On Sunday night, Sopranos' wise guy character Paulie Walnuts was reminded, you're only as good as your last envelope.

A bit earlier in the day, coaches around the NHL received a similar message when Sharks GM Dean Lombardi ordered a surprise hit on Darryl Sutter, the winningest coach in the franchise's 11-year history.

Unfortunately for Sutter, not too much of that winning took place in the club's first 24 games of this season. The Sharks are a disappointing 8-12-2-2 in a tough conference. With expectations high and season ticket holders in a panic, something had to be done. So, Sutter now sleeps with the fishes.

Still, it's hard to fathom how Sutter could be blamed for the Sharks' slow start. After all, it wasn't Sutter who failed to sign top goalie Evgeni Nabokov and talented young defenseman Brad Stuart before the season started.

That failure belongs to boss Lombardi, who gained absolutely nothing by prolonging negotiations with such important players. Not surprisingly, neither Nabokov or Stuart has been himself after missing all of training camp and some of the season.

And, it wasn't Sutter's fault that key contributor Scott Thornton missed the first month of the season due to offseason shoulder surgery and 23-year-old center Patrick Marleau couldn't find the net until November.

Nor was it Sutter's fault that 22-year-old Jeff Jillson hasn't been able to fill the void left by veteran Gary Suter, who opted to retire in September.

But, most importantly, it wasn't Sutter's fault that club management didn't have confidence that he was the coach to take the team to the next level. If it had, he would've been offered more than a one-year contract last summer after directing the Sharks to their first-ever division title and a strong showing in the playoffs. They did, after all, come within one goal of a trip to the conference finals.

For the past five years, Sutter has done his part. Never warm and fuzzy, he took over a last place joke of a team, demanded hard work and accountability and produced a winner. It's no coincidence that Sutter's Sharks have improved in every season since his arrival in 1997.

Still, that wasn't enough for someone in Sharksland.

Now, in the coming days, Lombardi and his henchmen will spin this hit as necessary business. But, really, the target had been on Sutter's back for a while. They just waited for his envelope to come up a little light, then they pulled the trigger.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.