Circling the Cup » Podcasts

Tank Admiral Grier has led the Sharks to last place two years running. We’re not mad about it. We talk about the season that was, the players that we’d like to see picked with 1st, 2nd, or 3rd (please god no god nooooo) overall in the coming draft, and the better product that we hope […]

The Trade Deadline has come and gone and…it was a weird one. Some of the fanbase is irate. Some folks are just numb. Alex, Ben, and Colin talk about where their heads are at after several players went away unexpectedly.

Granlund and Ceci bring in a 1st and a 4th. That’s it. That’s the podcast.

We’re not podcasting as much as we used to (#adulting, amirite?), but we had some thoughts about the Sharks’ January so far. You can listen to it if you must.

It’s been a while, and the Sharks have been on a long winning streak followed by some ups and downs. And this is all *totally ok*. Alex, Ben, and Colin talk about why they are excited to watch the Sharks again and also why we still want them to lose lots of games (hint: it’s […]

Optimism? In this economy? Well, kinda. The Sharks are still bad, it’s just that there’s starting to appear to be a light at the end of that tunnel. Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss the last month of Sharks hockey, and where the team is somewhat better than last year’s. Also, stay tuned for an outtake […]

Since Colin and Ben were denied access to Sharks pre-season by their bullshit geo-locking, our first podcast of the season is also a preview of sorts. Alex, Colin, and Ben discuss Celebrini’s outstanding debut, his injury, Ecklund’s growth, and more!

First, apologies for the early sound issues in this podcast. Restream told me it was using a specific mic input when it wasn’t. So you get to hear me make coffee while Alex tries to monologue. Oops. But we fixed that eventually. After that we talked at length about the draft, the Warsy hire, free […]

The San Jose Sharks actually won the draft lottery and have a shot at an elite talent. What has this world come to? Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss the far-reaching repercussions to the rebuild of this unusually fortunate event.

Alex, Ben, and Colin get together to talk about the end of this terrible year of #sjsharks hockey, having two draft picks in the top 15, the firing of a bad coach, the keeping of a different bad coach, and more.

Alex and Ben recap the #sjsharks bummer of a trade deadline. It didn’t have to be this way!

The trio is back. Are back? I dunno, English is hard. But Ben, Alex, and Colin are here to talk about the last couple weeks of San Jose Sharks…not exactly, futility, but…well. Couture is back. That’s a thing, we guess. Enjoy.

Alex, Ben, and Colin talk about whether this losing streak is all that different from the last extended one the Sharks experienced. What’s to blame? Is it even a bad thing? Tank, Sharks, tank.

Alex and Ben talk about that road trip and how Justin Bailey is a perfect fit for this team right now: lucky and not very good at hockey. Also, Eklund is playing his behind off. All this and more.

The #sjsharks had a nice run of sorts post-Thanksgiving. It’s a mirage. Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss.

The Sharks gave up 10 goals in two straight games and Alex has had enough. For once, Ben has to talk him down. Colin enjoys popcorn.

There’s no reason to panic, because getting a chance at Celebrini is worth celebrating. There is cause for concern, however, because the coaching staff seems to have no idea what they’re doing. Alex and Ben discuss the last two weeks of San Jose Sharks “hockey.”

The San Jose Sharks have been tossed into the fire by NHL schedule makers, with predictable results. The Sharks are pretty bad. #mackblack is probably not going to stop 50 shots every night. Alex and Ben talk about this and more!

This is going to be a rough year for team teal, y’all. The three of us don’t exactly agree on how rough, however, so hold on to your butts. It’s the first podcast of the season! Note: Alex had internet connectivity issues for a few seconds in the middle of the cast. Bear with us, […]

The San Jose Sharks were set up for, and executed, an incredible (if not optimal) first round of the draft. Then we had the UFA period begin and the Sharks have been active there as well. How does the GMMG regime grade out on their first real offseason (still, in progress)? Alex, Ben, and Colin […]

Alex, Ben, and Colin bring you a super-sized season review and off-season preview. Enjoy!

The San Jose Sharks have called up some of the young guys and, as a consequence, are doing a great job now of undoing their recent tank job. Which is bad. We talk about all that and more.

You might think that I am referring to the James Reimer Pride Night situation…AND I AM. I’m also referring to the technical difficulties faced by Colin this week which turned him into a podcast listener, rather than a contributor. This one is a bit all over the place, but I hope you enjoy. Also, Pride […]

Yeah, we have a lot to say about this trade deadline. Listen, if you like.

GM Mike Grier loves himself some replacement-level players so we have to wonder: how many Luke Kunins will the #sjsharks add in the Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier trades that are shaping up. 5? 6? A whole new AHL team’s worth of mediocrity? Alex and Ben discuss.

The trio is back together to talk about the Nieto/Merkley trade and the rumors swirling around Logan Couture and Timo Meier. What should the #sjsharks do? We discuss!

So, thanks to an OS upgrade, we had to record the podcast in an entirely new, ad-hoc way this week. Hope that our conversations about the genius of GMMG’s intentional tank job come through loud and clear for you all.

The #sjsharks are still bad, but this week added two little twists: the season-ending injury to Luke Kunin and the suspension of Tomas “Babe Ruth” Hertl for taking a swing at a dude’s head with his stick. Alex and Ben talk about that and why Ben has decided that the team in teal should bring […]

It’s the podcast episode you’ve all been waiting for. Alex and Ben talk about Matt Nieto’s career two weeks and what it means for the Sharks going forward. Spoiler alert: not much in the slightest.

Erik Karlsson is playing out of his mind right now. When that coincides with the forwards scoring it makes for some fun, and sometimes winning, hockey. When they aren’t…oof. We talk about all this and more in this week’s podcast.

The band is back together this week, as Alex, Ben, and Colin talk about this suddenly offensively dangerous bad team that has developed. Sustainable? Listen and see.

The Sharks won a game! Actually, after we recorded this podcast they won a second game (against a very bad team). Should we be encouraged by these stunning developments? Ben and Alex discuss why it might not be yet time to get off the Tank Train.

0-4-0. 0 points. You couldn’t tank harder if you tried. So, what comes next? How does David Quinn attempt to polish the turd that has been handed to him by GMMG? We now hope it doesn’t involve calling up the young guys, because the big team is BAD. Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss this and […]

Well, that was not an inspiring beginning to the season, unless you are hoping the Sharks indulge in #dishonorforconnor. Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss a few bright spots, but also a whole lot of good old-fashined self-delusion going on within team management. It will be interesting to see what changes occur over the next month […]

OK, we admit it: the new threads ain’t half bad. The rest of the new era? Up in the air. Colin, Ben and Alex discuss the pre-season so far and what to expect from our team in teal.

GM Mike Grier is in the house. Lots of stuff has changed since the last time we podded. So, this 2 hour episode should catch you up on how *we* feel about things. It’s a ride. Enjoy.

We look back on the largely wasted 2021-2022 San Jose Sharks’ season but are cautiously optimistic about what comes next: a new GM, a new coach, and…development? Let’s hope.

Doug Wilson is stepping aside permanently! Doug’s tenure has lasted so long he was already GM when Ben became a Sharks fan. That’s a LONG time for anyone to be in charge. So, Ben, Alex, and Colin talk about Doug’s legacy and what we think comes next.

Alex and Ben talk about the hits, misses, and omissions of the Sharks’ trade deadline.

Tomas Hertl decided to stick around for 8 years (and about 8.2 per year) and we’re not sure why. Alex and Ben talk about Hertl, the way forward, and our thoughts on what was, at the time we recorded, the upcoming trade deadline. You can imagine what we’ll have to say the next time we […]

This one is posting almost a full week late because I (Ben) am a big, dumb, forgetful idiot. But there was better game-related stuff to discuss last week than this week, so maybe this will help you get over the most recent losses. Go Sharks!

You might have heard that James Reimer got hurt in a game this week. The #sjsharks then let the world know it was bad by trading for much beloved retread Alex Stalock. And then they continued to lose. So, yeah, things are not great in the Tank, though the “tank” is starting to look better. […]

It’s the full trifecta this week, as Alex rejoins Colin who previously rejoined Ben. And we’re here to let you know…The San Jose Sharks are not very good. EK65 really was driving the bus. So…listen in and hear what comes next for the team in teal as the trade deadline approaches.

Alex couldn’t make it, but Colin found his way back to Sweden and has caught up with the Sharks. Ben get’s Colin’s take on the things he missed while away and Colin asks Ben about random Shark stuff. As one does. Go Sharks!

Erik Karlsson is hurt and probably not coming back until late March. How will that affect our boys in teal? How does that affect decisions around pending free agent Tomas Hertl? Well, honestly? We aren’t sure. But Alex and Ben talk it through this week.

OK, so the only confirmed dunce in this story is COVID felon Evander Kane, but there is the possibility of a whole lot more duncery happening under the surface to emerge in the weeks ahead. Regardless, our team is free of Evander Kane, freed up cap space, and…still kinda blows? But, Alex and I talk […]

Alex and Ben return from holiday break to talk about where the Sharks are versus fan expectations. Why do many fans seem to think that this is a playoff team, though not one playing up to that idea. We have thoughts!

This week was just Ben and Colin, so we decided to answer reader questions! Primarily you wanted to know how we would grade the young forwards and what we think the Sharks will do with Tomas Hertl. Listen in and find out!

This week we talk about what we thought this team might be at the start of the season and what has actually happened. Who has been the best forward? Who has been the best defenseman? Who has been the worst regular? All this and more!

We talk about Evander Kane, mostly, but also throw in a little bit about the Sharks’ goalie deployment so far. Spoiler: We don’t quite get why Adin Hill was traded for if the team isn’t going to see what he is.

The #sjsharks COVID breakout is over and, in a relate story, the third pairing returns to being a tire fire. We talk about COVID, how the NHL mishandled the Sharks’ initial outbreak, and how the unimaginative coaching staff simply ignored the good that came from the unintentional youth movement of the last two weeks.