Off topic: Any San Jose Shark fans up in here?

I'm a sharks fan.  The Sharks ought to be pretty good this year, they should make the playoffs.  I haven't been following their transactions very closely, but I know that Teemu Selanne signed with the Ducks last week and I would have liked to see the Shark bring him back for another shot.  He was horrible with the Avs the last NHL season, but I think the Finnish Flash still has some life in him.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to watching some hockey and playing some fantasy hockey again.  GO SHARKS.

I'm an underrated big sharks fan, i love watching their games and was also disappointed with the lockout (even though i was in Israel). The sharks have plenty of young talent to make the playoffs and Nabokov is one of the best. SJ should be good.

I always root for the Sharks because they're the "home" team.  I want to follow it more this season, but let's see how that goes.  :)

I really felt for all the hockey fans during the lockout because I can't imagine my two favorite sports (baseball and basketball) being taken away from me for an entire season!

GOOOO SHARKS!!!  

I love the sharks and Korolyuk is my boy.  He was lacking the defense, but last year he showed he has changed his game. I'm not happy how he's not back with SJ, but they are saying it's because of his family. He showed in the playoffs how he is capable of taking over a game. He's the only shark who can make moves around the D.

Perhaps it was right that he's not on the team because he is a defensive liability and thats what this team is lacking in the most. But he was so fun to watch. So fast, blazing speed, and he was just a fun player. They don't really have anyone else like that.

went to the first game ever played (in the Cow Palace).  It is hard to figure out yet how good they will be, the rule changes should have an effect on the game, in that, the Sharks seem fast, but how good will the defense be, and will the changes affect the goalies, and to what degree?  Looking forward to watching it all unfold.
Bob

Wife and I are hockey fans first, Sharks fans second. (We have a cat named Marleau). We max out the NHL Center Ice package, and will watch any game - pro, college, etc.

I went to the "The State of the Sharks" night, or whatever they called it, usually for season ticket holders, but, because of the strike, open to the public this year. Nabokov, Mark Smith, the Wilsons, Greg Jamison, and the chief scout took questions from the maybe 2000 fans in attendance.

Many of the questions related to the new rules. Consensus is that, for the first month of the season, there'll be a lot of penalties called as players get used to the system.

Doug Wilson said that, although they don't talk about players they've tried to sign, they did make a big pitch to sign Scott Niedermayer because of his character (well known to Blez) and because he fit the Sharks style of play. He was impressed with the Sharks and, had it not been for the opportunity to play with his brother, he'd probably have signed. Doug Wilson said the Sharks would be the fastest team in the league. He also said their minor league system is strong and that he's probably gotten more calls than any other GM about players in the system that the Sharks would be willing to part with.

That said, I do think there is a hole to be filled on defense. We do have three top defensemen in McLaren, Stuart and Hannan, but there may be a drop-off from there. Preissing was steady, as was Rob Davison, Ehrhoff was not, Jim Fahey seemed overmatched when he played. The latter two do, however, provide some offense. I'm interested in seeing what the rules changes will do to handicap defensemen.

With Rathje gone (I, for one, am not disappointed) and Koryluk in Russia, the team does have money available. They're the only team that hasn't picked up anyone. With a few older stars still out there, it'd be interesting to see if any of them come our way.

I think Al MacInnes will retire because of his eye injury, but  wouldn't he be a great addition? I'd like to see the team sign Mark Messier for his grit and leadership. I will, however, miss Mike Ricci. To me, he was the heart of the team.