There was a mighty curse on the Blackhawks this year. No, not the one that they got from being from the same city as the Cubs, and not the much-hyped “Hossa Curse” (Marian Hossa has been to the Cup Finals three times in three years on three different teams… and only now has a Cup to show for it). It was the Curse of the Sharks – the 16 year long streak where any team matched up with the Sharks was doomed to fall short of the Cup.

Twelve times the Sharks had made the playoffs, and twelve times they or their opponents did not lift the Stanley Cup. It started with their miracle run of 1994, where they upset the Cup-favorite Wings in 7 games only to face the Maple Leafs (no, really!) and fall in 7 games (once again, really!). They then fell to the Vancouver Canucks in 5 games in the Western Conference Finals, and thus, a curse was born.

The teams that have fallen victim, in order: Toronto Maple Leafs (94), Detroit Red Wings (95), Dallas Stars (98), Colorado Avalanche (99), Dallas Stars (00), St. Louis Blues (01), Colorado Avalanche (02), Calgary Flames(04), Edmonton Oilers (06), Detroit Red Wings (07), Dallas Stars (08), and Anaheim Ducks (09). And yes, Sharks fans do not like the Dallas Stars or the Detroit Red Wings. We do, however, take solace in the fact that once they beat us, they won’t win the Cup. Or did.

What does this mean? Well, it means that the 6 or so hours I put into researching and writing this initial explanation of the Curse, and this examination of whether any other team had something similar happen to their opponents (SPOILER! it hasn’t) was all for naught. It could also, potentially, mean that the San Jose Sharks themselves will get over that darned playoff hump and finally bring a championship back to the Bay Area. We need one. I mean, when teams like the Golden State Warriors and Oakland Raiders have had the most recent post-season success after the Sharks, you know that it’s bad.

So, congrats to Chicago for flipping off all the curses and jinxes in the world, planning parades and painting Cup murals and acquiring Hossa, and winning the Cup. I may kind of hate your team, but the Cup is quite an accomplishment. Just, why oh why did Patrick freaking Kane have to score the overtime winner? Are you trying to kill me?