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Sharks vs. Flames Round 1 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The booing by some knucklehead San Jose fans during the Canadian National Anthem is crap. Compared to the U.S.A. anthem O' Canada is so far superior in every way it is embarrassing. I really appreciate the Sharks letting a saxophone player play the anthems and the fans at the tank singing O’ Canada. For me it was the right thing to do. BTW San Jose fans who booed the Canadian anthem: check our roster for Canadian born players you a-holes.

Calgary is one of the hardest teams to dislike because they are hard working, tough, fast, and talented AND have Owen Nolan who San Jose loves, still. Not sure if anyone else noticed but when Nolan was skating off the ice in San Jose section 114 gave him a standing ovation.

Owen Nolan is to the Flames what Roenick is to San Jose, Roenick won that match up in game seven. The reason Roenick was IMO better in game seven is he was rested in game 6. It would be hard for me to figure out which player has more hockey miles on them as I have not seen Roenick all that much. My observation of Nolan is he can still play and if the Flames could afford to rest him one game, Flames could have won.

This brings me to the point that the Sharks are deeper. One of the reasons San Jose won game seven is the fourth line of San Jose; Roenick, Setoguchi, and Goc produced 3 goals. In game 6 Jodi Shelley was policing the ice and giving it his best. But Setoguchi, Goc and Roenick are a good second line let alone a fourth line.

Turning point for the series was in Game 4. Instead being up 3 to 1, Calgary now had to win two out of the last three. Given all the energy the Flames spent on winning game three and as hard as they literally and figuratively hit the Sharks there was no way the Flames could bring that every night for three more games.

Calgary fans at the Shark Tank. Seriously a chant, or talk smack about the fact that the “Sharks Suck” is not really a good move. The Sharks do not suck, in fact neither does Calgary. I am thinking the entire Western Conference was relieved not to play either of these teams in the first round. Can you imagine what Calgary would have done to Colorado? Heck they would have skated circles around Anaheim. Calgary would have pounded Minnesota back into the fur trade. So yelling that the Sharks are lacking talent or are otherwise deficient is not really shall we say: well researched.

Oh and finish what you start. If you can run your pie hole all period one and five minutes into period two, man (or women) up and take the heat for the duration. The Flames fans right next to us had a good game when Calgary led. They bailed for the third period. They watched the game in the bar (allegedly).

Seriously what is that? One hard hit and you turtle. Take your medicine. We took ours in game one, three and six.

On to round two and a team we can hate for all the right reasons.

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