2007 San Jose Sharks: A Team for the Ages

It's not just that they lost. Many predicted the Sharks would ultimately fall to the Detroit Red Wings. But when was the last time a Stanley Cup contender imploded so spectacularly so quickly? After a great regular season and a convincing roll through the first round, it took just three games - from the debacle of Game Four to the sloppy submission of Game Six - for this team to redefine itself.

Plenty of teams disappoint at playoff time - including both San Jose and Detroit last year - but these Sharks were a special group: the bigger the game, the worse they played; the greater the opportunity, the more dramatically they blew it.

No offense to the Red Wings, who played great. It's just that they were up against a team that was fascinating to watch, in a traffic-accident sort of way.

Scapegoats abound, of course, most notably coach Ron Wilson and invisible captain Patrick Marleau. But no one comes out of this one looking good. Not even Joe Thornton, who looks like the best player in the world when the team is going good, but never seems to be part of the solution when times get tough.