The San Jose Sharks are going to be a fundamentally different team from the one that bowed out in the first round against the St. Louis Blues. The owners of the team have mandated it.
The Associated Press files this report on what the owners are asking for from general manager Doug Wilson.
The ownership group of Sharks Sports & Entertainment issued a statement Wednesday calling a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference and a first-round playoff loss to St. Louis unacceptable while also backing Wilson’s leadership.
"We will not lower our expectation that every San Jose Sharks team we put on the ice is capable of winning the Stanley Cup," the statement said. "Despite the fact that our team has experienced a tremendous amount of success over the past eight seasons, we are not satisfied with those results and neither is Doug. The ownership group has confidence that Doug will make the necessary changes to ensure our club remains among the NHL’s elite franchises."
Despite making playoff appearance after playoff appearance, the Sharks have yet to figure out how to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks made it to the Western Conference Finals the two previous seasons before this one, but bowed out both times. The Sharks lost in the Semifinals three straight years from 2005-06 to 2007-08, and went out in the first round in both 2008-09 and this year in 2011-12. San Jose will be looking to change things up this time next year, and they'll need to reboot things.
To learn more about what Sharks fans feel about their team, head on over to Fear the Fin.