San Jose Sharks: Will They Ever Win The Cup?

May 28, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks players shake hands after game seven of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the San Jose Sharks at the Staples Center. Kings won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Well, here we are once again, another season in the books and the San Jose Sharks have nothing to show for it.  Now we have to wait an eternity for the season to start up next year, only to face the same fate again.

Year after year the San Jose Sharks organization and their fans go through this.  They play well during the season, make the playoffs, then proceed to get kicked out every single year.

In fact, the Sharks are second only to the Detroit Red Wings in consecutive playoff appearances with nine.  Detroit, who holds first by a large margin, was able to extend their streak to 22 seasons after barely squeaking into the playoffs during the last few days of the regular season.

As a matter of fact, the San Jose Sharks organization has made the playoffs for 16 of its 21 total season in the NHL.  During that span, the Sharks have reached the conference finals three times only to come away empty-handed all three times.

For an organization that’s almost all you can ask for, besides the championships.  With such a storied, albeit brief history, sometimes one can get pessimistic.

With all those chances in such a short span (compared to other franchises) it seems like the Sharks are blowing them left and right.  So, can they ever win it all?  Will this team be able to succeed even with Joe Thornton at the helm and Patrick “Gutless” Marleau as one of the teams’ other veteran leaders?

While there is no clear cut answer with the current team, I can tell you that we would be hard-pressed to see this organization continue to make the post-season only to fail time and time again.  They have been run very well and with young stars like Logan Couture (who will soon be the captain of this team) and Joe Pavelski, the Sharks are poised to stay a top dog in the west.

Besides, there is a long way to go before we start comparing them to the Blues (44 seasons), Sabres (41 seasons), and Canucks (41 season) who have yet to win their first cups as well.  They have, however, reached the finals, something the Sharks have yet to do.

I even believe this team is still very capable of winning the Stanley Cup within the next couple of years, although that’s what we have already been saying the last few years.  Still, this is a team of stars which includes a mix of young and veteran.  Also, general manager Doug Wilson has plenty of picks during this upcoming draft including one in the first and three in the second, which could help to supply the team with more talent for the years to come.

While I do believe that eventually the Sharks will win the Stanley Cup, knowing how long we in the Bay Area will have to wait is another matter.  But then again, that’s the beauty of sports isn’t it?

Each year we are given a new hope that “things will be different this year” and “our team can go all the way!”  If we knew the outcomes before they started, sports would be no fun.  Sure, they can be agonizing (see ‘Torture’ for the San Francisco Giants), but how great is it when your team finally does win it all?