This was supposed to be the year. With every favorite and every contender dropping like flies, this was the path to take for the franchise's long-awaited climb to the top of the NHL's totem pole. They had the talent assembled to make it a formality. Game 5 was at their house, the SAP Center and it seems momentum would shift to their favor.

To put it lightly, Game 5 for the Sharks was the equivalent of getting your soul ripped out of your body.

Game 6 was the fatality from the Mortal Kombat video game series.

         Now, before anyone starts jumping down my throat, let's get this out of the way. Yes, the Sharks were outmanned because 3 of their top players were out. The St. Louis Blues did what any team in the playoffs should do: Take advantage of that and never look back. So really, this blog isn't to rip the Sharks a new one, it's more of sympathic note that this franchise is a groomsmen that is close to being the groom. Every year, the San Jose Sharks seem to have the most talented roster in the NHL on paper. They make savvy trades to upgrade their team during the deadline. They develop top notch prospects to gel with their veteran core. I mean in hindsight, this team should at least 3 Stanley Cups to their name by now. Unfortunately, fate has other ways to mask the cruelity of this franchise.

        I remember when the Sharks were an expansion team in the early 90's and they had to play in the Cow Palace, a venue that was not suitable for hockey. The Sharks were terrible and many believed that the Bay Area wasn't the place for hockey. Then they moved to San Jose and the franchise started to move in the right direction. As I said before, every year the Sharks have the roster to compete for a Stanley Cup. They did win the Presidents' Trophy in the 2008-2009 season and actually made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. So, this team is on the cusp of lifting Lord Stanley's trophy up in the air.

But as another team from another sport would used to say "Wait till next year".

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