By signing goaltender Antti Niemi to a four-year contract, the San Jose Sharks have said to the rest of the NHL, “We’re serious this year.”
When the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, there will be no substitute for Antti Niemi's Cup-winning experience
Ya, ya, I know. They’ve said it before. Often. Last year, they won the Presidents’ Trophy. They were poised to make a deep playoff run. Some of us thought they would win their first Cup. But, in the 2010 Western Conference Final, Niemi’s Chicago Blackhawks put the four-straight boots to the Sharks. Mostly because San Jose’s goaltending was lousy. Exit Evgeni Nabokov. Enter Antti Niemi. (more…)