San Jose Sharks – A Dream For A Game
By Ilya Davydov
There are some players who become synonymous with hockey franchises. If you hear Steve Yzerman, you would picture him wearing the Detroit Red Wings sweater; Mario Lemieux associates with the black and yellow of the Pittsburgh Penguins; and Denis Potvin is a true New York Islander. For the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau is an absolute icon as far as longevity is concerned – 1,329 regular season games and 147 playoff games, and counting.
More from Editorials
- Korenar deserves a chance at the NHL level
- Three prospects the Sharks should consider drafting
- Red hot Couture provides a much needed boost
- Is it reasonable for the Sharks to fire Doug Wilson?
- NHL misses golden opportunity with Tahoe games
Players such as
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
and
Joe Pavelski
are next in line to crack the 1,000 games mark for the Sharks, but both are probably another four seasons away. While there are players who spend hundreds of games with the same team, there are also those who feature in only a handful of games. There are 10 players who played in only one game for the San Jose Sharks. Below is the symbolic team of players who lasted only one game in teal.
Starting Line Up
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2000-01 season
Time On Ice: 3 minutes 32 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 5 PIM
Not many Sharks fans will remember Kruse. To be precise, Kruse spent only three minutes and thirty two seconds playing for the team from Northern California. However, he was not a failed player in the NHL. The tough guy had better luck with other teams in the NHL, his totals read: 423 games played, 38 goals scored, 33 goals assisted, and 1,074 penalty minutes earned. Five of those penalty minutes came in his lone outing with the Sharks.
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2007-08 season
Time On Ice: 6 minutes 40 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 1 shot on net, -1
In his only one game with San Jose, the centerman took one shot on the net, and was on the ice when the Sharks conceded a goal, earning him a -1 in the ‘plus-minus’ category. Iggulden’s career numbers are much more modest than those of Kruse. In his other 11 games in the NHL, he scored one goal, added four assists, and also grabbed four minutes worth of penalties.
Nov 11, 2014; Sunrise, FL, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) is defended by Florida Panthers right wing Brad Boyes (24) and defenseman Dylan Olsen (4) in the first period at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2003-04 season
Time On Ice: 13 minutes 3 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 2 PIM, -2
Brad Boyes made his debut with the San Jose Sharks in 2004. His first taste of the NHL was certainly not out of the fairy tale book – he did not score a goal on his first shift, he did not score a hat trick, and he did not get a winning goal for his team. It was a scoreless outing for Boyes in which he earned a minor penalty, and was on the ice when the Sharks allowed goals, twice. That was the only time he played for the Sharks. A rough start was not indicative of the very decent career that the Canadian had, providing secondary scoring options for another 761 games spread across teams in Boston, St. Louis, Buffalo, New York Islanders, and Florida.
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2009-10 season
Time On Ice: 9 minutes and 34 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 1 assist
Callahan, an imposing presence at 6-foot-3 221-pound Massachusetts native, produced an assist in his lone game for the San Jose Sharks. That assist makes up 25 percent of his career scoring in the NHL – zero goals and four assists over the course of 46 games. The New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers were the other two NHL clubs who gave Callahan a chance to stick around in the league.
Dec 31, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matt Carkner (7) skates with the puck during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2005-06 season
Time On Ice: 6 minutes and 1 second
Game’s Stat Line: 1 assist, 2 PIM
Speaking about big defensemen – you would not want to go against Matt Carkner in a fight. Nor would you want to be on the receiving end of his hits. A player better known for his time with the Ottawa Senators, and later the New York Islanders – Carkner played just over six minutes for the Sharks during the 2005-06 season. It was his Carkner’s first game in the NHL, and he managed to record an assist – a feat that he would be able to replicate once every 10 games over the course of his NHL career (237 games played, 4 goals, 23 assists, 27 points, and 556 PIM).
Lone Sharks Game: During the 1998-99 season
Time On Ice: 3 minutes and 29 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 2 shots faced, 2 saves, 100% save percentage
The 3 minutes and 29 seconds that Gauthier spent playing with the San Jose Sharks during the 1998-99 season account for the only time Gauthier played in the NHL. The Sudbury, Ontario native sports a perfect 100 percent save percentage for his NHL career after stopping both shots that were fired his way (one of only 17 goalkeepers with a 100 percent save percentage). Gauthier played some good quality minutes in the AHL, the ECHL, and a couple of seasons in Europe towards the end of his career. His time with the Sharks is one of the shortest San Jose Sharks tenures on record, and is also one of the shortest times on ice (TOI) spent by a goalie in NHL history (although Gauthier’s TOI is almost five times more than that of Jordan Sigalet).
Healthy scratches:
Sep 16, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Nick Petrecki (54) and Vancouver Canucks forward Darren Archibald (49) fight during the third period at Rogers Arena. The San Jose Sharks won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Lone Sharks Game: During the 2012-13 season
Time On Ice: 11 minutes and 58 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: Didn’t register in box score
Just like Gauthier, Petrecki’s lone game with the San Jose Sharks is also his lone game in the NHL overall. After playing almost 12 minutes during the one game in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season for the Sharks, Petrecki was not able to feature in an NHL game ever since. Petrecki is now playing for the Rochester Americans of the AHL.
Lone Sharks Game: During the 1995-96 season
Time On Ice: unknown
Game’s Stat Line: 2 PIM, -1 plus-minus
Before playing for San Jose, the Belorussian native played in 131 games for the Winnipeg Jets and the Detroit Red Wings registering five goals and adding 25 assists. His lone game with the Sharks was his last game in the NHL. He parted with the NHL recording two penalty minutes and a -1 plus-minus rating. He spent the rest of his hockey career playing in counties like Sweden, Russia, and even Japan.
Lone Sharks Game: During the 1991-92 season
Time On Ice: unknown
Game’s Stat Line: 2 shots
Peter Lappin was part of the inaugural Sharks team during the 1991-92 season. In his only game for the Sharks he recorded two shots on goal. It was his last game in the NHL. Prior to his short stint with the Sharks, Lappin played 6 games for the Minnesota North Stars in the 1989-90 season, not registering a single goal or assist to his name.
Lone Sharks Game: During the 1997-98 season
Time On Ice: 26 minutes and 45 seconds
Game’s Stat Line: 13 SA, 11 saves, .846SV%, 4.49GAA
Those 26 minutes and 45 seconds that Muzzatti spent playing for the Sharks were his last minutes in the NHL. Prior to his game for the Sharks, Muzzatti spent his professional days playing mostly in the AHL, but he also featured in the NHL for the Calgary Flames (2 games), the Hartford Whalers (53 games), and the New York Rangers (6 games). After allowing two goals on 13 shots while playing for the Sharks, Muzatti played in Germany, Finland, and Italy. The Toronto, Ontario native also represented Team Italy during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino.
Next: Sharks Could Struggle With New Overtime Format