Burns, Karlsson and the boys will be back after a much needed rest.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a return-to-play plan for hockey on Tuesday. This plan confirms the conclusion of the 2019-20 regular season and implements a playoff format that includes most of the league’s 31 teams. Most of the league’s 31 teams.
The 2020 postseason will include the top 12 clubs in each conference for a total of 24 in the playoffs. This means seven franchises will not participate in this first-of-its-kind tournament.
Those seven teams are the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and—sadly—our San Jose Sharks.
This season was an unfortunate turn of events for a franchise that was six wins away from the Stanley Cup less than a year ago. Nationwide Insurance didn’t lie: Life really does come at you fast.
But this prolonged offseason—lasting at least a month longer than usual, possibly more—gives the team a chance to physically and mentally rest and reset.
The Sharks have played 1,341 regular season and playoff games since the 2004-05 lockout, which is among the most in the league over that span. That’s the cost of being almost better than everyone else for well over a decade.
The franchise has also been subject to one of the most brutal travel schedules. The three teams in the New York Metropolitan area play between 60 and 65 games within 500 miles of their home arena. The Sharks, on the other hand, play just 50. So, when you sign with a California hockey team, you’re coming for the weather but leaving for the games.
And, of course, the physical demands of the game took their toll on the players as well. Both Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl suffered season-ending injuries part way through the year, while captain Logan Couture missed significant time throughout the campaign as well.
All of these factors combined to form a disappointing season, but as the saying goes, there’s always next year.
So, while we’re sad to see the Sharks hockey come to an end, we’re excited for what the future brings. Here’s to more electric goals, more huge hits, and more crazy ads in 2020-21.
We’ve been the Sharks Ad Agency of record for the past five years and given that this is the Sharks 30th anniversary season, you can expect one helluva campaign to support Team Teal.
#######
The Small Agency Blog is produced by Division of Labor; a top San Francisco ad agency and digital marketing firm that’s been named Small Agency of the Year twice by Ad Age. The award-winning creative shop services clients on a retainer or project basis. They also offer brand consulting services and hourly engagements for startups and smaller brands. Click here for a free consultation.