The San Jose Sharks lost their first game of the season and are now 4-1-0. God Emperor William Eklund spent his first game in the press box. What does it all mean? Who knows, really. Nonetheless, we try to suss all this out in this week’s podcast.

One game, one win. Let’s start the playoffs, eh boys?

Or maybe not so fast. There were good signs in the first game of the season against the Winnipeg Jets, but there were also some of the weaknesses we’ve grown used to seeing over the last three years. Alex, Ben, and Colin discuss all of this and more while we wait patiently for the San Jose Sharks to, you know, play some more god-damned games.

Circling the Cup podcast begins its seventh (SEVENTH!) season of Sharks discussion after a long summer off. If, like us, the offseason has seemed jam-packed with drama and upheaval and you need a catch up on all of the changes, well, have we got the podcast for you. It’s a bit super-sized, but there is some fun stuff ahead for you, not just in this podcast, but the Sharks’ season as well.

Go Sharks!

I’m not sure how much we (Alex, Ben, and Colin) succeeded, but this week we tried to project what good came out of this season for the future of this team. That’s not a long list, though, so expect digressions.

Well, the San Jose Sharks officially have missed the playoffs, as expected. Alex, Ben, and Colin spend this week’s podcast talking about what went wrong. Next week, we’ll look ahead to what can go right next year, if the right moves are made.

The #sjsharks were murdered by the trade deadline, which left us with not much of substance to talk about. So, Alex, Ben, and Colin spend some time talking about Patrick Marleau and NHL fan reaction to his upcoming milestone game.

Alex, Ben, and Colin caught up on Sunday and reacted to the Devan Dubnyk trade (Colorado, baby, what is you doin’?) and made predictions about the trade deadline. Now you can listen to see what they got right and what they got wrong.

Also, Marcus Sorensen, please stop punching people.

It feels like in the last couple years we always get to the point where we have to ask: is this team going to make the playoffs? This year, unlike the past, we’ve considered the current iteration of the #sjsharks “not a playoff team.” But maybe that’s changed. Alex and Ben talk about whether this team making the playoffs is good or bad, ultimately.

In case you missed it, this week it was revealed that ex-Shark had been struggling with substance abuse and depression during and after his playing days. Here’s a link to the article: https://www.twincities.com/2021/03/19/after-bottoming-out-former-gophers-nhl-star-paul-martin-see-the-light-again-im-pretty-lucky/.

Colin, Ben, and Alex reflect on what we didn’t know about Paul Martin’s struggles and about mental health in sports and in the United States at large. We also talk about the Sharks’ many losses this week, but less so.

The #sjsharks have won 3 in a row for the first time all year. Which means, it’s STANLEY CUP RUN TIME BABY. Or is it. Colin and Ben discuss.