Remember when you were 18 and you'd see this girl across the bar and as you went to the washroom to get a closer look, you realized she was good from far but far from good?
Well, I'm starting to feel that way about the San Jose Sharks.
They do it to me every year. I get seduced by the Sharks and basically end up donating my entry fee to a profit charity, that being the playoff pool I am in.
This year was my year, their year, how could I not go for the Sharks? Fifty-three wins, a franchise record 117 points and home ice advantage for as long as they wanted.
The Sharks have premier players up front in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, defencemen such as Rob Blake and Dan Boyle and the goalie with the best winning percentage in Evgeni Nabokov.
How could a guy go wrong?
So when my choice came up in the No. 4 spot I proudly stood up and said "With the fourth overall pick Gene Principe would like to select Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks."
Of course now that I had my guy from my team, I continued to add to my list of Sharks. I also took Devin Setoguchi and Dan Boyle and I tried to get more but couldn't.
I knew about the Sharks playoff pitfalls, but it had to come to an end and I was convinced their time had come. And while I don't dislike Ron Wilson I thought a new coach would put them over the top. But instead of being eliminated in the second round, they were bounced in the first.
Great.
Listen, when the team I cover, the Edmonton Oilers, aren't in the playoffs then Plan B is to throw myself into a pool and start watching the game cheering for a winner mostly due to pool ramifications.
Needless to say this year's post-season party got doused on Monday night.
So another year and another playoff disappointment for the Sharks, and all of us who took them in our playoff pools.
