Oct 5, 2006, 16:25 GMT
- The San Jose Sharks are entering a season of promise and the St. Louis Blues are going into one of rebuilding, but both clubs get things rolling tonight when they meet at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks enter their first full season with Joe Thornton, after the power centerman anchored their rags to riches run to the playoffs. San Jose seemed destined to sink to the bottom of the tank last year as a 10-game losing streak to close out November was quickly demoralizing the squad. It was the club's longest losing skid since dropping 13 straight late in the 1992-93 season.
However, on the same day San Jose's losing streak hit double-digits, management shipped forwards Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston to obtain the franchise's first real superstar. All Thornton did was help lead San Jose into the playoffs and top the league in scoring en route to capturing his first Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player.
The former Bruin immediately found chemistry with winger Jonathan Cheechoo, who went on to score a league-high 56 goals -- with the majority coming after Thornton's arrival.
However, the Cinderella story came to an end in the second round of the playoffs after the Oilers ousted the Sharks in six games.
San Jose acquired left wing Mark Bell from Chicago in the offseason in exchange for defenseman Tom Preissing and forward Josh Hennessy. Bell is expected to round out the first line with Thornton and Cheechoo.
The Sharks will host the NY Islanders on Saturday.
It's a new era in the St. Louis, as the Blues were sold in late spring to a group headed by former Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts. The offseason began with the selection of blue chip defenseman Erik Johnson with the first pick in the Entry Draft, and things went forward from there.
Doug Weight, who was traded to the Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes, kept his word and returned to St. Louis once free agency hit, and the team also inked Weight's former Edmonton teammate Bill Guerin. Dan Hinote and Martin Rucinsky were also added to pad the forward corps, giving the team a suddenly respectable attack when you check it out on paper.
Perhaps the biggest addition was in net, where Manny Legace will have a chance to be the No. 1. He finally received his shot as a full-time starter in Detroit last season, and was very successful before the playoffs began.
Last season the Blues finished last in the NHL's overall standings.
St. Louis will visit Los Angeles on Saturday.
San Jose went 3-1 against St. Louis last season.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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