Tag: San Jose Sharks

Earthquakes and RC Celta de Vigo battle to 1-1 draw in a international friendly

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San Jose Earthquakes fullback Marcos Lopez battle for the ball with RC Celta de Vigo’s Hugo Mallo at Pay Pal Park on Wednesday JUL 20, 2022. (RC Celta de Vigo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE— The San Jose Earthquakes came back down from a one-goal deficit late in the first half as the settled for a 1-1 draw with LaLiga’s RC Celta de Vigo in an International friendly on Wednesday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose featured a lineup of players that consisted of the main team’s bench players and a few from MLS Is Next Quakes II team.

Interim Head coach Alex Covelo was creative with his lineup that featured a 5-2-1-2 formation

RC Celta de Vigo, who finished last season in 11th place of the LaLiga, came in with their full lineup consisting of international stars Iago Aspas and Renato Tapia. They featured a 4-2-2-2 formation.

San Jose had a chance in the 36th minute to break the ice from Marco Lopez, but his shot from 12 yards out was saved by RC Celta goalkeeper Ivan Villar.

RC Celta earned a penalty kick in the 39th minute when Jan Gregus fouled Miguel Baeza inside the box.

Aspas cashed in the penalty a minute later as his shot beat ‘Quakes goalkeeper Matt Bersano to the left side to draw first blood for RC Celta.

The ‘Quakes scored the equalizer off a set piece in the 44th minute. Jan Gregus centered the ball off of a corner kick into the box with a charging Marcos Lopez left unmarked and headed the ball into the back of the net.

The best scoring chance for either team in the second half came in the 59th minute for RC Celta. The Spanish team had a point blank shot off a centering pass that had Bersano out of position. Casey Walls came back and knocked the ball away before it crossed the goal line.

Covelo inserted some of his regular starters late in the second half such as Cristian Espinoza, Benji Kikanovic and Judson. However, neither were able to able help give San Jose the winning goal in the end.

US Men’s National Team member Luca De La Torre made his debut for RC Celta as a substitute late in the second half. De La Torre signed with the Spanish club back on July 8th from Heracles in a deal worth around $2 million.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns to MLS action on Saturday 7/23 when they play the Portland Timbers at 7:30pm at Providence Park.

Celta de Vigo 4-2-2-2 formation

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Grier wasting no time cleaning house in San Jose

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Former San Jose Shark Brent Burns traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange of two players on Wed Jul 13, 2022 was some of a few new moves that general manager Mike Grier has made since taking over (AP News file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 New San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier has definitely made his presence known with changing at head of scouting out with Doug Wilson Jr and in with Doug Weight and Wednesday with Brent Burns to Carolina for forwards Steven Lorentz and goaltender prospect Eetu Makinemi and a conditional 2023 third round pick.

#2 The Hurricanes will pick up 66% of Burns contract while the Sharks have 34% of the remaining contract.

#3 Grier said that he wants to go a little bit younger. Grier said Burns had a great career and wishes him good luck.

#4 Grier said at one time he was in Burn’s position and said Burns has a better chance to win a cup with Carolina.

#5 Burns waived his no trade clause saying it was sad leaving San Jose leaving teammates, the city, fans, and said it’s just exciting to go to Carolina.

Len is an analyst on NHL podcasts for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Marko Ukalovic: A look back on the life of Bryan Marchment

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The San Jose Sharks tribute to the late and former Sharks scout Bryan Marchment regarding his passing on Wed Jul 6, 2022 (@SanJoseSharks image)

On the Sharks podcast with Marko:

Former San Jose Sharks defenceman Bryan Marchment whose death on Wednesday shocked and stunned thousands of his fans, friends, media and the NHL. His cause of passing was not disclosed and he was 53.

Marchment was working as a San Jose Sharks scout on the NHL draft which started today in Montreal. Newly hired Sharks general manager Mike Grier said, “It’s sad day for our organization” Grier also shared a memory of the time that Marchment and he when they were with the Edmonton Oilers “If I ever needed anything, whether it was a home cooke dinner instead of eating out everyday, he and his wife (Kim) would have me over. So it’s a very difficult day.”

Marko shares his thoughts on the passing of Bryan Marchment on this special edition of the San Jose Sharks podcast. Marko is also a beat writer for the San Jose Barracuda the Sharks AHL affiliate and podcasts them on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks report by Mary Walsh: Sharks Hire Mike Grier as GM

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier addresses the news media at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue, Jul 5, 2022 (photo from nhl.com)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday that they have hired Mike Grier as the team’s fifth General Manager. Grier has the distinction of being the first African American to serve as a general manager in the NHL. Last season, he was a hockey operations advisor for the New York Rangers. His playing career spanned 1,060 games with the Oilers, the Capitals, the Sabres and the Sharks. He was an assistant coach at  St. Sebastian’s Prep School in Massachusetts, a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks, an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils, and a member of USA Hockey’s selection committee.

Grier has a lot to do before the start of the season. In two days, the Sharks will be at the NHL Draft. The Sharks also need a new coaching staff. The Sharks have missed the playoffs for three seasons in a row. Asked what his priorities were for improving the team, Grier said:

“I think we can improve in every facet, to be honest with you. There are some pieces on the roster that we like, that we would like to build around. But I think, overall, there’s not one spot in particular that I think needs work. The draft is No. 1, then we’ve got free agency coming up. We’ll have to dig into that, and Joe and I have already started on that a bit. Then development camp and a coach.”

While Grier did not have specific details to present on the draft or the coaching search, he did talk in detail about his goals for the team culture:

“To me it’s about people… Surrounding yourself with the right people, people who are passionate about their job, who love their job and are selfless, team-first people. That’s what culture means to me and as a general manager it’s for me to find those types of players on the ice and also surround myself with those type of hockey people in our hockey operations department.”

Sharks owner, Hasso Plattner, said in a press release: “Mike’s successful career on the ice speaks for itself, but what impressed me the most were his leadership qualities and his overwhelming desire to win. Mike is aware of the high standards of success that are expected in San Jose and is committed to help us quickly return to that level.”

Grier comes from a family of professional sports executives. His father, Bobby, worked in scouting, player personnel and as an advisor to the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans of the NFL. Grier’s brother, Chris, is the general manager of the Miami Dolphins. Grier described how his father prepared them for their future in the sports business:

“I think the main thing my father instilled in us was his work ethic. The time he put in, he’d often be off to work before we left for school. Sometimes he wouldn’t get home until after dinner or when we were ready to get in bed. So, just the time and effort it took, and his belief that you treat people the right way. If you want to have a winning franchise, it starts with how you treat people. His ability to never leave a stone unturned. Like he would stay up to all hours or go scout wherever it took, whatever he had to do to get the job done.”

Mary Lisa is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Mike Grier first black general manager in NHL history; Grier will start looking for a head coach

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From left to right San Jose Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will, general manager Mike Grier, and team president Jonathan Becher meets with the media on Tue Jul 5, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose (photo from CNN News)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast:

#1 The San Jose Sharks hired the NHL’s first black general coach Mike Grier, Grier makes history and Grier has been around the game as a player, coach, scout and executive.

#2 The Sharks say he will have overall authority regarding all aspects of hockey operations

#3 In his 14 years in the NHL and 1,000 games Grier played three years with the Sharks. He also was the team’s alternate captain during his time with the Sharks.

#4 In the three years with the Sharks Grier scored 78 points, 35 goals, and 43 assists proving his offensive prowess and ability.

#5 Grier said he will work hard to build up the club that has not made the playoffs in three years. Grier said he remembers Sharks fans for their passion and support of the team making SAP Center one of the most difficult buildings to play in.

Marko Ukalovic is a beat writer for the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: NHL draft is days away who will guide the ship for SJ?

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San Jose Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic might have his contract bought out as the team feels his talents have declined . Vlasic feels he can help another team with more playing time. (file photo from USA Today)

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len, with former San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner, and assistants John McLean and John Madden all departed the Sharks have another task and that’s trying to fill their jobs with the NHL draft coming around the corner on July 7th.

#2 The Sharks had a number of games where they were struggling but not enough where the Sharks could have worked some off season deals that could have kept Boughner and his staff on board. Do you think the Sharks could have given Boughner another season to see if things would work out?

#3 Scott Mellanby was a finalist for the general manager’s job but dropped out and that leaves two top candidates Ray Whitney and Mike Grier two former NHL players and two former Sharks. Grier and Whitney looks like the finalists for the job which direction do you see the Sharks going and what are the strengths of Whitney and Grier if they step into the general manager’s role.

#4 There’s talk that the Sharks might buy out defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s contract saying that his talents have faded, that his value has declined and in a post game interview after the last game of the season Vlasic said “imagine if I could play more” does he have enough talent to stay in the NHL at this point.

#5 With the Sharks possibly about to make a general manager announcement they need to get a head coach in place with just a few days left before the draft that’s a short window to get that decided and see what is in front of them for the NHL draft.

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Part Ways With Boughner, Coaching Staff

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San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner (right) and assistant coach John Madden (left) talks to the team on Sun Nov 28, 2021 against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago. The Sharks fired Boughner and his assistant coaches on Fri Jul 1, 2022 no replacements have been disclosed yet. (AP News file photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks have parted ways with Head Coach Bob Boughner and most of the coaching staff. The announcement came on Thursday, a week before the NHL draft begins. The Sharks announcement read, in part:

“Interim General Manager Joe Will announced today that team has relieved Head Coach Bob Boughner, Assistant Coaches John Madden and John MacLean, and Assistant video Coach, Dan Darrow of their responsibilities.”

No replacements have been named at this time, just as no replacement for Doug Wilson has been named yet. The Sharks announcement continued, saying:

“it has become apparent that the organization is in the process of an evolution,” said Will. “The bottom line is we have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons, which isn’t acceptable to our owner, our organization, or to our fans. As part of this evolution and evaluation, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to allow the next Sharks general manager to have full autonomy related to the make-up of the on-ice coaching staff moving ahead.”

It would be difficult to argue with this logic, but it is also difficult to ignore the timing. With no coaching staff and only an acting General Manager, the team appears deep in limbo with the 2022 draft fast approaching.

The Sharks concluded their announcement by thanking the coaching staff and recognizing that they worked hard despite unusual challenges that they faced with the team. They concluded by saying: “This change is not an indictment of their performance as much as it is a recognition of the complete organizational reset that we feel is in the best interest of the team at this point.”

The draft will start on July 7.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Marleau retires from hockey after setting Sharks franchise records

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Former San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau who retires from hockey after 23 years, set a number of San Jose franchise records and will have his number 12 eventually retired and hoisted in the SAP Center rafters. (photo from NHL.com)

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Former San Jose Shark, Toronto Marple Leaf, Pittsburgh Penguin Patrick Marleau announced his retirement after 23 seasons in the NHL. Marleau in a press conference at SAP Center on Tuesday said it was bittersweet but he has a lot to look forward to.

#2 Marleau also said that if you had told him as a kid skating on a frozen pond in Saskatchewan that he would break the games played record held by Gordy Howe he would have thought you were crazy.

#3 Len talk about his number 12 being retired by the Sharks in the future and having his jersey raised in the rafters at SAP Center for future fans to see.

#4 He has records set for the Sharks franchise records in goals, points, even strength goals, power play goals, shots, games played, also he played in 910 consecutive games from Apr 9, 2009 to May 12, 2001.

#5 Len after Marleau left the Sharks after playing in San Jose 1997-98 to 2016-17, he went to play in his native country Canada for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2017-18 to 2018-19 before moving onto the Pittsburgh Penguins 2019-20 and then his final season with the Sharks 2020-21 to round out his career in hockey.

Join Len for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shutout 3-0 by Kraken in Game 82

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Seattle Kraken center Morgan Geekie (67) looks to pass the puck against San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Fri Apr 29, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Lisa Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were shutout 3-0 by the Seattle Kraken in the Sharks final game of the 2021-22 season. Yanni Gourde, Adam Larsson and Viktor Rask scored for the Kraken. Chris Driedger made 24 saves for the shut-out win. Kaapo Kahkonen made 28 saves in the loss.

After that game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said of the game: “We just couldn’t get it done tonight. I think you could probably see, it’s no secret, there wasn’t a lot of guys who were sharp.”

Boughner also talked about the season as a whole and what comes next:

“For us, it’s just trying to relish the good times that we’ve had this year and I think there has been plenty of them. I think we know we’re not in the spot that we want to be and we know there’s a ton of improvement and that’s on everybody. That’s not on the players, it’s not just on the players and the coaches it’s everybody. We’ll address that but I think everybody needs a little time away to decompress first.”

Yanni Gourde scored his 21st goal of the season to give the Kraken the lead at 6:17. Dennis Cholowski led the play into the zone up the middle, then passed the puck to Karson Kuhlman on the right wing. Kulman passed it back to Gourde who was trailing Cholowski. As Cholowski screened Kahkonen, Gourde took the shot.

Adam Larsson made it 2-0 at 18:31. Jamie Oleksiak had the puck deep along the right wall and passed it up to Matty Beniers at the point. Beniers made a quick pass to Larsson on the left wing and he scored with a one-timer.

Victor Rask scored into an empty net to make it 3-0 at 19:08 of the third period. Assists went to Riley Sheahan and Will Borgen.

Timo Meier finished the season by blocking a shot to stop an empty net goal at the end of the game.

The Sharks took just one penalty and gave up three shots to the Kraken power play. The Kraken took two penalties close together in the second period, giving the Sharks a five-on-three for a little over a minute. The Sharks got three shots during that power play. In the first period, the Sharks were out-shot 12-4, but bounced back in the second with 11 shots, allowing just six. They lagged again in the third, being out-shot 13-9. The Kraken prevailed in the face-off circle at 58%.

Lane Pedersen was back in the lineup for a last look of the season. He had one shot, one hit and was 40% in the face-off circle in 9:53 of ice time. Jonathan Dahlen was also in the game Friday. He had one blocked shot in 7:32 of ice time.

The Sharks will start next season in Prague, Czech Republic. They will face the Nashville Predators in a pair of games October 7 and 8 as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series.

Sharks Fall 5-4 in OT to Oilers, Gregor Scores 2 Goals 26 Seconds Apart

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San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer (47) makes a save against Edmonton Oilers’ Jesse Puljujarvi (13) at Rogers Centre in Edmonton Thu Apr 28, 2022 (Canadian Press via AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-4 in overtime to the Oilers in Edmonton. Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto, Derek Ryan, Philip Broberg and Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers. Mikko Koskinen made 40 saves for the win. Noah Gregor, Scott Reedy and Nick Bonino scored for the Sharks, with Gregor scoring twice. James Reimer made 26 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “We ran into some penalty trouble, killed some penalties at the end of the game. It seemed like every time we got a lead, we squandered it. You know, and three on three is a dangerous game to play with that team.” On the other hand, he also mentioned some positives: “One of our better games offensively, you know, on the cycle, generating chances.”

Sharks Captain Logan Couture said: “Played in their end for the majority of the game, would have liked to score on a few more of the chances that we got but, yeah, tough one to lose.”

Noah Gregor scored his first of the game at 2:42 of the first period with a wrist shot from the circle. An assist went to Sasha Chmelevski.

Gregor scored again at 3:08. Gregor was trying to center the puck for Rudolfs Balcers, who was in front of the net. Instead, the puck went off of a defender’s skate and into the net. An assist went to Thomas Bordeleau.

Ryan McLeod got the Oilers on the board at 9:17 of the second period with a power play goal. Kailer Yamamoto redirected a shot from Evan Bouchard that did not hit the mark. McLeod was on hand to collect the rebound and put it away.

Yamamoto tied the game 2-2 at 12:52. Leon Draisaitl carried the puck in and then dropped it to Yamamoto for the shot. The puck squeezed through between Reimer and the post. Assists went to Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.

Scott Reedy gave the Sharks their second lead of the game at 15:35, redirecting a shot from Brent Burns on the power play. Assists went to Burns and Logan Couture.

Derek Ryan tied the game 3-3 at 9:37 of the third period. Tyson Barrie sent the puck to the net and it was redirected by Ryan high in the slot. The puck then hit Jayson Megna’s skate and went pin-balling into the blue paint before slipping over the line.

Nick Bonino gave the Sharks their third lead of the game at 10:40 with a neat shot from low in the slot. He caught Couture’s pass from below the goal line. Assists went to Couture and Matt Nieto.

Philip Broberg tied the game 4-4 at 11:45 with a wrist shot from the circle. It was his first NHL goal. Connor McDavid set him up with a pass from all the way down by the post. Assists went to McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi.

Zach Hyman scored the game winner 1:37 into overtime. He trailed Ryan-Nugent Hopkins into the zone. Nugent-Hopkins passed the puck to Hyman behind the Sharks defenders. Reimer could not get across in time to stop the shot om his stick side. Assists went to Nugent-Hopkins and Brett Kulak.

The Sharks out-shot the Oilers in every period except overtime. In the first, the count was 8-1 by the midpoint. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 58% of the draws, with rookie Thomas Bordeleau winning 60% of his draws. The Sharks had one power play and scored with one shot. They had three penalties to kill, one a double-minor. They penalty kill gave up one goal and eight shots.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season on Friday in Seattle against the Kraken at 7:00 PM PT.