"SAN JOSE The Sharks' success was once so constant, so reliable, so predictable, that they ran out of room to hang their accolades. With twenty playoff appearances in 24 years, the Sharks literally filled up an entire banner at their practice facility, top to bottom, with their postseason berths. It was such steady excellence that the team had to commission a new banner just to keep up."
"They hung it after their 21st playoff berth in 2019. It was a fresh slate that was made to be filled as quickly as the first banner. And yet 2019 small font, just like all the years on the first banner sits there alone six years later. We all know the deal. The drought arrived quickly, and the Sharks didn't fight it long. Darkness before the light, right?"
The Sharks previously made twenty playoff appearances in 24 years, filling an entire banner at their practice facility. The team added a second banner after its 21st berth in 2019, but the 2019 mark remains the most recent playoff year six seasons later. A deep, methodical rebuild followed, producing a prolonged drought and concerns that losing may become habitual. The organization should shift from reconstruction toward competitiveness and aim to return to playoff contention sooner. High draft prospects like Gavin McKenna heighten expectations, but relying on lottery luck risks framing success as consolation rather than earned progress.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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