The San Jose Sharks had three franchise-defining legends playing together in their primes. All three retired without winning a championship.
With the retirement of Joe Pavelski on July 16, it marks the official end of an era. It was the best era in Sharks history, even though Pavelski had left the team following their playoff exit in 2019. It also managed to see the Sharks make the playoffs in all but two seasons between 2000-2019 yet come away with zero titles.
Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau are the top three players in games played without winning a title in NHL history. Each of the three players is among the greatest players in team history. How did this team not win a Stanley Cup?
Luck Never Favored the San Jose Sharks
It is amazing to have a stretch where a team makes 17 playoff runs in 19 years. It’s a tragedy when that team manages to fail in spectacular fashion every time. The San Jose Sharks managed to do just that despite having stacked rosters.
Some of the best players of the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s suited up for the team. Yet no matter what lineups or coaches were employed, they just couldn’t get the job done. They always seemed to find a way to turn cold at the worst time and never could get lucky when they needed it most.
The Stars Could Never Quite Align
Every year the San Jose Sharks would enter the postseason as a favorite to finally win the Stanley Cup. Every year they would fall short of expectations. Typically the team that would beat the Sharks would either go on to win the Cup themselves or at the very least go on a deep playoff run.
The San Jose Sharks lost to a Finals winner or participant in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2019. They also had a first-round exit in 2008 as the President’s Trophy Winner. Every season was a lesson in frustration.
Some of the Best Teams to Never Win
Pick a playoff run between 2000 and 2019 and you have a candidate for “best team to not win a championship.” Those teams had everything from great goaltending and star power, to homegrown heroes. The Sharks got great contributions from players like Evgeni Nabokov, Ron Blake, and Devin Setugucchi.
Brent Burns, Logan Couture, and Martin Jones all had great playoff runs to put their names in Sharks lore. Even without a cup, the memories make it worth it. The endings were painful but the excitement was legendary.
2016 Was Their Best Chance
The best chance the team had was in 2016. That year, the San Jose Sharks lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They had a stacked roster but ran into a superior team that was on a hot streak. The worst part was they lost in six games at home in front of their fans.
It was a remarkable run that featured the best playoff run of Pavelski’s career. To date, it’s the only time they’ve made the Finals. The closest they made it afterwards was 2019 when they made it to the Conference Finals.
Most Painful: 2014, 2016, or 2019?
The debate will continue forever on which playoff run was the most painful. 2014 saw the San Jose Sharks get reverse swept by their arch-rivals the Los Angeles Kings. 2016 saw the Sharks lose in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, while 2019 was the last ride for the old guard.
2019 was incredibly emotional as the team made comebacks against Vegas and Colorado before losing to the St. Louis Blues. The only player missing was Marleau who was in Toronto. As a result, I’d give the nod to 2016.
Was Coaching The Issue?
In the time the Sharks had Marleau, Pavelski, and Thornton they had three head coaches. Ron Wilson, Todd McClellan, and Peter DeBoer all stood behind the bench. All three had success but had more success elsewhere.
It has to make you consider what was potentially the issue. General Manager Doug Wilson was often aggressive in pursuing trades to improve the roster which worked until mortgaging the future eventually stopped working. His loyalty to keeping players on long-term contracts led to the team’s fall from grace in 2019.
Nothing Was Ever Quite Good Enough
It seemed like no matter what the San Jose Sharks did in the postseason, it was never enough in the postseason. When Thornton and Marleau were at their peak, Pavelski wasn’t quite at the same level yet. Now after speculation, it’s all over.
When it comes down to it, nothing the team did was ever quite enough compared to the competition they faced. No matter who was in the net, they would eventually fall to the opposition. The Sharks were even guilty of beating themselves given that former team captain Dan Boyle once lost a playoff game via an own goal.
How Does This Impact Their Legacies?
All three players are great candidates to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. Marleau missed out on his first try this year but will go in one day. Thornton is one of the best playmakers in NHL history and Joe Pavelski is the greatest seventh-round pick in NHL history.
However, this is one massive glaring omission from their legacies. The only debate will be whether or not it holds them back from being regarded as being considered all-time greats. It’s a tragedy they never got to win a title.
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