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 Wednesday, December 22
Playoff disappointment motivated him
 
Associated Press

 SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The playoffs had just ended, and it was vacation time for most of his San Jose Sharks teammates. But the hard work was just beginning for Owen Nolan.

Disgusted with his performance in a first-round playoff loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the team that traded him to the Sharks in 1995, Nolan vowed to recapture the intensity that led him to 42 goals in his first full NHL season in 1991-92 with Quebec.

Owen Nolan
Owen Nolan's offseason workouts might have turned around his career.

"It really sunk in during the playoffs against Colorado last season," said Nolan, who had just one goal and one assist in the six-game series. "I felt I could have done more, but I didn't have the energy, the stamina to get it done. That wasn't going to happen again."

So Nolan, 27, spent the summer mountain biking and devoting much more attention to the weight room.

"I feel like I have a lot more endurance, strength and am a lot faster," the right wing said. "From the workout this offseason and being a lot bigger, a lot stronger, I'm getting a lot of goals from around the crease this season."

The revitalized Nolan also has benefited from the addition of center Vincent Damphousse, obtained in a trade late last season with Montreal, and the improved play of several young teammates.

The results have been obvious.

With 22 goals and 23 assists, Nolan is vying with Jaromir Jagr for the league lead in goals and points. He leads the NHL in power-play goals and has four game-winning goals for a Sharks team vying for the Pacific Division lead.

Nolan already has more goals in the first 11 weeks of this season than he did in either of the past two seasons. His points total exceeds his 1997-98 total and matches that of last year.

He scored twice and got an assist as the Sharks rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the Tampa Bay Lightning last week.

"I've seen a lot of players, and right now Nolan is the best player in the league," Tampa Bay goalie Dan Cloutier said. "He's on his game. He goes to the net hard and there's one thing on his mind. He was shooting from everywhere."

Nolan, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, was the top overall pick in the 1990 draft by Quebec. He starred for the Nordiques in 1991-92, when he had 42 goals, and in 1992-93 with 36 goals and a career-high 77 points.

After missing nearly the entire 1993-94 season with injuries, he returned with 30 goals in 1994-95. He moved with the team from Quebec to Colorado, but was traded on Oct. 26, 1995, to the Sharks for defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh.

Ozolinsh helped lead the Avalanche to the 1996 Stanley Cup championship, while Nolan went to a team that finished last in the Western Conference.

"Owen came to a situation that was a lot different from what Ozo came to," said San Jose's Mike Ricci, who was with Colorado at the time of the trade. "Sandis went to a team with a lot of very good hockey players, where he could be a piece of the puzzle. Owen, I don't know if he had that."

Nolan scored 29 and 31 goals in his first two seasons with San Jose, but then slumped to 14 in 1997-98 and 19 last season.

He improved his all-around game during that scoring slump, but felt helpless against Colorado in the playoffs.

"I think it really hurt him. He's a proud man and that was his old team," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said. "He tried to play with his heart, and his legs couldn't keep up with him."

Nolan's resurgence helped the Sharks open this season with three straight victories for the first time in their history. He had the game-winning goal on opening night against Calgary, and followed that up with a hat trick against Chicago and a goal against Edmonton.

By early November, the Sharks were 10-5-1. They've struggled since then, winning only seven of their last 19 games, but continue to battle with Los Angeles and Phoenix -- whom they visit Sunday -- for the division lead.

Nolan has been a steady performer throughout the season, even when the Sharks have slumped. A day after being honored as the NHL's player of the week, the San Jose captain had two power-play assists Tuesday night in a 5-2 loss to Chicago.

"It's important to keep in your mind when he's out there that he's always going to get the puck and attack you from anywhere on the ice," Chicago goalie Jocelyn Thibault said. "When he has someone sending him the puck, he can be deadly."

And though Ozolinsh continues to star for the Avalanche, that 1995 trade is looking better for the Sharks.

"Our team was looking for that guy who could be the future captain," said left wing Jeff Friesen, who skates on a line with Nolan and Damphousse. "We needed a guy who could carry the load for us, be our leader, our offensive go-to guy, our gamebreaker, all those things. That's what Owen has become."