Life as a Caps fan is stressful this time of year. You fret about your team living up to expectations of being a No. 1 seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs. You become angry when you see that Pittsburgh Penguins logo — “Is it laughing at me?” — and actually get more nervous when your team goes up 3-1 in a series. But at least Washington has reached the Stanley Cup finals. San Jose Sharks fans can match your dark times without any of the glory.
That is a fanbase, after all, that watched its star defenseman score for the other team in a 1-0 overtime loss Sunday. Earlier in this 2-2 series with the Colorado Avalanche — the No. 8 seed, by the way — a cross-ice pass banked off a skate and in with less than a minute left in regulation. That shiny Presidents’ Trophy on display at Kettler Iceplex two weeks ago? Yeah San Jose won that thing last year. Then it promptly lost in the first round to No. 8 seed Anaheim. In 2008, the second-seeded Sharks actually won a round but then lost three — three! — overtime games in the second round against Dallas. The season ended in quadruple overtime of Game 6. Tune in to VERSUS on Thursday to see what horror the hockey gods have in store when the Sharks host the Avalanche in Game 5.
