The Best Number 30 In San Jose Sharks History
There are 30 days remaining before the beginning of the 2014-2015 San Jose Sharks season. Today we look at the best number 30 in San Jose Sharks history. This an easy decision, despite the fact that none of the options were very impressive during their stint with the Sharks.
Six players in San Jose Sharks history have worn the number 30 on their sweater, all of which were goalies. Only three of those six ended up playing more than three total games with the Sharks. So it comes down to those three options. Jeff Hackett played two seasons with the Sharks but his stats were atrocious. Thus there were two: Chris Terreri and Antero Niittymaki.
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Chris Terreri’s first year with the Sharks was one to forget. He played over half of the games, had a save percentage less than .900 and a goals allowed average (GAA) over 3. Those stats aren’t good to look at, but his second season he played a bit better before he was traded to Chicago: a save percentage of .901%, and a GAA of 2.75. Not very good stats, but better than all the alternatives so far.
Now let’s look at Antero Niittymaki. Niittymaki played a little over 20 games with the San Jose Sharks in the 2010-2011 season, and his stats were very similar to Chris Terreri’s. He had a save percentage of .896% and a GAA of 2.72; which is better than Terreri, but not by much. That was the only season Antero Niittymaki played with the Sharks due to an injury which forced him into retirement. Therefore we never got a better look at the player he could be.
Looking at the options, it’s difficult to see the clear winner. I’m going to cheat a bit and just say it’s Antero Niittymaki because he came into a few playoff games and turned the tide around for the Sharks, including the amazing comeback in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings in 2011. Now that isn’t fair to say because Terreri never played in the postseason with the Sharks, but that’s the only possible way to decide between the two.
So there we have it. Antero Niittymaki is the greatest number 30 in San Jose Sharks history.