Nobody thought they would get this far. Nobody. Not the slick-haired sports announcers, not the turn-on-a-dime which way is the wind blowing, politically sleazy local sports writers, not even many of the loyal fans. But here the Sharks are, going for a win once again in hostile territory.
We believe.
Make no mistake, escalation pr is beginning to take its toll emotionally. Every shot, every missed opportunity, every stroke of a blade on the ice is now fair game. Whereas plays and strategy were once analyzed in the macro sense of the game, the Sharks are now treading in deep waters, waters they are unfamiliar with. They thought they would just go out on the ice and win. And Win and Win and Win again. Only a handful; Damphousse, Ricci, Ron Wilson among them, had been through this before. They knew that the further along they got in the playoffs, the more brutal and unforgiving the coverage would become. Stop going to the movies guys. Don't take your wives and sweethearts to dinner. Sequester yourselves until the tidal wave subsides because nothing you do at this point will be good enough. Unless you end up holding the cup that is. And then, magically, every nuance less that perfection will be forgiven .Meanwhile, the press is circling viciously and the pressure is unrelenting. And make no mistake again, these boys, men, are tired. Dog tired. They are 100 games into the season, give or take a scrimmage or two. That's 20 percent over the number of games they normally play. They are tired. Plane rides, pushy press, endless analysis (poor Nabby, no wonder he's beginning to snap at annoying reporters), when all they wanted to ever do was get out there and win. Win and Win again.
Advice to the Sharks: just go out there and do your best. Despite all the hoopla, pressure and endless pestering by the media, that's what it will come down to. Just play the game and if you can, win it. That's all, in the end, that matters.