Last Word On Hockey brings our Team of the Decade series. We will dive into the best player at each position this decade for every organization. The biggest and best at each position, with the most memorable moments in franchise history. Here is the San Jose Sharks decade lineup.
San Jose Sharks Decade Team
Left-Wing: Patrick Marleau
Drafted by the Sharks before the dawn of the century, the Aneroid, Saskatchewan native was an easy choice for this spot. While a natural centre, Patrick Marleau has played the majority of his recent hockey on the left-wing. We’ll gladly include him on this team. In Marleau’s two separate stints with the Sharks since 2009-10, he’s collected 242 goals and 250 assists for 492 points in 680 games. They’re not quite the numbers his younger self would have put up. However, the 40-year-old forward was still a huge part of the squad. Marleau’s three 70+ point seasons helped spur the consistent regular-season dominance that the Sharks displayed, no doubt. He was a helpful factor in their 2016 playoff run, notching 13 points in 24 games.
While Marleau left the Sharks after the 2016-17 campaign, he returned to the Bay Area as this season started. With the Sharks this year, Marleau had put up 20 points in 58 games before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline.
The cultural impact that Marleau has had on making this team a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference will never be forgotten. That influence carried over into this decade. All in all, his good play and passion for the Bay Area made him an easy choice for this spot.
Centre: Joe Thornton
While he had some competition for this spot, Joe Thornton is undoubtedly the king of the hill for the 2010’s Sharks. He was the only player drafted above Marleau in 1997 but spent the first seven-and-a-half years of his career in Boston. Since arriving in San Jose in 2005, Thornton has been an incredible impact player and two-way centre for the Sharks. He’s played 800 games for them on the nose since 2009-10, and in those 800 games, he has 155 goals and 512 assists for 667 points. While Thornton’s never been a goal-scorer, his linemates certainly owe him a debt of gratitude. His incredible passing and play on both sides of the puck are his hallmarks.
The duo he formed with Marleau over ten-plus years of San Jose hockey is forever immortalized in Sharks’ history. Not only is he the decade’s leader in games played and points for San Jose, but he’s also the most memorable and important centre this team has ever had. While players like Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl have also made significant impacts in San Jose, Thornton’s play is above all else.
Right-Wing: Joe Pavelski
Although Joe Pavelski‘s recently departed San Jose, he’s also an unforgettable player in Sharks lore. Like Marleau, Pavelski has three 70+ point seasons to his name since 2009-10. He was San Jose’s underappreciated offensive weapon for the entire decade. Since that ’09-’10 season, Pavelski is second to only Thornton in total points in a Sharks uniform with 634. In 755 games, he put up 297 goals and 337 assists.
His most famous moment as a Shark wasn’t that fun for him, though. His head injury in Game 7 of their 2019 First Round series against the Vegas Golden Knights led to the infamous five-minute major penalty against Cody Eakin that the Sharks capitalized on in a big way. They scored four goals in those five minutes, erasing a 3-0 deficit. They went on to win the game 5-4 in overtime and eventually advance to the Western Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual champion St. Louis Blues.
Pavelski continues the trend of the type of person who’s been on this team. He’s beloved by everyone, involved in the community, and a name synonymous with the Sharks. In every way, he slots right in with Marleau and Thornton on this team.
Left Defence: Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, since coming into the league in 2006-07, has known nothing else other than a Sharks uniform. While never known for his offensive prowess, Vlasic has been the epitome of durability for 14 seasons in San Jose. Since 2009-10, Vlasic’s played in 790 games to lead all Sharks defensemen. In those games, Vlasic scored 61 goals and 189 assists for 250 points, maintaining an impressive +106 rating.
Many feel as though Vlasic has been underappreciated throughout his time and San Jose. That spurs his inclusion on this list. While he’s never accomplished anything truly notable other than his durability, he’s been consistent and a calm force on the Sharks’ blue line. Other candidates for this position like Brenden Dillon, Douglas Murray and Paul Martin just don’t have the same meaning or association with the Sharks like Vlasic does, and that, above all else, is why you see his name in the heading.
Right Defence: Brent Burns
The main opposition to this selection would be the fact that defensemen are supposed to play defence, right?
Brent Burns doesn’t do such a great job of that, but he’s done nothing but create offence from the point along with the best of the best since arriving in San Jose in 2011. It took him a couple of years to truly heat up. However, he has three 70+ point seasons to his name and a Norris Trophy to add to his collection. Burns has notched 511 points in his 660 games as a Shark this decade, leading their defensemen with 155 goals and 356 assists. His point shot is legendary, as is his beard.
Sharks fans may not be so endeared to his play in his end. However, they love the personality and swagger that Burns brings to the Sharks dressing room. From his lovable smile to his friendships with longtime Sharks on the team, fans in San Jose love Burnzie. Again, other candidates such as Justin Braun and Dan Boyle, while they played solid hockey this decade for the Sharks, just didn’t have the same cultural impact as the other players selected here have.
Goaltender: Antti Niemi
This is probably the most controversial selection on this list, and it wasn’t an easy one to make. Do you go with Antti Niemi, who constantly failed in the playoffs with the Sharks but continuously put up strong numbers? Or do you go with Martin Jones, who took the Sharks to their first Stanley Cup Final but has fallen off a cliff in recent years?
The categories are close. In the decade, Niemi started 296 games for the Sharks, only four more than Jones’ 292. The wins aren’t as close but still close, Niemi won 163 games with the Sharks while Jones won 155. The save percentages bring a stark contrast, though, as Niemi’s .917 is much stronger than Jones’ .908.
However, Niemi did have some truly phenomenal years in San Jose. In the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, he led the NHL in wins with 24. He played the most minutes out of any goalie, and finished third in Vezina Trophy voting. While they lost a tough second-round series to the Los Angeles Kings that year, it wasn’t his fault, as he played lights-out hockey in a losing effort. Niemi’s Finnish flair also helped him fit in with the vibrant San Jose hockey culture. His character was always well-liked.
Honourable Mentions:
Logan Couture – On most other teams, Couture would be the selection. He finished the decade with 546 points in 715 games in a Sharks uniform. His ability to step it up in the playoffs makes him a popular name in Sharks Territory.
Tomas Hertl – Hertl is a star in the making in San Jose, but his lack of experience cost him a spot. However, in only 453 games, Hertl already has 132 goals and 148 assists for 280 points.
Dan Boyle – Boyle was the forgotten offensive weapon on defence of this decade for San Jose, as his 0.60 points per game mark is third to only Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns since the 2009-10 season.
Martin Jones – Jones still had a few important years in San Jose, especially the 2015-16 season. He helped the team to their first Stanley Cup Final, a memory many Sharks fans will never forget.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
