. I've been in Montreal a long time. I have some good
memories in Montreal and some not so good memories, but I enjoyed
every single minute in Montreal."

While he has always been an eastern guy, Rivet is aware of the Sharks
and their possibilities.

"I know they have a very strong team and Joe is among the best
players putting on skates right now," said Rivet. "I think we have a
team that can do some damage and I hope to make them better."

Rivet has missed the past several weeks due to a bout with Pneumonia,
but it must be noted that in the past four NHL seasons, Rivet has
played in 82, 82, 80 and 82 games.

"I've been pushing hard," said Rivet. "I may not be 100 percent, but
I'm looking forward to getting back in game shape."

This marks the second time the Sharks organization has looked to
Montreal at the trade deadline with a first round pick as bait. The
last time it happened, the Sharks picked up Vincent Damphousse.

"I know him very well," said Rivet. "He is a good friend of mine."

Rivet brings a veteran presence to the Sharks blueline that allows
Ron Wilson the option of having a seasoned player on the backend at
all times.

"They have great pieces up front and I hope to be a solid piece to
the puzzle (on the blueline)," said Rivet.

The newest Sharks blueliner is looking forward to fighting for more
than just the last playoff spot.

"In Montreal, we were always in a dogfight for the eighth spot and
now I'm moving to a team that is comfortably in and fighting for home
ice advantage.

The first round pick the Sharks surrendered in the deal is the Sharks
original pick, but San Jose still possesses New Jersey's first round
choice this summer.

NEXT GAME
The Sharks will face Anaheim tomorrow night at HP Pavilion in a
nationally television game on Versus. The 7 p.m. start will also be
available on 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com. Limited tickets are still
available at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office and at
www.ticketmaster.com.

Cheechoo Looking To Click Once Again
February 16, 2007

By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer

San Jose forward Jonathan Cheechoo understands he led a charmed life
last season. Now, he is just trying to recapture the magic.

The arrival of Joe Thornton in San Jose -- an unexpected surprise
last November after a blockbuster trade between the Sharks and
Bruins -- catapulted Cheechoo almost overnight from a player with an
unlimited future to a superstar in the here-and-now.

Capitalizing on the amazing and immediate chemistry shared with
Thornton, a crafty, pass-first pivot, Cheechoo, a shoot-first, ask-
questions-later right winger, started scoring goals in bunches as
soon as the two players were put together.

Teammate Patrick Marleau says the symbiotic relationship forged by
the two players was breathtaking in both its simplicity and brutal
effectiveness. When all was said and done last season, Cheechoo had a
League-leading 56 goals, double his previous career best. Thornton
had a League-best 125 points and was voted the Hart Trophy as the
League's Most Valuable Player.

"He and Joe clicked last year and it was something special to watch,"
said Marleau. "Just how (Cheechoo) evolved, working hard all the
time. He's always had a pretty quick shot and been able to get to
scoring areas and you end up with a guy like Joe and he scores 56
goals".

Cheechoo also earned his first All-Star appearance, an honor he
enjoyed last month as a member of the victorious Western Conference
squad at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas.

"It's an unbelievable experience," Cheechoo said while basking in the
Dallas spotlight. "My dad came in early for this and he's like 'Did
you see Joe Sakic, did you see this guy, did you see that guy?' It's
exciting just to be involved in this type of game."

Exciting, sure. But is it intimidating?

"I wouldn't say intimidated, just more so exciting to be around these
great guys. It's fun to just be in that atmosphere."

It also proved to be a brief respite from Cheechoo's struggles for
much of this season.

Unlike last season, Cheechoo is not on pace for 56 goals this year.
In fact, at his current pace, he will finish the season with 31
goals. Most players in the NHL would pay dearly to top the 30-goal
plateau, but Cheechoo set the bar far higher during last year's
magical ride.

It should be noted that Cheechoo did miss six games earlier this year
with a knee injury, an ailment that hindered his skating for a
substantial period of time.

"That's not really an excuse," Cheechoo insists. "It's just something
where maybe I got away from the way I was playing last year. I have
to get myself closer to the puck and get to the scoring areas a
little quicker. Now, maybe I'm turning away from the puck a little
too much and staying more on the perimeter. I've got to get into the
areas where I score my goals, 10 to15 feet outside the net."

Cheechoo also admits that some of his offensive woes can be traced to
his uneven play in his own zone, a startling admission for a player
who has made his bones by concentrating on what he does in the
attacking areas of the ice. Yet Cheechoo insists that you can't
separate one from the other in today's NHL.

So, the big forward has been more diligent about coming deeper into
his own zone and exerting influence on the back check instead of
taking a more lackadaisical approach without the puck.

"Maybe I got away from that a little this year and it's showed,"
Cheechoo said. "I didn't have a very good plus/minus (a minus-9) and
I was letting things slip a little defensively. Now, I'm trying to
get back to that and go back to the way I was playing a couple of
years ago. In doing that, I just realized I had more chances
offensively when I was playing good defense."

And the offense has come, mostly in spurts, since Cheechoo has
rededicated himself to a more all-around game. From Dec. 31 to Jan.
18, Cheechoo had five goals and seven assists during an eight-game
span. More recently, he turned in back-to-back, two-goal games
against rival Anaheim in a huge home-and-home series.

Thornton believes Cheechoo is too good not to recapture his form.

"We haven't found the chemistry yet this year, but we have a lot of
time for him to be on my right side," Thornton said. "He's just a
great player, a great all-around player. He knows where to be in the
scoring areas and he works really hard to get there. He's just a
complete player."

Cheechoo says he has become more accustomed to not always playing on
Thornton's right side. His demotion from top-line duty, he says, is
no longer a concern.

"It was a little frustrating, but at the same time the team was
winning, so I couldn't be too down on myself," Cheechoo
explained. "It is just something that I think I have to work through
it. Things are starting to go in for me now and I'm starting to feel
a little better on the ice."

Those words are certainly comforting to fans of the San Jose Sharks,
who have high hopes for their team this season. The team has 73
points through 57 games.

Cheechoo has enjoyed this playoff race, especially after experiencing
the highs and lows of San Jose's furious charge into the postseason
last season, a charge that was forged mainly through the heroics of
himself and Thornton.

He knows if his team can maintain the momentum it has flirted with so
often in the second half, the Sharks will be OK down the stretch and
will have the opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup many thought
might be claimed by this highly talented team before the season even
began.

"It's just a thing of coming out and being more consistent," he
says. "We had a problem earlier on of having a really good game and
then following it with a not so good game and you can't gain any
ground, winning one, losing one, winning one, losing one. We need to
find a way to be more consistent and put some winning streaks
together."

Sounds like advice that Cheechoo himself is eager to follow.

Sharks Thornton Featured in NHL's "Just Like Me and You" Ad Campaign
February 15, 2007

Twenty NHL players – including San Jose Sharks All-Star center and
reigning League MVP Joe Thornton – are featured in the NHL's
latest "Just Like Me And You" TV spots. Two 30-second promos, set to
debut during next Sunday's NHL on NBC game broadcasts and in the
upcoming days on VERSUS, TSN and local affiliates, offer a humorous
look at NHL players going about their daily activities just like "me
and you," with a caveat that they are also really good at hockey.

In the "NHL Road Trip" ad, NHL players revert back to their
mischievous youth travel hockey days.

Thornton is seen raiding a maid's cart of complimentary chocolates
while Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin orders enough room
service for an entire team and has it delivered to Pittsburgh
Penguins star Sidney Crosby's room.

Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan and Montreal Canadiens defenseman
Sheldon Souray throw water balloons off their hotel balcony,
goaltenders Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks and Ryan Miller
of the Buffalo Sabres pester a sleeping Marty Turco of the Dallas
Stars and brothers Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jordan
Staal of the Penguins have a pillow fight.

Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf, Chicago Blackhawks forward
Martin Havlat, Ottawa Senators forward Patrick Eaves and Boston
Bruins forward Phil Kessel race luggage carts on a hotel floor.

An extended version developed for the internet includes scenes with
forwards Justin Williams of the Carolina Hurricanes, Martin St. Louis
of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators and
Brian Rolston of the Minnesota Wild playing floor hockey in a hotel
room. The players filmed the ad, which was written, produced and
directed by NHL Productions, during the NHL All-Star Celebration in
Dallas.

TheTV spot is part of an ongoing TV advertising campaign
entitled "Just Like Me And You." Other spots have featured Ovechkin
and Capitals team owner Ted Leonsis, Thornton and Lightning forwards
Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards.

An All-Star Season
February 9, 2007

It was not hard to find a little piece of Northern California in the
big `ole state of Texas at the 55th NHL All-Star Game, held on Jan.
24 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.  With Captain Patrick
Marleau, Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo in town from the San Jose
Sharks, only one other NHL team (Buffalo Sabres) was as well
represented as well at the star-studded main event.

All-StarsAfter a two-year absence, the NHL's All-Star Game returned
to see the West topple the East, 12-9, in an offensive-oriented
exhibition that saw 16 different goal scorers.

Those scorers included Marleau, who beat future Hall-of-Famer Martin
Brodeur on a feed from Cheechoo early in the second period.  After
the game however, Marleau, who also clanged the iron twice, was more
concerned with missed opportunities to set up his teammates.

But such is the atmosphere of this event.  No one talks of letting
those two important points slip away.  Although one team will
inevitably score more goals than the other, there are no losers on
this day as the game's best and brightest talents are on center stage
for the entire hockey world to see.

Also in town was Sharks rookie defenseman Matt Carle, who took his
spot on the Western Conference blueline for the NHL YoungStars Game.
Carle, no stranger to offense, pumped in two goals, including one
short-handed and, in a 9-8 loss to the East squad, was a plus-three.

Thornton and Cheechoo were the well-deserving recipients of
overwhelming support from Sharks and NHL fans around the globe, who
voted them into a spot on the Western Conference's starting lineup
alongside one the greatest NHLers of all time, Colorado's Joe Sakic.
Thornton received the most support of any Western Conference player
with 663,991 votes. Marleau (who nearly gave the Sharks a "hat trick"
of starters, finished fourth in voting among West skaters) was added
to the roster by the NHL, acknowledging the center's coming of age as
one of the NHL's elite players and leaders.

Among all 30 NHL clubs, the San Jose Sharks, thanks to a valiant
effort and marketing campaign put together by Event Presentations
Coordinator Ayron Sequeira, were recognized as the top team by the
NHL for "strong execution of the All-Star fan balloting process and
activating a broad universe of core and casual fans through digital
and traditional media."  The Sharks organization would like to thank
all fans who took part in the All-Star balloting process and for
their outstanding support.

Jonathan Cheechoo Heating Up
February 9, 2007

As the San Jose Sharks prepare for the Stanley Cup Playoff drive, they
have had some pleasant individual results in the past few games.  A
big component in the postseason drive last year was Jonathan Cheechoo
cranking out the majority of his 56 goals in the campaign's second half.

Now it looks as if Cheechoo's scoring engines are revving up again as
he posted consecutive multi-goal games against the Ducks.  It is not
as if Cheechoo was having a poor year, as he is currently tracking for
30 goals.  It is just that expectations and attention rise when you're
the Rocket Richard Trophy holder.  Cheechoo has made some adjustments
and is looking forward to the season's final 27 games.

Cheechoo knows it is a fine line between being a 30-goal scorer and a
50-goal scorer, but it is a line he is to cross again.

"It's all confidence," said Cheechoo.  "If you're confidence is not
there, you take the extra second to look at the net.  The puck needs
to go off your stick quickly to the net."

A lack of confidence not only changes how the shot is delivered, but
if the shot is delivered.

"When you're not scoring, you're passing on shots you should be
taking," said Cheechoo.  "You start trying to be too fine and you miss
the net."

Another sign that Cheechoo is back to his old form is that he is once
again skating alongside Joe Thornton.

"He was fighting through injuries and goal scoring is down (around the
league)," said Thornton of his wingers downturn in production.  "I
love playing with him.  I don't think it's a matter of how much you're
scoring, but if you're scoring at the right time."

And the right time would be during the stretch drive.

Cheechoo does have one adjustment to make now that he and Thornton are
reunited.

"You can't get too caught up in watching him," said Cheechoo.   "You
have to be ready to shoot all the time."

A difference from last year is that the two are now flanked by the
NHL's January Rookie of the Month in Ryane Clowe, who provides a
different element to the trio.  Not only can Clowe play a smart game
and finish his own opportunities, but he provides some bulk as well.

"He's tough and nobody messes with Joe when he's on the ice," said
Cheechoo.  "He's good along the boards, likes to score and has good
hands."

As for his personal efforts, Cheechoo never has been one to put
numbers like 50 or 60 in his head.

"I'll set little goals, like the type of game I want to play," said
Cheechoo.

The Moose Factory, Ontario product knows that if he finds enough
opportunities, the goals will come.

"If I get three good chances, there is a good chance a goal will go
in," said Cheechoo.

INJURIES
The Sharks are still fighting little injuries like most other NHL
teams.  Kyle McLaren again skated with the club after missing the
Anaheim contest.

"It's day-to-day for a few days," said McLaren.  "The days off
certainly help"

Evgeni Nabokov also skated.

"I'm feeling good," said Nabokov.  "You can't practice at 80 percent
if you're a goalie.  I'll use the time off to recover.  I haven't
skated in five days, so I don't want to have a long vacation."

Joe Pavelski and Mark Smith stayed off the ice, while Scott Parker
left a few minutes early.

"He just tweaked his ankle a little bit," said Wilson.

WORKING OUT
The Sharks took some time at the end of practice to work on some hard
skating drills.

"This is a conditioning bump," said Wilson.  "We won't have many
opportunities the rest of the year."

Wilson will also take the extra practice time to work on some
intricacies of the Sharks game.

"We'll spend a day on the five-on-three," said Wilson.  "For some
reason, we want to score in the first five seconds instead of making
more passes and wearing them down."

NEWEST SHARK
Sharks television color commentator Marty McSorley and his wife LeAnn
welcomed their first child into the world.  Eight-pound, six-ounce
Emma Anne McSorley was born to the couple in Los Angeles.

SETOGUCHI REVVING UP
Devin Setoguchi has tallied three goals and nine points in his last
four games, helping the Prince George Cougars to a 2-2 record in that
span. The 19-year-old Sharks draft pick has scored a team-leading 21
goals this season, and also sits tied for second in the WHL with four
shorthanded markers.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Many Tier divisions state championships will be held at Logitech Ice
from Thursday, Feb. 8 thru Sunday, Feb. 11.

The CAHA "A" and "B" State Championships will be held at the Logitech
Ice Arena April 12th thru 15th.

NEXT GAME
San Jose still has three days remaining until their next game, which
is Tuesday, February 13 in St. Louis.  The 5 p.m. contest will be
aired on FSN Bay Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

Jonathan Cheechoo Heating Up
February 9, 2007

As the San Jose Sharks prepare for the Stanley Cup Playoff drive, they
have had some pleasant individual results in the past few games.  A
big component in the postseason drive last year was Jonathan Cheechoo
cranking out the majority of his 56 goals in the campaign's second half.

Now it looks as if Cheechoo's scoring engines are revving up again as
he posted consecutive multi-goal games against the Ducks.  It is not
as if Cheechoo was having a poor year, as he is currently tracking for
30 goals.  It is just that expectations and attention rise when you're
the Rocket Richard Trophy holder.  Cheechoo has made some adjustments
and is looking forward to the season's final 27 games.

Cheechoo knows it is a fine line between being a 30-goal scorer and a
50-goal scorer, but it is a line he is to cross again.

"It's all confidence," said Cheechoo.  "If you're confidence is not
there, you take the extra second to look at the net.  The puck needs
to go off your stick quickly to the net."

A lack of confidence not only changes how the shot is delivered, but
if the shot is delivered.

"When you're not scoring, you're passing on shots you should be
taking," said Cheechoo.  "You start trying to be too fine and you miss
the net."

Another sign that Cheechoo is back to his old form is that he is once
again skating alongside Joe Thornton.

"He was fighting through injuries and goal scoring is down (around the
league)," said Thornton of his wingers downturn in production.  "I
love playing with him.  I don't think it's a matter of how much you're
scoring, but if you're scoring at the right time."

And the right time would be during the stretch drive.

Cheechoo does have one adjustment to make now that he and Thornton are
reunited.

"You can't get too caught up in watching him," said Cheechoo.   "You
have to be ready to shoot all the time."

A difference from last year is that the two are now flanked by the
NHL's January Rookie of the Month in Ryane Clowe, who provides a
different element to the trio.  Not only can Clowe play a smart game
and finish his own opportunities, but he provides some bulk as well.

"He's tough and nobody messes with Joe when he's on the ice," said
Cheechoo.  "He's good along the boards, likes to score and has good
hands."

As for his personal efforts, Cheechoo never has been one to put
numbers like 50 or 60 in his head.

"I'll set little goals, like the type of game I want to play," said
Cheechoo.

The Moose Factory, Ontario product knows that if he finds enough
opportunities, the goals will come.

"If I get three good chances, there is a good chance a goal will go
in," said Cheechoo.

INJURIES
The Sharks are still fighting little injuries like most other NHL
teams.  Kyle McLaren again skated with the club after missing the
Anaheim contest.

"It's day-to-day for a few days," said McLaren.  "The days off
certainly help"

Evgeni Nabokov also skated.

"I'm feeling good," said Nabokov.  "You can't practice at 80 percent
if you're a goalie.  I'll use the time off to recover.  I haven't
skated in five days, so I don't want to have a long vacation."

Joe Pavelski and Mark Smith stayed off the ice, while Scott Parker
left a few minutes early.

"He just tweaked his ankle a little bit," said Wilson.

WORKING OUT
The Sharks took some time at the end of practice to work on some hard
skating drills.

"This is a conditioning bump," said Wilson.  "We won't have many
opportunities the rest of the year."

Wilson will also take the extra practice time to work on some
intricacies of the Sharks game.

"We'll spend a day on the five-on-three," said Wilson.  "For some
reason, we want to score in the first five seconds instead of making
more passes and wearing them down."

NEWEST SHARK
Sharks television color commentator Marty McSorley and his wife LeAnn
welcomed their first child into the world.  Eight-pound, six-ounce
Emma Anne McSorley was born to the couple in Los Angeles.

SETOGUCHI REVVING UP
Devin Setoguchi has tallied three goals and nine points in his last
four games, helping the Prince George Cougars to a 2-2 record in that
span. The 19-year-old Sharks draft pick has scored a team-leading 21
goals this season, and also sits tied for second in the WHL with four
shorthanded markers.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Many Tier divisions state championships will be held at Logitech Ice
from Thursday, Feb. 8 thru Sunday, Feb. 11.

The CAHA "A" and "B" State Championships will be held at the Logitech
Ice Arena April 12th thru 15th.

NEXT GAME
San Jose still has three days remaining until their next game, which
is Tuesday, February 13 in St. Louis.  The 5 p.m. contest will be
aired on FSN Bay Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

San Jose Is Swept In Two-Game Home Series Against Dallas
February 1, 2007

Has the National Hockey League found a way to stop the top-ranked San
Jose Sharks power play?

Entering Thursday night's game against Dallas, San Jose had converted
on one of their last 26 chances, a streak that covered five games.

On Thursday night, San Jose (33-18-1) went 0-for-6 with the
man-advantage and saw their losing streak go to three in a 4-2 loss to
the Stars (31-19-2) before a sold-out crowd of 17,496 at HP Pavilion
at San Jose. The Sharks are now one for their last 32 on the power play.

Click here for video highlights from Thursday's game. Click here for
photos from Thursday's game.

San Jose started the game with Evgeni Nabokov in goal while Dallas
went with All-Star Marty Turco, who got the 3-2 shootout win on Tuesday.

The scoring started early in the first period. At 44 seconds, Joel
Lundqvist got the puck in the left faceoff circle in the Sharks end
and put a low slapshot past Nabokov. Jeff Halpern got the assist on
the goal as Dallas led, 1-0.

But the Sharks answered at 1:17. San Jose attacked hard in the Dallas
end as Ryane Clowe took the puck behind the Dallas net. Joe Thornton
got the puck in the left slot and gave a backhand pass to Mark Bell,
who scored his seventh goal to tie the score at 1-1.

San Jose got their first power play opportunity at 2:10 when Jaroslav
Modry was called for holding, but couldn't convert.

Dallas took a 2-1 lead at 15:16. Stu Barnes scored his eighth goal on
a quick one-timer in the slot past Nabokov. Halpern recorded his
second assist while Lundqvist got his second point on the helper.

The Stars gave San Jose another power play opportunity when Halpern
was called for interference at 17:16. The Sharks got another chance at
the end of the period when Stephane Robidas was called for holding the
stick at 19:31.

Dallas ended the first period ahead, 2-1. The Stars were also
outshooting the Sharks, 8-7.

The start of the second period saw a change in net for the Sharks as
Vesa Toskala relieved Nabokov. At 3:17, Eric Lindros highsticked Doug
Murray, who crosschecked a Dallas player in the Sharks end, This
prompted Stars rookie tough guy Krys Barch to get into a fight with
Murray. After things settled down, San Jose was on the power play as
Lindros was called for high sticking, Barch got a minor for
instigation, a major for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct. And
Murray was called for a high stick minor and a fighting major.

Dallas got their second power play opportunity of the night when Bell
was called for roughing at 6:54. The situation became a 5-on-3 as
Curtis Brown was called for hooking at 7:05. The Stars converted 28
seconds later as Jere Lehtinen scored on a bad angle shot in the
corner to Toskala's right. Sergei Zubov and Mike Modano got the
assists to give Dallas a 3-1 lead.

San Jose got another power play chance at 12:00 when Halpern was
called for tripping in the Sharks end. But the power play was negated
when Ryane Clowe was called for goaltender interference at 13:07.
However, the Sharks kept attacking as Thornton gave a feed from the
right point into Marleau who tapped the puck past Turco. Marleau's
team-leading 26th goal at 13:18 put the Sharks down by one, 3-2.

The Sharks had to go back on the penalty kill at 17:10 when Mike Grier
was called for charging. At the end of the second period, San Jose
trailed Dallas, 3-2. Each team had four shots on goal in the period.

At 2:24, the Sharks lost the puck in the neutral zone. Mike Ribiero
and Barch came down on a 2-on-nothing and after some tic-tac-toe
passing, Barch put the puck under Toskala's glove from the right side.
Barch scored his first NHL goal with assists from Ribiero and Lindros
to put Dallas up, 4-2, and complete the scoring.

San Jose wound up outshooting Dallas, 20-16, and 9-4 in the third period.

LINE COMBINATIONS
Michalek – Marleau – Cheechoo
Bell – Thornton – Clowe
Rissmiller – Brown – Grier
Nieminen – Goc – Smith

Gorges – Ehrhoff
Carle – Vlasic
Murray – Hannan

Nabokov – Toskala

SHARK BYTES
NHL fans can download the favorite songs from their favorite All-Stars
on iTunes. The playlist, which was announced today by the League,
allows people to download some of the top tunes of the day. The three
Sharks All-Stars (Jonathan Cheechoo, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau)
and YoungStars participant Matt Carle have their favorites available
for download…The Sharks concluded January with a 7-3-1 record. They
have won at least seven games in each of the first four months of the
season…Sharks scratches included defenseman Rob Davison and center Joe
Pavelski, who is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Left wing Ville
Nieminen was appearing in his first game since Jan. 10 vs. Edmonton.
He had been a scratch for the last eight games…Bell's first period
goal was his first since Jan. 11 at Los Angeles…As has been the case
all season, the Sharks wore their black third jerseys for this
Thursday night home game…Mark Smith left the game in the third period
and didn't return…The game's three stars were all from Dallas:
Lundqvist (No. 3), Halpern (No. 2) and Zubov (No. 1).

NEXT GAME
San Jose continues their four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon
with their first regular season meeting against Chicago. Game time is
at 1 p.m. The game is sold out, but can be seen in High Definition on
FSN Bay Area and heard on the Sharks Radio Network, including flagship
station 98.5 K-FOX and sjsharks.com.

Stars Steal Shootout Victory In San Jose, Sharks Fall 3-2
January 30, 2007

The Dallas Stars stormed into San Jose and stole two points from the
Sharks, winning 3-2 in a shootout on Tuesday night after tying the
game with just 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation.

Despite being outplayed in nearly every facet of the game for 59
minutes and 57 seconds, it was Dallas that went home with the win. San
Jose did earn a point on the evening, registering the shootout loss
moving their record to 33-17-1 and pulling them within three points of
idle Anaheim.
Click here for video highlights from Tuesday's game. Click here for
photos from Tuesday's game.

The Sharks and Stars met for the first of two consecutive games
against one another in San Jose.

Team Teal would strike first in the contest courtesy of rookie
centerman Joe Pavelski. The 2006 national champion from the University
of Wisconsin skated behind the net for a wraparound. Marty Turco
quickly slid over, but Pavelski wouldn't be denied and forced the
issue. As he stuffed the puck toward the net, it popped above Turco
and across the line giving him his second goal in as many nights.

A different type of action occurred near the middle of the first when
Ryane Clowe and Krys Barch dropped the gloves. Each landed a couple of
jabs before Clowe took the Dallas enforcer to the ice.

San Jose's penalty killers finished off a brief four-on-three Stars
power play and then a five-on-four, then quickly turned the offense
back on. Joe Thornton led a three-on-two rush from the left wing. With
Marleau driving the net, the drop pass went to Christian Ehrhoff, but
his blast was gobbled up by Turco and the period finished with San
Jose up 1-0.

Just four minutes into the second, Team Teal increased their lead to
two. Thornton found Clowe in the slot and when the defense appeared,
he tucked the puck through the slot to Marleau. The vulcanized rubber
sat there as Marleau and a defender battled for position. With his
back to Turco, Marleau found the puck and knocked it across the goal
line with a quick backhand shot.

The dangerous Sharks power play was awarded almost six straight
minutes of power play time midway through the second, including some
five-on-three time when Thornton was highsticked, but the third goal
never materialized.

Back at even strength, Curtis Brown intercepted a pass inside the
blueline and found himself in alone on Turco. The speedy winger deked
Turco to the ice and had some room behind the prone netminder, but his
shot went just wide.

Dallas has allowed just 11 shots through three periods, but San Jose
had managed to stick two across the goal line for the 2-0 lead.

Team Teal had 41 seconds of power play time to start the third, and
another two minutes thanks to a Turco interference penalty, but the
usually lethal power play was coming up empty.

A terrific individual effort by Mike Ribeiro would pull the Stars
within one. The shifty center skated in from the blueline, changed
direction, and then beat Toskala under the left wing. With 15 to go,
it was a one-goal affair.

With 10 to go in the third, Dallas was on their first power play in
more than 30 minutes of action and Toskala would be tested. First
Hannan was forced to clear the puck in the air from the low slot, then
Toskala made a stellar stop on Eric Lindros, with Vlasic making the
quick clear.

Coming out of the box, Josh Gorges, deftly intercepted a pass back to
the point and took off on a two-on-one with Mike Grier. Turco was able
to make the key stop and keep his club in contention. What had been a
rather simple game began showing signs of life as Dallas began a rush
the other way. This time the post provided Toskala a break when the
slot shot clanged back over his shoulder.

The Sharks nearly ended the game with 1:09 remaining when Clowe found
a wide-open Marleau who streaked in on Turco but couldn't find the
back of the net.

Turco's save on Marleau extended the game for Dallas and with 2.2
seconds remaining in regulation, Philippe Boucher tied the game at
2-2, batting a Ribeiro offering out of the air and in past Toskala.
The game headed to overtime, San Jose's first overtime game since the
season opener against St. Louis.

Neither team was able to score in the five minute sudden death period
and the game went to a shootout, the first for San Jose on the year.

The first four shooters in the shootout scored for their respective
teams as Ryane Clowe, Sergei Zubov, Joe Pavelski and Jussi Jokinen all
converted in the shootout. Captain Patrick Marleau was the third
shooter in the shootout for San Jose, but as he was in the final
minutes of regulation, Marleau was stopped by Turco who gave his team
the chance to win the game.

Mike Ribeiro, who scored Dallas' first goal and assisted on the
game-tying goal with just seconds left, again was in on the scoring as
he scored the shootout determining goal giving Dallas the 3-2 shootout
victory.

NEXT GAME
San Jose will host the same Dallas Stars on Thursday night at HP
Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. Limited tickets are still available at
www.ticketmaster.com and at the HP Pavilion Box Office. The game will
be available on FSN Bay Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

FINAL SO  1  2  3  OT  SO  T
	 Dallas    0  0  2  0  1 (3-4)  3
	 San Jose    1  1  0  0  0 (2-3)  2

Official Scoresheet  Official Super Stats
Boxscore  Faceoffs
Play-by-Play  Shift Chart
Rosters  TOI - DAL|SJS
Shootout Details
DAL:  RIBEIRO, M. (03:56 in 3rd), BOUCHER, P. (19:57 in 3rd)
SJS:  PAVELSKI, J. (02:18 in 1st), MARLEAU, P. (04:06 in 2nd)

Sharks Downed By Canucks, 3-1
January 28, 2007

Roberto Luongo stole the show and the game as the Vancouver Canucks
defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Sunday night despite allowing 40
shots. While the Sharks dominated much of the game and the offensive
zone pressure, Luongo allowed only one goal in the winning effort.

Click here for video highlights from Sunday's game. Click here for
photos from Sunday's game.

San Jose made their way to Vancouver on Sunday night for the second
leg of their brief two-game Western Canada swing.

Looking to cool off the red hot Canucks, the Sharks jumped all over
Vancouver early, drawing a holding penalty on Yannick Tremblay just
1:21 in the game. It was strength against strength as the NHL's
top-ranked power play went to work on the top-ranked penalty kill.

Though the Sharks buzzed around the Vancouver cage, Canucks goaltender
Roberto Luongo denied a pair of prime scoring chances by the Sharks
top power play unit. Vancouver was able to kill the advantage, despite
being peppered by the Sharks who registered five shots on the power play.

At the 11:33 mark, Evgeni Nabokov faced just his second shot on the
night, but was forced to make a sensational stop. Nabokov made the
save on the shot from his right, then made the follow up save on the
rebound deflection off his own player.

Just 22 seconds later, the Sharks transition game quickly converted a
Vancouver chance on one end into a scoring opportunity of their own.
Josh Gorges fired a shot in on Luongo who made the save but couldn't
control the rebound. Sharks newcomer Thomas Plihal controlled the
rebound and got another shot on Luongo who made a stand up save before
sprawling to protect the open net. Mark Smith was unable to bat the
puck out of mid-air and past Luongo as the game remained scoreless.

Two minutes later, the game took a noticeably physical tone, beginning
with an innocent looking play in the Vancouver zone. With 8:20
remaining in the first, Joe Thornton had enough of the clutching,
grabbing and slashing he was enduring from the Canucks defenders.
Thornton took matters into his own hands first laying out Vancouver
forward Taylor Pyatt, then defenseman Mattias Ohlund on the same shift
with clean, hard hits.

Though Thornton's message was clearly heard by both teams, it was
Vancouver that would earn the next two consecutive power plays. First
it was Smith, then Matt Carle who were both sent off for hooking. The
penalties, which came five minutes apart, gave the Canucks some life,
but solid penalty killing kept the game scoreless after 20 minutes of
play.

Opening the second period in style, the Sharks took the early 1-0 lead
behind a highlight reel goal by Joe Pavelski. Just 1:10 into the
frame, Christian Ehrhoff activated from the point to keep a weak
clearing attempt in the offensive zone. Ehrhoff's effort cleared up
Milan Michalek to get a shot on the Vancouver cage. Luongo made the
initial save, but Pavelski controlled the puck between three Vancouver
defenders, spun around quickly and from his knees beat Luongo with the
backhand shot.

Pavelski's goal seemed to inspire the Sharks as they began circling.
Drawing consecutive minors on Vancouver, San Jose earned 15 seconds of
a five-on-three advantage at 13:15 in the second. Though the Sharks
pressed, Luongo stood on his head, making sprawling saves to keep
Vancouver in the game.

A week holding call on Pavelski sent Vancouver on the power play and
Pyatt made the Sharks pay. Sneaking in behind the San Jose defense,
Pyatt, who appeared to be offsides on the play, took a pass at the
Sharks blueline and went alone in on Nabokov. Pyatt beat Nabokov
five-hole, tying the game at 1-1 at 12:31 of the second.

Just 2:18 seconds after they tied the game, Vancouver took the 2-1
lead. After scoring the first Vancouver goal, Pyatt set up the second
goal. Pyatt moved into the Sharks zone on his backhand to Nabokov's
left, sent a puck to the crease and Sedin chipped it in.

Though the Sharks earned a couple of chances during a two-minute
four-on-four, the two teams played the remaining five minutes
scoreless as the Canucks took a 2-1 lead into the locker room after 40
minutes of play.

The third period opened with a little bit of a different look for the
Sharks. Ryane Clowe and Jonathan Cheechoo swapped spots on the top two
lines. On his first shift on the top line, Cheechoo drew a penalty on
Brendan Morrison sending the Sharks on their fourth power play of the
game. But Vancouver lived up to their top billing and killed the man
advantage.

Though the Sharks would earn one final power play and pressure the
Canucks in their own zone, they were unable to come up with the
equalizer. Vancouver trapped in the neutral zone and dumped the puck
deep into the Sharks zone, making San Jose go 200 feet to tie the game.

With 3:23 remaining in the third, Plihal earned a golden opportunity
on a wrap around after a great forechecking and cycling shift by his
line. But the veteran of just two NHL games was unable to come up with
his first career NHL goal.

Morrison added the empty-net goal for the Canucks with just 9.8
seconds remaining as the Canucks defeated the Sharks 3-1.

GOC YOU WHERE I WANT YOU
Perhaps overshadowed in the 3-1 loss was the superb play by Sharks
center Marcel Goc. In 10:48 of ice time, Goc registered three shots on
goal, accounted for three of the Sharks' 12 hits, went seven of eight
in the faceoff circle and earned a coincidental roughing minor. Goc's
combination of offensive skill, defensive responsibility and physical
grit translated into a solid performance by the talented center.

TOMMY BOY
Another notable performance on Sunday night was turned in by Goc's
linemate Thomas Plihal. Appearing in just his second career NHL game,
Plihal showed his nose for the net, his ability to work hard in the
corners and his ability to play the cycling game. Plihal's 7:47 of ice
time included a game-high seven shots, a double shift late in the
third period and a wrap-around attempt that nearly tied the game with
under four minutes to go.

LINEUP
Mark Bell (groin) missed his second consecutive game and Kyle McLaren
(knee) continued his recovery as the Sharks were without the services
of two of their more physical players on Sunday night. Rob Davison,
Ville Nieminen and Scott Parker were also scratched for Sunday night's
game.

Marleau – Thornton – Clowe
Michalek – Pavelski – Cheechoo
Rissmiller – Brown – Grier
Plihal – Goc – Smith

Hannan – Gorges
Carle – Vlasic
Ehrhoff – Murray

Nabokov – Toskala

NEXT GAME
The Sharks return home after their two-game Western Canada swing for a
four-game homestand. Due to a scheduling irregularity, San Jose's next
two home games will both be against the division rival Dallas Stars on
Tuesday and Thursday. Game times are both set for 7:30 p.m. and both
will be broadcast on FSN Bay Area in high-definition, on KFOX 98.5 FM
and on Sharks Radio Network affiliates.

FINAL  1  2  3  T
	 San Jose    0  1  0  1
	 Vancouver    0  2  1  3

Official Scoresheet  Official Super Stats
Boxscore  Faceoffs
Play-by-Play  Shift Chart
Rosters  TOI - SJS|VAN
SJS:  PAVELSKI, J. (01:10 in 2nd)
VAN:  PYATT, T. (PPG, 12:31 in 2nd), SEDIN, D. (14:49 in 2nd),
MORRISON, B. (19:50 in 3rd)

Sharks Hammer Edmonton 5-1
January 26, 2007

San Jose began their post All-Star half of the season on a winning
note, easily handling Edmonton 5-1 in winning for the eighth time in
the last 10 games.  The Sharks are now within two points of the
Pacific Divison lead.

Team Teal was without two of their bigger players as Mark Bell (groin)
and Kyle McLaren (knee) stayed back in San Jose.

Vesa Toskala took his place across the ice from Dwayne Roloson in
Rexall Place and stopped 20 of 21 Oiler shots for the victory, while
Tomas Plihal dressed for his first career NHL game.

Click here to watch highlights of the win.

There were no goals in the opening five minutes, but the Joe
Thornton-Patrick Marleau-Ryane Clowe line put some extended pressure
on Roloson. San Jose earned the first power play of the game, but
despite an up-close shot from Cheechoo, and total control of the
offensive zone, the game remained scoreless 10 minutes in.

The Oilers would strike first, albeit with a bit of luck. A Fernando
Pisani slot shot bounced off Toskala's shoulder, into Doug Murray, and
into the net, giving the home club the opening tally with six left in
the first stanza.

Edmonton made the mistake of providing San Jose back-to-back power
plays late in the first and, with 1:54 left in the period, Team Teal
evened the contest. Set up by Clowe, Thornton slapped a 10 foot shot
behind Roloson before the netminder could react.

The period closed with the contest tied at one.

It would not stay tied for long in the second. A poor clearing attempt
by Edmonton captain Jason Smith was intercepted by Marc-Edouard Vlasic
and the rookie threw it on net. Clowe found it first and the puck then
found Marleau who pushed it in for the 2-1 lead.

With 8:18 to go in the second, San Jose would have 43 seconds of
five-on-three time to increase their lead, but a questionable penalty
to Marleau eliminated the two-man advantage. Then with the
four-on-three still in effect, an errant pass forced Toskala to come
up with a spectacular save.

Marleau would not need the power play to set up the Sharks next goal
when even strength play returned. Making a defensive steal at the
blueline, he skated into the offensive zone and slowed down on his
defender. The delay allowed Mike Grier to skate in and accept the soft
pass, and then the former Oiler went five-hole for the 3-1 lead.

That would not be the extent of San Jose's second period. A nifty move
at the blueline with 3:26 left in the period by Josh Gorges froze
Roloson. When Gorges fired on net, Patrick Rissmiller reached behind
himself as he skated across the crease and tipped the puck in. Team
Teal had posted four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead into the
second intermission.

After 40 minutes, San Jose was outshooting Edmonton 27-13 and would
enter the third knowing they led the league with 26 victories when
leading after two periods.

Edmonton pressed hard to try and find a second tally which would bring
them within two, but it was San Jose who had the better chances,
including a Cheechoo shot that rang off the post. With 10 left in
regulation, the three-goal lead was still in tact.

As the game wound down, Marleau added the ultimate insurance tally to
make it a 5-1 final, giving San Jose eight wins in their last 10 games.

NEXT GAME
San Jose will fly to Vancouver following the game for a Sunday
showdown with Vancouver. The 7 p.m. start will be available on FSN Bay
Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

Redemption For The West, East Falls 12-9
January 25, 2007

Goals, goals and more goals. The offensive avalanche came fast and
furious at the American Airlines Center Wednesday night as the Western
Conference roared to a 12-9 victory over the Eastern Conference in the
2007 NHL All-Star Game.

Daniel Briere of the Buffalo Sabres led all scorers with one goal and
four assists, earning Most Valuable Player honors, despite playing for
the losing side.

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2007 NHL All-Star Game
on Wednesday night. Click here to view pictures from the 2007 NHL
All-Star Game on Wednesday night.

"I don't think it's sunk in," Briere said afterward. "I don't think I
fully realize what's going on. One thing I can tell you is it's very
exciting. I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it. That was my goal
coming into this week … just trying to enjoy my time here. I've
watched a lot of All-Star Games. Watched a lot of guys being named
MVP. I never thought that I would ever get the chance to come here and
play in the All-Star Game.

"So I feel fortunate just to be here this week and to win the MVP," he
said. "I mean, I got help from guys around me tonight, playing with
(Dany) Heatley and (Marian) Hossa and (Zdeno) Chara finishing a few
goals as well. To answer your question, no, I don't realize quite
what's going on yet.

"With Sidney and Alex being the future faces of the NHL, you know, I
was kind of the other guy," said Briere, who was voted to the East's
starting lineup and started the game with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby
and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin. "But, you know what, I didn't
care. I was just excited, first of all, to come to the All-Star Game.
To be named as a starter was something very special."

"That line of (Dany) Heatley, (Marian) Hossa and Briere was a great
line and they made great plays," said Lindy Ruff, the Eastern
Conference coach and Briere's coach with Buffalo. "It just seemed to
click. The reason we did put them together is that connection between
Heatley and Briere that had been there in a World Championship. That
line just seemed to go good."

Briere was a point away from an All-Star record, a fact that would
have earned him more ice time had Ruff realized it.

"That's probably something I should have been up on, but I had no
idea," he said. "I had no idea at the end of the game he had the
number of points he had already. That was a very special night for
him. I think driving home in that Dodge Nitro is pretty special too.
He's going to be a happy man."

Hossa had four assists for the East, as did the West's Joe Sakic, a
past All-Star Game MVP.

For Sakic, the four assists pushed him past Mark Messier as the
all-timer leader in All-Star assists.

"I've been fortunate to play a number of these games and I have to be
honest," Sakic said, "since I broke into the league, the scores have
been pretty high. (There's) a lot of points to be had out there for
the All-Star Game."

The respective lineups provided a coaches' dream in term of matchups.
Ruff utilized a "French Connection" line of Marty St. Louis, Vinny
Lecavalier and Simon Gagne.

Across the way, Randy Carlyle put together his three San Jose Shark
forwards -- Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo --
while keeping two of his own Anaheim players -- Andy McDonald and
Teemu Selanne together as well.

The members of the San Jose line were noticeably more familiar with
one another than the other Western Conference lines and all three
players jumped at the opportunity to be linemates.

"He [Randy Carlyle] told me yesterday during the SuperSkills
competition that he was going to put the three of us together," said
Marleau, who scored a goal on the evening. "It was great. Having my
family here and being able to play with some of my teammates, it was
really special. We all got to sit next to each other in the dressing
room. It was great."

Marleau's teammate Jonathan Cheechoo echoed his Captain's sentiments.

"The whole experience was unbelievable," said Cheechoo, who earned the
primary assist on Marleau's second period goal. "The best part was
getting to see and play with all the guys you grew up watching."

Like Marleau, Cheechoo was also thankful to be playing with teammates
at the All-Star Game, but it was Cheechoo's teammates that didn't
accompany him to the All-Star Game that he kept in mind. "I loaded up
on hats and shirts to give all the boys back in San Jose," he said.

While Marleau had talked with Randy Carlyle the night before about
playing on a line with his San Jose teammates, Joe Thornton learned
about the pleasant surprise a little differently.

"I just looked at the board when I came into the locker room today and
saw that the three of us were playing together," said Thornton. "It's
always special when you get to play with your teammates at an event
like this so it was great getting to play with Patty and Cheech. It
was just like we were back in San Jose."

For the Western Conference, Minnesota's Brian Rolston and Columbus'
Rick Nash each scored two goals and two assists. Chicago's Martin
Havlat scored two goals and an assist, while Phoenix's Yanic Perreault
netted two goals. The Coyotes' other All-Star, defenseman Ed
Jovanovski, had two assists.

For the East, Boston's Zdeno Chara scored two goals for the Eastern
Conference, while Ottawa's Dany Heatley scored a goal and two assists.
Montreal's Sheldon Souray picked up a goal and an assist and New
Jersey's Brian Rafalski had two assists.

"I thought some of the older players in the league showed their
worth," Western Conference coach Randy Carlyle said. "Joe Sakic, Brian
Rolston, Yanic Perreault, they were the strength of our group. There
were a few shifts in the second period where Joe Sakic was the first
guy back on the backcheck and Barry Trotz and I made comments that
that's what a great leader does and he continues to do that day in and
day out."

The NHL's two prime-time youngsters, Ovechkin and Crosby, had quiet
All-Star debuts. Ovechkin scored a goal for the East, while Crosby was
held off the score sheet.

"Well, it wasn't for lack of trying," the New York Rangers' Brendan
Shanahan said of Crosby, his linemate, being kept off the scoreboard.
"We kind of teased him a little bit because the one goal that we did
score, he went off the ice and Dany came on, so he didn't get the plus.

"That's the way these games go," Shanahan said. "He's a fantastic
player and we certainly had some chances. So, with a little bit of
luck, Sidney could have been sitting there with four or five assists,
driving away with the car."

"I'll tell you, you find that in All-Star Games," Sakic said of Crosby
and Ovechkin. "You're going to find over-passing. I mean, everyone
wants to make a nice pass and score pretty goals. But I was as nervous
as anybody my first couple of experiences, so you expert the
first-times to be nervous."

As you can see from the score, it was not a fun night to be a goalie.
New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, leading the NHL with a 2.01 goals-against
average in regular-season play, surrendered six goals in the second
period. Buffalo's Ryan Miller and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo each
allowed three goals in the first period. Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff
allowed three goals in the second period and Montreal's Cristobal Huet
and Dallas' Marty Turco each allowed three goals in the third period.

For American TV viewers, Turco emerged as the star of the show. He was
miked by Versus and kept up a running commentary on the games with
broadcaster Mike Emrick and Ed Olczyk, often while play was buzzing
around his net.

Six goals found the back of the net in the first period as the teams
left the ice with a 3-3 tie.

Briere broke the scoring ice at 3:38, redirecting a nice pass from
Heatley past Luongo. Hossa also assisted on the goal. Ironically,
Heatley and Hossa were traded for one another prior to the 2005-06 season.

Perreault knotted the game at 5:08. Stationed in the slot, the skilled
faceoff wizard showed his scoring touch when he took a pass from
Rolston and beat Miller.

Selanne made it a 2-1 game for the West at 6:17 with a rare unassisted
goal. Coming down on Souray on a 2-on-1 break, Selanne kept looking to
get the puck across to Edmonton's Ryan Smyth, but Souray took the pass
away, forcing Selanne to take the shot, which beat Miller high to the
glove side.

The Tampa Bay Lightning duo clicked on a beautiful goal at 13:07, with
Lecavalier sending a hard shot from the ice to St. Louis at the right
post, where he redirected the puck past Luongo.

The East took the lead 36 seconds later when Carolina's Eric Staal
took a pass from teammate Justin Williams and roared down the slot,
beating Luongo with a backhand shot between the legs.

Los Angeles' Lubomir Visnovsky scored a beauty at 18:55 to knot the
game at 3-3. Sakic sent a cross-ice feed to Visnovsky along the left
boards. He fired a hard shot that eluded Miller. Nash also assisted on
the goal.

Luongo and Miller gratefully took to the bench for the second period,
with Brodeur and Kiprusoff stepping into the bull's eye for the middle
period. And both were indeed targets in the second as both teams
picked up the pace offensively.

The West dented Brodeur at 2:41 when Marleau scored on the rebound of
a Cheechoo shot to give the West a 4-3 edge. Carolina's Williams
restored the tie at 5:19, beating Kiprusoff high to the glove side off
a cross-ice feed from the Islanders' Jason Blake to make it 4-4.

Chara made it 5-4 for the East at 6:29, charging down the slot to beat
Kiprusoff with a backhand shot to the glove side off passes from
Briere and Rafalski.

Rolston started a run of four-straight Western goals, beating Brodeur
with a blast from the left side that also took out the microphone
Brodeur was using to speak with Versus broadcasters.

Nash, who had a goal taken away from him in the first period and
credited to Visnovsky got one for keeps at 10:40, beating a sprawled
Brodeur with a backhand to forehand switch and using his huge wingspan
to elude the outstretched leg of Brodeur.

Brodeur, who hasn't seen this many quality scoring chances against him
all season, was victimized again at 11:34 as Nash and Havlat did a
nice give-and-go in the slot, with Havlat doing the scoring honors.
Sakic also picked up an assist on the goal.

Perreault scored his second of the game at 12:47, redirecting a shot
between Brodeur's legs off assists to Bill Guerin and Rolston.

Ovechkin broke the Western streak at 13:32, scoring his first All-Star
goal off assists to Briere and Souray. But the West responded in the
period's final moments, 18:58 to be exact, with Rolston netting his
second of the game, a slap shot that was deflected by Eastern
defenseman Chara and going high past Brodeur, who was understandably
relieved to see the second period end.

Entering the third period trailing by three, 9-6, the East cut it to
two goals when Heatley took a pass from Briere and beat Turco at 2:01.

The West restored its three-goal margin at 7:12 when Nash scored his
second of the game with a drive from the slot past Huet, with Sakic
and Havlat assisting.

Chara finished off a 2-on-1 with Hossa at 10:37 to make it a 10-8 game.

Havlat then scored with a minute remaining to make it 11-8 and give
the West some breathing room, but that breathing room wilted when
Souray fired a rocket past Turco at 19:25.

Calgary's Dion Phaneuf scored perhaps the longest empty-net goal in
All-Star history when he banked a shot off the boards from behind his
own net and the puck rolled into the vacated Eastern net.




Click here to view video highlights.

FINAL  1  2  3  T
	 All Stars East   	  	  	   9
	 All Stars West   	  	  	   12

Official Scoresheet  Official Super Stats
Boxscore  Faceoffs
Play-by-Play  Shift Chart
Rosters  TOI - ASE|ASW

West Falls To East In NHL SuperSkills Competition, 15-11
January 24, 2007

About the only part of the game in which Sidney Crosby has struggled
this season is shootouts - until the teenage superstar was on the same
ice with the rest of the NHL's best players.

Crosby, the 19-year-old forward from Pittsburgh, scored on two of his
three shots in the final individual shootout to deliver a victory for
the Eastern Conference in the NHL All-Star skills competition Tuesday
night.

Joe ThorntonClick here to watch video highlights from Tuesday night's
NHL SuperSkills Competition. Click here to view pictures from Tuesday
night's NHL SuperSkills Competition.

The NHL's leading scorer, whose 72 points are five more than anybody
else, is 0-for-5 in shootouts during the regular season.

"It was fun to be in that situation. I didn't ask for it, but I liked
it," Crosby said. "Especially with all the ones that I missed this
season, it was nice."

Crosby also scored on his only shootout attempt in the team
competition, midway through the nine-event competition to tie the
score 7-7.

The competition was tied 10-10 after Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo
stopped all four shots in the final team shootout. Meanwhile,
Colorado's Joe Sakic and Edmonton's Ryan Smyth and San Jose's Joe
Thornton scored against Ryan Miller of Buffalo to get even going into
the final event.

But Luongo couldn't stop Crosby, the top All-Star vote-getter. Crosby
made his first two shots and that gave the East squad a 15-11 victory
over the West.

"Going against Luongo, you're going against the best, so if you don't
score you've got an excuse," Crosby said. "I'm competitive. I want to
win with the game on the line like that."

Anaheim's Teemu Selanne scored on his first attempt for the West, but
missed his next two - the last a glove save by Miller to end the event.

Jonathan CheechooSelanne, who will play in his 10th All-Star game on
Wednesday night, was impressed by Crosby.

"I've only seen him on highlights. It's great to watch a kid like
that," Selanne said. "He's got the full package."

After Crosby's tying point in the team shootout, the East squad took
the lead in the next event.

Carolina's Eric Staal and Atlanta's Marian Hossa both hit four targets
in five shots to share the individual honors in shooting accuracy.
Brendan Shanahan of the New York Rangers, on his 38th birthday, hit
four of six for the East.

The tallest player in NHL history also has the hardest shot.

Boston's Zdeno Chara, the 6-foot-9 defenseman from Czechoslovakia,
fired a shot of 100.4 mph to win the hardest shot competition. Chara's
first shot read 99.5 mph on the radar gun, then he increased that on
the second shot from 30 feet.

The only other player to hit 100 mph - and he did it on the nose - was
Montreal's Sheldon Souray, who hit 102.2 mph in the last event three
years ago along with Adrian Aucoin.

Staal was part of the three-man East group, with Buffalo's Daniel
Briere and Brian Campbell, that scored two goals in the team zone
contest. They put two of their three shots by hometown goalie Marty
Turco of the Dallas Stars.

Columbus forward Rick Nash won the individual puck control relay for
the second straight time, beating Florida's Jay Bouwmeester after the
East squad won the three-player team relay. The only other individual
multiple winner was Paul Kariya, who won four straight from 1999-2002.

Captain Patrick MarleauWhen Nash won at the last All-Star game in
2004, he was 19 years old and the first teenage All-Star since 1992.
Now there's a new teenage All-Star in Crosby.

The West went ahead 3-1 by sweeping the fastest skater, Anaheim's Andy
McDonald winning the individual at 14.03 seconds - only the fourth
time in 13 the event has been held that the top time was slower than
14 seconds. Sharks Captain Patrick Marleau looked like he had posted
the fastest time at 14.08, but it was McDonald's time that bested the
San Jose forward's time by just five-hundredths of a second.

The players will regroup tonight and get set for the 55th NHL All-Star
Game tomorrow. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) and the game
can be seen on VERSUS (in high-definition where available). At that
time, the NHL will debut the highly anticipated Rbk EDGE Uniforms. Be
sure to tune in tomorrow night.


RESULTS FROM THE NHL SUPERSKILLS COMPETITION
Dodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills Scoresheet

EVENT 1 - PUCK CONTROL RELAY
Scoring: One goal awarded to winning relay team; one goal awarded to
team of individual winner
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Race 1 (Relay) 	   Race 1 (Relay)
Daniel Briere, Buffalo 	   Brian Rolson, Minnesota
Tomas Kaberle, Toronto 	   Lubomir Visnovsky, Los Angeles
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay 	   Teemu Selanne, Anaheim
Race 2 (Individual) 	   Race 2 (Individual)
Jay Bouwmeester, Florida 	   Rick Nash, Columbus
Winner, Race 1: Eastern Conference
Winner, Race 2: Rick Nash, West

EVENT 2 - FASTEST SKATER
Scoring: One goal awarded to fastest skater's team; one goal awarded
to team with lower average time
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Time 	   Time
Eric Staal, Carolina, 14.50
	  	 Patrick Marleau, San Jose, 14.08
Brian Campbell, Buffalo, 14.97
	  	 Bill Guerin, St. Louis, 14.34
Alex Ovechkin, Washington, 15.19
	  	 Andy McDonald, Anaheim, 14.03
Winner player (time): Andy McDonald, West
Winning team (avg. time): Western Conference (14.15)

EVENT 3 - SHOOTOUT, part 1
Scoring: Each goal scored counts toward teams' overall score;
goaltenders' goals-against records are combined with Event 7 (In The
Zone) to determine winner of the goaltenders' competition
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Goal/Save 	   Goal/Save
Brendan Shanahan, NYR, Save
	  	 Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit, Save
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia, Goal
	  	 Bill Guerin, St. Louis, Goal
Eric Staal, Carolina, Save
	  	 Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose, Goal
Daniel Briere, Buffalo, Save
	  	 Patrick Marleau, San Jose, Save
vs. West Goaltender Marty Turco, Dallas, 1 Goal, 3 Saves
	  	 vs. East Goaltender Cristobal Huet, Montreal, 2 Goals, 2 Saves

EVENT 4 - HARDEST SHOT
Scoring: One goal awarded to individual winner's team; one goal
awarded to team with higher average speed
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Speed (mph) 	   Speed (mph)
Brian Rafalski, New Jersey, 84.6/86.8
	  	 Philippe Boucher, Dallas, 98.0/94.6
Dany Heatley, Ottawa, 94.0/90.0
	  	 Joe Thornton, San Jose, 91.8/93.2
Zdeno Chara, Boston, 99.5/100.4
	  	 Nicklas Lidstrom, 91.2/89.8
Sheldon Souray, Montreal, 97.9/100.0
	  	 Dion Phaneuf, Calgary, 89.6/90.4
Winning player (mph): Zdeno Chara, East
Winning team (avg. mph), Eastern Conference (95.3 mph)

EVENT 5 - SHOOTOUT, part 2
Scoring: Each goal scored counts toward teams' overall score;
goaltenders' goals-against records are combined with Event 7 (In The
Zone) to determine winner of the goaltenders' competition
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Goal/Save 	   Goal/Save
Marian Hossa, Atlanta, Goal
	  	 Martin Havlat, Chicago, Goal
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Save
	  	 Teemu Selanne, Anaheim, Save
Justin Williams, Carolina, Goal
	  	 Andy McDonald, Anaheim, Goal
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh, Goal
	  	 Rick Nash, Columbus, Save
vs. West Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary, 3 Goals, 1 Save
	  	 vs. East Goaltender Martin Brodeur, New Jersey, 2 Goals, 2 Saves

EVENT 6 - SHOOTING ACCURACY
Scoring: One goal awarded to individual winner's team; one goal
awarded to overall team winner
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Hits/Attempts 	   Hits/Attempts
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia, 2/8
	  	 Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose, 2/8
Eric Staal, Carolina, 4/5
	  	 Joe Sakic, Colorado, 1/8
Marian Hossa, Atlanta, 4/5
	  	 Yanic Perreault, Phoenix, 4/6
Brendan Shanahan, NYR, 4/6
	  	 Joe Thornton, San Jose, 4/6
Winning player (Hits/Attempts) (tie) Hossa/Staal, East
Winning team (Hits/Attempts), Eastern Conference 14/24

EVENT 7 - IN THE ZONE
One goal awarded to the highest scoring team; goaltenders'
goals-against records are combined with Events 3, 5 and 8 (Shootouts)
to determine winner of the goaltenders' competition
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Round 1:
Daniel Briere, Buffalo 	   Yanic Perreault, Phoenix
Eric Staal, Carolina 	   Rick Nash, Columbus
Brian Campbell, Buffalo 	   Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix
vs. West Goaltender Marty Turco, Dallas 	   vs. East Goaltender
Cristobal Huet, Montreal
Goals/Attempts 2/3 	   Goals/Attempts 0/3
Round 2:
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh 	   Brian Rolston, Minnesota
Marian Hossa, Atlanta 	   Ryan Smyth, Edmonton
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia
	  	 Kimmo Timonen, Nashville
vs. West Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary 	   vs. East Goaltender
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey
Goals/Attempts 0/3 	   Goals/Attempts 0/3
Round 3:
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay 	   Joe Thornton, San Jose
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington 	   Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose
Jay Bouwmeester, Florida 	   Dion Phaneuf, Calgary
vs. West Goaltender Roberto Luongo, Vancouver 	   vs. East Goaltender
Ryan Miller, Buffalo
Goals/Attempts 0/3 	   Goals/Attempts 0/3

EVENT 8 - SHOOTOUT, part 3
Scoring: Each goal scored counts toward teams' overall score;
goaltenders' goals-against records are combined with Event 7 (In The
Zone) to determine winner of the goaltenders' competition
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Goal/Save 	   Goal/Save
Dany Heatley, Ottawa, Save
	  	 Joe Sakic, Colorado, Goal
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay, Save
	  	 Ryan Smyth, Edmonton, Goal
Jason Blake, NYI, Save
	  	 Brian Rolston, Minnesota, Save
Alex Ovechkin, Washington, Save
	  	 Joe Thornton, San Jose, Goal
vs. West Goaltender Roberto Luongo, Vancouver, 0 Goals, 4 Saves
	  	 vs. East Goaltender Ryan Miller, Buffalo, 3 Goals, 1 Save
Eastern Conference Goals: 0
Western Conference Goals: 3

EVENT 9 ONE-ON-ONE SHOOTOUT
Scoring: Each goal scored counts toward teams' overall score; 3 goals
awarded to highest scoring team
Eastern All-Stars 	   Western All-Stars
Goal/Save 	   Goal/Save
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh, G/G/S
	  	 Teemu Selanne, Anaheim, G/S/S
vs. West Goaltender Roberto Luongo, Vancouver 2 Goals, 1 Save
	  	 vs. East Goaltender Ryan Miller, Buffalo, 1 Goal, 2 Saves
WINNING TEAM: Eastern Conference

Dodge Nitro/NHL SuperSkills
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Jan. 23, 2007

Final Summary
TEAM COMPETITION
Event  Eastern  Western
1. Puck Control Relay  1  1
2. Fastest Skater  0  2
3. Shootout, Part 1  1  2
4. Hardest Shot  2  0
5. Shootout, Part 2  3  2
6. Shooting Accuracy  2  0
7. In the Zone  1  0
8. Shootout, Part 3  0  3
9. One-on-One Shootout  5  1
FINAL SCORE  15  11




GOALTENDER COMPETITION
  	 Miller  Brodeur  Huet  Luongo  Kiprusoff  Turco  Winning Goaltender
Roberto Luongo
West
Shootout  3GA  2GA  2GA  0GA  3GA  1GA
In the Zone  0GA  0GA  0GA  0GA  0GA  2GA
Total  3GA  2GA  2GA  0GA  3GA  3GA


OTHER INDIVIDUAL WINNERS
Fastest Skater: Andy McDonald, West
Hardest Shot: Zdeno Chara, East
Shooting Accuracy: (tie) Eric Staal, Marian Hossa (East)

Thornton, Cheechoo and Marleau Check In From Dallas
January 23, 2007

The NHL kicked off its All-Star Week on Monday as players from around
the League made the trip to Dallas for the mid-season break. The San
Jose Sharks, who sent a League-high four players (Joe Thornton,
Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau and Matt Carle) to Dallas for the
All-Star Week festivities, had a noticeable presence in the locker
room during the Media Access period on Monday.

Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo and Captain Patrick Marleau each spoke
with members of the media about their experience.

Jonathan Cheechoo

Jonathan Cheechoo

On the number of young players at the game:
"There's a lot of us young guys here. It's good and it's nice to see
for the future of the game."

"There are quite a few young guys here and it seems like a major topic
for everyone. It just shows that a lot of us are coming into our
games. Ultimately, it is good for the game."

On Patrick Marleau's baby son Landon being on the plane ride to Dallas:
"He did well on the plane. He didn't cry much."

On his family:
"They are on one of the JFK tours right now. My dad went on it the
last time he was here with us on the father's trip. He wanted to take
my mom."

On starting with Joe Sakic:
"I watched a lot of Joe Sakic in Quebec. I'm not going to tell him
that I grew up watching him (he said with a laugh). But I'll probably
tell him that it's a pleasure to play with him."

On being at the All-Star Game:
"I never thought that I would be at one of these. It really is awesome."

Captain Patrick Marleau

Patrick Marleau

On being with his teammates:
"It's a lot of fun and something that is even better knowing that I am
here with my teammates."

On flying under the media radar for most of his career but getting
All-Star recognition:
"It helps knowing that the MVP and the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
winner play on your team. They bring the attention and they deserve
it. And being around that, the spotlight naturally falls on the rest
of the team."

Joe Thornton

Joe Thornton

On the young make-up of the All-Stars this season:
"For years to come, we'll have young players making an impact in this
is game. It is good that our fan base has these key players that they
can identify with."

On the uniforms:
"Well, we'll still have our old skates and shoulder pads. But it's
time for a change and everyone will get used to it."

On the concept of playing with others in the League:
"During the season, it is really exciting, especially this season.
We're right behind Anaheim and so many teams have the chance to make
the playoffs. And Edmonton proved last season that once you are in the
playoffs, any team can make an impact. But we're here to have a good
time and relax a bit."



Click here to watch Joe Thornton's interview from Media Day at the
2007 NHL All-Star Game.

Sharks Lose Game, But Still Hot At The Break
January 21, 2007

San Jose could have tightened the Pacific Division race to two points
Saturday night, but couldn't conquer the Blues in the 1-0 loss at HP
Pavilion.

Team Teal produced 31 shots on the night, but none would get by Manny
Legace.

"We've got to give him credit," said Evgeni Nabokov, who took the loss
despite allowing just one tally. "He played really well against our
top line."

"They played great," said Ron Wilson. "We just didn't score. We didn't
get our shots off on the second opportunity and he covers the bottom
half of the net. It's obviously one of the main reasons why they've
bounced back, besides the coaching change. They played really well and
that was evident tonight."

San Jose had an additional 28 shots that never even reached Legace
because of strong shot blocking by the Blues. San Jose dominated play,
but was not victorious.

"We had the effort, but not the result," said Nabokov.

"They did a good job having five guys around the puck," said Mike
Grier. "We didn't have enough traffic at the net and didn't make it
hard for Legace to see the puck."

Taking a step back, the Sharks have won seven of their last nine
contest heading into the All-Star break and have shaved eight points
of Anaheim's division lead. Things are looking good for Team Teal overall.

"We're in a position to battle and now we have to play harder," said
Nabokov. "It's going to be really tight with four teams and anybody
could be first in the conference. It's important to come back even
more fired up and to understand what we need to do."

"We have a lot of games left with Dallas and Anaheim," said Grier.
"It's going down to the wire. Many teams are good enough to earn the
number one seed."

San Jose's bench boss would have liked the two points from St. Louis,
but also likes where his club sits.

"I'm disappointed about tonight," said Wilson. "You want to go into
the break with a win and we could have gotten within two points (of
Anaheim). All in all, I am pleased with where we are. It's rest time."

ODD GOAL
The contest's only goal was on a shot through a Sharks defenseman near
the goal line that bounced off Nabokov and in.

"I didn't see it," said Nabokov. "He (Guerin) rolled around the net
and I just felt it hit my pad and go in."

TALKING TREES
The Talking Trees, led by Sharks center Mark Smith, have announced
that they will play one show only at THE RED DEVIL LOUNGE, in San
Francisco. The show will start at 7:00 p.m. Jan. 21. Come out and
enjoy some great music, as the Trees prepare for the release of their
debut album - Pura Vida.

NEXT GAME
Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton (along with Matt
Carle in the YoungStars Game on Tuesday), will skate in the NHL's
annual mid-winter classic Wednesday night. All events will be telecast
on Versus.

BLUES HEAD COACH, ANDY MURRAY:
On winning the game:
"It means we've got 46 points, and we've got a tough game next Friday
night against Detroit. Our guys are feeling good about themselves. It
was great to finish this game off tonight against certainly one of the
hottest teams in the league."

"Any time you can come into California and get six points, it's
something special against the caliber teams they have out here in the
Pacific."

On Manny Legace's play:
"Manny is playing the way that I saw him play all last year with the
Detroit Red Wings when he had one of the best records in the NHL.
Usually when you win in this league, your goalie is, if not your best
player certainly up there, and he was tonight."

2007 NHL All-Star Game rosters
	 Jan 13, 2007, 2:45 PM EST
2007 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR ROSTER
(statistics through games of Jan. 12, 2007)
  	 2006-07 Statistics
GOALTENDERS  GP  W  L  T  GAA  All-Star
Appearance
* Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres  32  22  7  2  2.62
	 1st
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils  42  26  13  3
	 2.07  9th
Cristobal Huet, Montreal Canadiens  31  17  8  3
	 2.46  1st

  	 2006-07 Statistics
DEFENSEMEN  GP  G  A  Pts  All-Star
Appearance
* Brian Campbell, Buffalo Sabres  44  5  21  26
	 1st
* Sheldon Souray, Montreal Canadiens  43  14  23  37
	 2nd
Jay Bouwmeester, Florida Panthers  46  6  16  22
	 1st
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins  39  8  18  26  2nd

Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs  45  8  29  37
	 2nd
Brian Rafalski, New Jersey Devils  44  2  27  29
	 2nd

  	 2006-07 Statistics
FORWARDS  GP  G  A  Pts  All-Star
Appearance
* Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins  39  21  44  65
	 1st
* Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals  44  28  33  61
	 1st
* Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres  44  16  35  51
	 1st
Jason Blake, New York Islanders  43  23  18  41
	 1st
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers  44  20  13  33
	 2nd
Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators  46  27  31  58  2nd

Marian Hossa, Atlanta Thrashers  46  26  32  58
	 3rd
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning  45  26  33
	 59  2nd
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning  45  28  31  59
	 3rd
Brendan Shanahan, New York Rangers  45  24  22  46
	 8th
Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes  46  19  18  37
	 1st
Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes  46  21  20  41
	 1st

* voted by fans to the starting lineup
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
(making second All-Star Game coaching appearance, both as head coach)
Assistant Coach: Bob Hartley, Atlanta Thrashers
(making second All-Star Game coaching appearance, both as assistant)


2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR ROSTER
(statistics through games of Jan. 12, 2007)
  	 2006-07 Statistics
GOALTENDERS  GP  W  L  T  GAA  All-Star
Appearance
* Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks  42  24  6  1
	 2.5  2nd
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames  38  21  14  3
	 2.32  1st
Marty Turco, Dallas Stars  39  21  15  1  2.34
	 3rd

  	 2006-07 Statistics
DEFENSEMEN  GP  G  A  Pts  All-Star
Appearance
* Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks  46  8  34  42
	 4th 	 ^ will not play
* Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings  44  9  26  35
	 9th
Philippe Boucher, Dallas Stars  44  13  20  33  1st

Ed Jovanovski, Phoenix Coyotes  42  11  16  27  4th
	  # added 1/19
Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames  41  9  16  25  1st

Kimmo Timonen, Nashville Predators  44  8  23  31
	 2nd
Lubomir Visnovsky, Los Angeles Kings  43  13  23  36
	 1st

  	 2006-07 Statistics
FORWARDS  GP  G  A  Pts  All-Star
Appearance
* Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks  44  11  42  53
	 4th
* Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche  43  18  29  47
	 12th
* Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks  38  14  15  29
	 1st
Bill Guerin, St. Louis Blues  42  18  13  31  4th

Martin Havlat, Chicago Blackhawks  21  13  13  26
	 1st
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks  44  20  26  46
	 2nd
Andy McDonald, Anaheim Ducks  49  12  33  45  1st
	  # added 1/19
Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets  39  13  17  30
	 2nd
Yanic Perreault, Phoenix Coyotes  31  14  11  25
	 1st
Brian Rolston, Minnesota Wild  45  23  18  41  1st

Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks  46  28  29  57  10th

Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers  34  21  12  33  1st

Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings  44  17  16  33
	 1st 	 ^ will not play

* voted by fans to the starting lineup
Head Coach: Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks
(making first All-Star Game coaching appearance)
Assistant Coach: Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators
(making first All-Star Game coaching appearance)

At the All star Break - 2006-07 CURRENT SEASON NOTES: - Voted to the
starting line-up, leading all Western Conference players in votes,
for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game - In the NHL Superskills competition,
he hit 4 targets on 6 attempts in the shooting accuracy, scored a
goal in the shootout competition and posted the second-hardest shot
among the Western Conference competitors at 93.2 mph - Owns 152
points (33-119=152) in just 106 games with the Sharks (1.43 PPG) -
Recorded six mutli-point efforts in the last nine games (3-14=17) in
which the Sharks have gone 7-2-0 - Posted at least one point in 15
out of the last 20 games (6-27=33), including 11 multi-point
efforts - 2nd in the NHL in assists (47), 1st in PP points (36), 1st
in PP assists (32) and T-8th in points (13-47=60) - 32 assists on
home ice lead the League - 1st on the team with 60 points - 1st on
team in takeaways (28) 2006-07 NOTES: - Picked up his 600th career
point and 400th career assist on Jan. 13 at Phoenix - Named "NHL
Third Star" for the week ending Jan. 8 by posting seven points (0-
7=7) in two games - Matched a franchise record with four assists (0-
4=4) vs. Detroit on Jan. 4, marking the second time he has done so
as a Shark - Recorded his 200th career goal on Dec. 31 at Dallas -
Finished fourth in the voting for The Lionel Conacher award as
Canadian male athlete of the year in a survey by The Canadian Press
and Broadcast News (1. Steve Nash - NBA, 2. Justin Morneau, MLB, 3.
Sidney Crosby - NHL) - Recorded an assist in six consecutive games
(2-10=12) from 12/7 vs. Colorado thru 12/16 vs. Anaheim - Posted
fifth three-point night of the season on Nov. 22 vs. Los Angeles (1-
2=3) - Pumped in his third three-assist night of the season vs.
Pittsburgh on Nov. 4 - Posted second three-assist game at Edmonton
on Oct. 12 - Assisted on all 3 Sharks goals Oct. 26 at Nashville -
Played in his 600th NHL game Oct. 25 at Detroit FIN FACT: - Favors
Justin Timberlake's "Bringing Sexy Back" as a ring tone - Cover
athlete of NHL 2K7 WHAT THEY'RE SAYING - "They have a great power
play, and Joe is the best player on the planet right now," St. Louis
Blues center Bill Guerin said. "He can put on a clinic out there, if
you give him a chance." 10/6/06, Associated Press 2005-06 REGULAR
SEASON NOTES: - Became the first Shark to ever win the Art Ross
Trophy, awarded annually to the league scoring leader, with a career-
best 125 points (29-96=125) - Named Seagate Technology "Sharks
Player of the Year" as voted on by members of the Bay Area media -
Named the Seagate Technology "Sharks Player of the Month" for
December and April - Named NHL Offensive Player of the Week twice
during the season, Dec. 5 thru Dec. 11 (2-6=8 in 3gp) and April 10
thru April 16 (1-11=12 in 4gp; shared with teammate Jonathan
Cheechoo) - His assist total from this season alone (96) is greater
than the point total (94) of 2003-04 Art Ross Trophy winner Martin
St. Louis. It marks the first time since the 1929-30 season that a
player's assist total has surpassed the point total of the prior
season's leading scorer (Frank Boucher had 36 assists in '29-30,
while Ace Bailey led the league with 32 points in '28-29) - Only the
11th player in NHL history to record 90+ assists in a single season
and the only one to do it while playing for two teams in the season -
  His 96 assists on the season were 16th most in the history of the
NHL and led the league

JOE THORNTON
Thornton Starting To Roll
January 16, 2007
It may be a scary thought for the rest of the NHL, but Joe Thornton is
cranking up the offensive stats again and could be making a second
half run at defending his Art Ross Trophy. Coming off his two-point
night Monday against Colorado, the League's reigning MVP has
registered six multi-point games in his last nine contests, good for
17 points (3-14=17).

His season totals now have him in the NHL's top 10 in scoring with 58
points. Jumbo Joe was tracking for a 100 point season early on, but
amazingly Thornton is now inching that number further upward and is
quietly within four points of the NHL's second spot.

While it was kept closely guarded at the time, Joe quietly played
through numerous injuries early in the season.

"He had a broken toe, a broken finger, strep throat, a groin pull and
he didn't miss practice," said Head Coach Ron Wilson. "He had to get
his toe frozen during games and would get it frozen for practice too."

Even many hockey players would have been looking for more days off to
heal and rest.

"Anybody who has ever had a shot stuck in their fingers or toes
understands that it is not fun," said Wilson.

It was not necessarily that the injuries slowed Thornton, although
there was obviously some effect, but decreased ice time also hurt the
individual numbers. Wilson tried to pick his spots as to not overtax
his top point earner and Thornton was averaging less than 20 minutes
per game, which was not even in the top 100 ice times for skaters.

Lately his rise in production has coincided with his rise in minutes
as Thornton skated just under 24 minutes Monday against the Avalanche.
All things considered, Wilson says this season may include fewer
points for Thornton, but that could be about all where Thornton is
falling short from his Sharks debut.

"He could be having a better year than he did last year," said Wilson.

And when Thornton is going, the Sharks power play is ranked first.