The biggest story of the week does not belong to the new monster goaltender the Sharks signed (Antti Niemi) but the man who currently helped build the monster of a team that is the current San Jose Sharks.

Greg Jamison resigned this week as team president and CEO of the San Jose Sharks, ending his 13 year tenure. He will finish out the month and be replaced at the beginning of October. He will continue to be a minority owner and the Sharks Governor to the NHL.

I can sit here and give the facts that under his tenure the Sharks were 530-377-155 under his tenure. And I can tell you that San Jose made it to the playoffs in 11 of his 13 seasons as the president, including two conference finals. But Jamison was a lot more than just the CEO and President.

He was the man behind many of the operations and ventures that we as Sharks fans should be thankful and appreciative of. Jamison led the effort to keep the Sharks in San Jose. He also was instrumental in helping the Sharks build the HP Pavilion, one of the best venues not only in hockey, but in the entertainment industry.

Most importantly Jamison brought aboard Doug Wilson. We know how Wilson has helped the Sharks. He brought in Joe Thornton via trade when it seemed as though the Sharks were heading toward the hockey abyss. Without that trade, the Sharks might not have been in the playoffs every season for the past five years that Thornton has been wearing teal. He decided to keep Patrick Marleau and sign veterans like Mike Grier, Rob Blake, and Manny Malhotra who were instrumental in keeping the Sharks afloat. He also traded for the heart of the Sharks defense when he acquired Dan Boyle.

None of those moves would have been possible if not for Jamison. So I salute Greg for his dedication, hard work, and most importantly his love for the Sharks. Whoever takes his place will have some big shoes to fill. However, Jamison didn’t rule out a return in the near future. Let’s see how quickly he gets the itch to come back. I know that Sharks fans would not bat an eyelash if he wanted to return. I surely wouldn’t.

For those of you who were excited to see what Nittymaki would bring to the table as the Sharks’ starting goalie this year, I’m happy to report you need not delude yourselves any longer.  While no deal has been officially announced, there appears to be merit behind the rumors of Antti Niemi coming to San Jose, with the announcement being postponed while the spotlight is still on Greg Jamison stepping down as the CEO (more to come on that later). The reports indicate that Niemi agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Sharks.

I admit I was curious to see what would happen with our current defense roster and Nittymaki in goal, but it was a morbid curiosity akin to watching NASCAR highlights in order to witness a dramatic and horrific accident. What makes this deal interesting is that Niemi is signing for less than the $2.75 million he was awarded in his arbitration case with the Hawks last month, and for only slightly more than the $1.5 million the Hawks offered him to stay with the club. Most analysts and pundits had ruled out San Jose as a landing spot for Niemi, citing the Sharks limited cap space, Niemi’s arbitration reward, the Nittymaki signing and our need of another defensemen as reasons why we could not conceivably make it work. Apparently Doug Wilson was not as confident in Nittymaki as he would have had us believe.

What does this mean for us?? We all saw what Niemi did in the playoffs last year, including a perfect 4-0 sweep of our beloved team. Many people said he didn’t play great or steal any games, and only played solid enough to keep Chicago in the games. Sharks fans know he played great against us, and I think this signing is a breath of fresh air after years of predictable Nabokov post-season struggles. It is nice to know we will have a young goalie in net who knows what it takes to go all the way, and who is less of a mystery than Nittymaki.  Let’s also not overlook his outstanding regular season last year of 26-7-4.

The fact still remains that we are in need of at least one more elite defenseman, and this signing all but guarantees that Doug Wilson has a trade in mind farther down the road this season.

In other news, Joe Thornton is engaging in contract negotiations with the Sharks for an extension. Every year at the height of post-season frustration I always hear Sharks fans calling for heads to roll, including talks of trading Thornton. Even if his intensity is questionable at times, the Sharks have never had a franchise player like Thornton and likely never will again. Pay the man, Wilson. ‘Nuff said

Lastly, I almost got excited about the Owen Nolan rumors that have been circulating, but then I remembered that these rumors circulate EVERY year as he always skates with the team in the offseason. He has a home down here, after all.  These rumors serve no purpose other than to tantalize us fanboys who would love Nolan to finish his career right where he belongs: as a Shark, preferably punching Chris Pronger in the face.

In closing, let me hear your answers to the most significant question of all: how high will Niemi go in our upcoming fantasy drafts?

Wrote this up a few days ago when the Sharks inked Jamal Mayers, but haven’t had a chance to post this until now. And as always: agree, disagree, love it, hate it, it matters not as long as you read it (and hopefully comment).  Enjoy!

Typically when new seasons approach, rather than closely scrutinizing the roster and making predictions I often find myself reminiscing on past Sharks squads and the surprises that inevitably occur each year. This is why we watch and love the game: we never know what we are going to get, especially in the playoffs and with the parity that has become central to the league’s growth and success post-lockout. For example, last year I predicted the Flyers would win the Cup if the Sharks didn’t, and they ended up really darn close. Yet I made this prediction thinking Ray Emery would lead the surge and with John Stevens at the helm manning the ship. In reality the Flyers ended up playing seven goalies throughout the year, showed Stevens the door early on, and barely scraped into the post-season with a hair-raising shootout victory in their final regular season game.  It’s safe to say I did NOT feel like a hockey prophet when they ended up making it to the Finals.

So last night in the midst of my reflections I was surfing videos on the web and was watching old showdowns between Owen Nolan’s Sharks and the infamous Pronger-MacInnis St. Louis Blues team we fans used to love to hate. Remember Nolan scoring from center ice against Roman Turek in Game 7 to upset the #1 seeded Blues? Coincidentally, I woke up this morning to find the Sharks signed right wing Jamal Mayers to a one-year contract. I fondly remember despising Mayers as a member of that Blues squad, but the second I saw the news I was thrilled.

Sharks fans: if you are not familiar with his name, you will grow to love this guy. The loss of Malhotra still stings, and last year we lost some toughness when Jody Shelley got dealt to the Rangers. Mayers will fill that void on our third and fourth lines with heavy body checks, hard work, and occasional fists of fury as he tends to hover around the 100 penalty minute mark year after year. Imagine a bigger, stronger Scott Nichol who has been in the league a few more years and who has more playoff experience. This is good news, and I’m continually impressed with Doug Wilson’s ability to find these gems to round out our third and fourth lines, because after watching the series against the Blackhawks last season it was painfully clear we didn’t have the depth to keep up with all their lines.

In other news, Mike Modano confirmed he would be playing for the Red Wings next year, which is a shame as I would have loved to see him centering our third line in place of Manny Malhotra who departed for Vancouver earlier this summer. While the Stars are on my list of most-hated teams, Modano has always been a class act and I have had nothing but respect for him his whole career. On second thought, his career actually began when I was still learning how to walk (and skate)….

Even in the doldrums of summer there are still a ton of various things to get excited about for the upcoming year (did you know Jeremy Roenick will be hosting his own fantasy hockey radio show on satellite radio this year?), and also plenty of things that will inspire my frustrated ranting. Don’t get me started on the ongoing Kovalchuk contract fiasco, but more to come soon! In the mean-time, I recommend getting prepared for the fall by going back and watching some of your favorite Sharks moments from past seasons. Next on my list: Mike Ricci’s hat trick with 3.6 seconds left to tie the game against the Stars on ‘fan appreciation’ night at the Tank where free hats were given out to all attendees.

Few Sharks fans have heard of goaltender Antero Niittymaki. Fewer know where he played last season and even fewer know his resume. However, fans and experts are already suspicious about Doug Wilson’s first offseason acquisition.

Only one thing is for certain: Sharks fans will soon become accustomed to seeing the 2006 Winter Olympic MVP between the pipes and I have reason to believe we should not be too concerned.

The 30-year-old goaltender from Finland played for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, starting 46 games, going 21-18-5. He was the last line of defense for a young and dreadful Tampa Bay defense that finished 27th in the NHL in goals allowed per game and 25th in the NHL with 80 total points.

Last season, Niittymaki started the year as Tampa Bay’s second-string goalie behind 28-year-old Mike Smith. Smith was bearable last season, but still seems plagued with lingering concussion problems dating back to the 2008-2009 season. Smith’s dire play paved the way for Niittymaki to handle the majority of the load.

Some hockey experts say Niittymaki was overlooked this free agent period, while others claim he is not a number one goalie and definitely not worth the two million dollars per season out of San Jose’s pocket.

The Sharks really had their picking this offseason. What goalie would not want to play for the Pacific powerhouse?

The 2010 free agent goaltender class was, of course, headlined by now former Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who signed with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL on July 7th. The class also included Marty Turco, who just signed with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, Dan Ellis, Ray Emery, Chris Mason, Jose Theodore, and Vesa Toskala.

The Sharks did not wait long to sign Niittymaki; they jumped on him quickly, signing him on the first day of free agency. Apparently, Doug Wilson did not want to wait for the free agent market to play out. Was he possibly scared of losing out on Niittymaki? Patience may have landed him Antti Niemi (more on him later). Back to Niittymaki…

The Sharks new net minder’s last six seasons in the NHL have been, at best, mediocre. Looking at his 2006-2007 campaign in Philadelphia, he finished with a mere 9-29 record. He has a career 83-79-28 mark and a lifetime 2.98 GAA with a .903 save percentage. He is most notably known for winning the 2006 Winter Olympics MVP as a member of Finland, guiding them to the silver medal.

This past season, Niittymaki won seven of eight games from January 21 to February 9. During that stretch, Niittymaki posted a 1.08 GAA, including a shutout and .965 save percentage. He has the potential to be outstanding, but can he be consistent in the playoffs?

Wilson preferred Niittymaki this offseason because he believes his style of play is similar to that of Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi and St. Louis Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak, who both had stellar 2009-2010 postseasons.

It will be interesting to see how Niittymaki plays behind the Sharks’ defense in his first season. As much as I would like to see the defense slightly upgraded, it is far better than the Lightning’s defense last season. Niittymaki’s numbers should improve if he can mesh with the defense early and fortify the back end.

That brings us to Antti Niemi. Niemi was just released by Chicago because they did not want to pay Niemi $2.75 million after an arbitrator ruled that was his worth for the 2010-2011 season. Should the Sharks have waited for the free agent market to play out? Did Doug Wilson jump the gun by snagging Niittymaki on the first day of free agency? For an extra $750,000 San Jose could have had Niemi, the reigning Stanley Cup champion goaltender between the pipes, possibly long term. But maybe Doug Wilson knows something we don’t.

Sharks fans won’t soon forget about the painful playoff disappointments, but Niittymaki may help ease the pain if he can be that stalwart in the playoffs that Sharks fans have been looking for. The Sharks are looking to bring the most coveted trophy in sports to San Jose for the first time because, in the end, it is only about the Stanley Cup.

My article was recently published for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area regarding the Sharks Defense.

CHECK IT OUT

Niklas Hjalmarsson is back with the Blackhawks after they decided to match the offer sheet he signed with San Jose. His signing means that there are not necessarily any top 4 defensemen left on the FA market who seem to be of much interest to San Jose.

What does that mean?

It means three things and there are three options:

1. San Jose is going to feel either forced to pressured into overpaying or signing a defensemen they don’t want to a one year contract because they are afraid their young guys are not ready yet.

2. Bring up the young guys and see how they do. That means more time for Demers, Joslin, etc to see if they can prove their worth in the NHL sooner than expected.

3. Do one of the first two and wait until 2011 when guys like Tomas Kaberle, Andrei Markov and Ed Jovankowski.

I just do not want the same situation to occur for new goalie Antero Nittymakki that occurred to him last year in Tampa. We cannot put a weak defense in front of him or there will be serious trouble to come in 2011.

Mike Modano has been contacted by the San Jose Sharks about playing in 2010-2011. The Sharks, Wild, and Red Wings have all inquired about Modano’s services next season.

Modano is not expected to make a decision soon about his playing future, however a meeting with the Sharks could happen soon if Mike is in fact interested in returning to the ice for his 22nd season.

BOOM!! The Sharks are 2-2 on committing moves this off-season that I did not predict, however I did want to happen.

1. Nitty
2. Hjalmarson

These are the two players I wanted to fill voids in San Jose when Free Agency began. If Marleau counts as a free agent, then the Sharks are 3-3.

Here are the details of the offer sheet

If Chicago does not match the Sharks offer, Hjalmarsson becomes a Sharks and the team gives up a 1st and 3rd round draft pick to Chicago.