Another R33 lost – Fast and Furious “Big Bird” to be crushed

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In what is yet another chapter in a long line of Skyline’s to be crushed and destroyed by Homeland Security, a man in De Pere Wisconsin recently had two of his R33 Skylines seized by ICE.

One of which should look familiar to fans of the original “Fast and Furious” movie, “Big Bird” was a nickname given to the yellow Skyline loaned to Paramount during shooting.

Find another way home Pizza Boy!

According to the article, Justin Beno, the owner of the Skylines had owned these vehicles and registered them through his respective state. However when found that these vehicles lacked the proper bond paperwork and further HAD THEIR JAPANESE VIN TAGS REMOVED, the registration was rescinded.

Mr Beno then foolishly decided he would try and sell these Skylines to a private buyer, but failed to disclose full information to the undercover agent. And that’s where he lost these cars, as he told the undercover agent it would come with a Florida title, which he would have to transfer.

While I’ve never seen a state titled R33 have it’s registration rescinded, and can certainly sympathize with Mr. Beno’s situation, it’s his own damn fault. Having sold my own R33 recently, you can bet your bottom dollar my paperwork and facts were laid out in proper fashion to the new owner.

He got stuck with his Skylines, and instead of telling the prospective buyer the truth, he lied with an obvious intent to mislead and dump the problem onto someone else.

The feds found his case to be so egregious, that they charged him with 2 felonies  relating to conspiracy to commit fraud and possessing vehicles without vehicle identification numbers.

And that kiddies, is a lesson well learned for anyone dealing in gray market vehicles, Skylines or otherwise. Whether or not you agree with Homeland Security and ICE using precious tax dollars to chase down and crush these cars is irrelevant.

Ignorance of the laws relating to these vehicles and the sale of gray market cars doesn’t help you when the hammer of justice comes down on your head.

Saying goodbye to my R33 Skyline GTST.

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It’s been a good run for my R33 Skyline, but with the third addition to our growing family and lack of bond paperwork for my GTST, I had been trying to sell my Skyline for quite some time and I’ve finally found a buyer for my baby.

I’ve owned this vehicle for quite a while, and wasted no time putting it together when it first arrived off the docks as a parts car.

My S2 RB25 -

After the motor was installed and running, I opted for HKS Hipermax coilovers all the way around, and an HKS 3037S Turbo upgrade. The car already came with a Blitz 4 row front mount intercooler… ahh the JDM goodness.

More eye candy :

My time with the GTST was definitely an eye opener, as it led me down the path of modding Nissans / RWD as opposed to the usual Honda / Mitsubishi / FWD stuff I had been doing since 1996.

With minimal mods, this car put down a healthy 385 / 360 ft lbs on a 448X DynoJet at just 16 psi. I loved my time with the R33, but after doing over 25+ RB swaps for 240 guys locally, it’s not much different than a nice S14 with a RB swap in it, RHD and JDM factors aside.

With the growing anti-Skyline sentiment and the federal legalities of owning a state licensed car, I had to make this sale.

After all, who wants a knock on your front door from ICE?

Don’t know who they are? they are the nice federal agents who are hell bent in seeking and DESTROYING these cars because they are such a threat to the nation at whole.

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(l)(A),a motor vehicle that was not originally
manufactured to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety
standards shall be refused admission into the United States unless NHTSA has decided that the motor vehicle is substantially similar to a motor vehicle
originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States,
certified under 49U.S.C. 30115, and of the same model year as the model of the
motor vehicle to be compared, and is capable of being readily altered to
conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards. Where there is
no substantially similar U.S.-certified motor vehicle, 49U.S.C.30141(a)(l)(B)
permits a nonconforming motor vehicle to be admitted into the United States if
its safety features comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with,
all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards based on destructive
test data or such other evidence as NHTSA decides to be adequate.

Petitions for eligibility decisions may be submitted by either manufacturers or
importers who have registered with NHTSA pursuant to 49CFRpart 592.As
specified in 49 CFR 593.7,NHTSA

Skylines imported into the US for use on public roads must either be over 25 years old or they must conform to FMVSS standards. While R32 – R34 Skylines were initially allowed for import, the FHTSA rescinded the importation of the majority of Skylines by limiting it to R33′s that were manufactured between January 1996 and June 1998.

In order to import a Skyline, an official RI must be used and they must fill out a HS-7 declaration for the vehicle. If the vehicle is to be used on the streets then the RI has 120 days in order to modify the vehicle to pass FHVSS requirements. The only company that has information in regards to Federally legalize R33′s is JK technologies.

Found this page after searching for the terms “Skyline” and “registration”? Take a look here at several links that will help you answer the many questions that Skyline owners in the US have, including the story behind Hiro and Motorex, NHTSA and DOT legalities, and the inherent dangers of buying a state licensed Skyline.

NicoClub’s comprehensive Skyline importing guide

EPA KIT Car Legalities

How to import a Skyline

Happy boosting!

Pro Street / Vic Hubbard’s 9-2-5 Madness Sale – 5/17/2012

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Pro Street and Vic Hubbard Speed held their first 5 to 9 Madness Sale for 2012, and I had a great time as I always do meeting people, talking cars and shop.

Founded in 1949, Vic Hubbard has had a name well known throughout the Performance Industry as the first Speed Shop in Northern California. So you can be sure that there will be more than your fair share of domestic old school muscle.

There were also several GEN III powered Chevelles that made the show.

I love the GEN III blocks, pushrods and all.

Several of them rocking a centrifugal superchager, which isn’t my cup of tea but hey… to each his own.

Of course, the usual mix of cars made the show……

All in all a fun time to be had, with a lot of pretty nice cars and lots of horsepower and cool people. A small show, but one car definitely caught my eye, this pristine Mazda Cosmo ( RX-5 ).

You Wankel!

This RX-5 is powered by a late model 13B and its owner was a very nice guy who was more than willing to talk about his car and the mods he had in it. As always I had a great time talking shop to people, and looking forward to the next 9-5 Madness on June 21, 2012.

Source:

Pro Street Online 

Vic Hubbard Speed and Marine

The worst thing I have ever seen…. ever.

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Automotive forums are hilarious.

After all, where else can you find people who create their own microcosm of society, while stroking each other egos and bashing on anyone and everyone that doesn’t follow their trends.

Zilvia.net is one such forum that I frequent, and while this forum pretends to have “higher” standards than others, the only thing that makes this forum special is the amount of ass kissing and circle jerking that happens within a very small select group of users.

So to say that automotive forums are retarded goes without saying, but they do produce some awesome moments to be certain. Moments like this one in this thread where Zilvia users are bashing a newbie to the forum.

After the reading through the obligatory bullshit and bashing, not to mention the constant ass kissing and elite attitude, you will find pictures of The Worst Thing I Have Ever Seen in My Life.

Here it is, in all it’s glory.

No, the car isn’t dirty, those are Zebra HEADS stitched into the front of the seats…… heads.

And you guessed it! Those would be the tails of aforementioned animal.

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, THE Worst Thing I Have Ever Seen.

Happy Monday!

Saints BountyGate : Goodell Lowers Hammer : Vilma out for year

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The long wait is finally over as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lowered the hammer on players involved in the Saints Bounty scandal.

Suspending DE Will Smith four games, and suspending defensive captain and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the year. Anthony Hargrove ( now with the Green Bay Packers ) and Scott Fujita ( now with the Cleveland Browns ) were also suspended eight games, and four games respectively.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter the players don’t look to be taking this lying down, saying ; ”get ready for a massive multiple legal battle over this on several fronts.”

If Vilma and the others sue the NFL, it will only continue to perpetrate the perception that the Saints are arrogant and believe they are above the law.

Perceptions that didn’t die down with the tweets from Saints players ( including Drew Brees ) that sounded indignant that the NFL dare suspend or punish their team or coach.

According to ESPN’s reports, here are just some of the notes released from the NFL in regards to Bounty Gate.

• Vilma, also is alleged to have helped Williams create and fund the program. Also, the NFL said Vilma pledged $10,000 in cash to any Saints player who knocked former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 divisional playoff game involving the teams and then repeated the pledge for Favre for the NFC title game.

• Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the NFL not only that the Saints’ bounty program existed, but that he was an active participant in it. In addition, the NFL said that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of the Saints’ bounty pool in the 2009 NFC Championship Game and that Hargrove obstructed the league’s investigation in 2010 when he wasn’t truthful with investigators.

Look, I’ll be the first one to tell you that I hate the Saints… with a passion.

But no team deserves this kind of punishment, no region of fans deserves to have their team crippled in this fashion.

And they only have themselves to blame for it.

I think that Sean Payton is a brilliant offensive mind, and that Gregg Williams is the kind of coach I’d like to play for, but these two men allowed their egos to get the better of them.

Egos that grew into full fledged defiance and arrogance that is well documented throughout this process. Egos that have now destroyed the wonderful story of redemption and a region revived by the post-Katrina Super Bowl win.

Piggyback Heaven – How to tune your Super AFC Neo

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First generation Super Air Fuel Controller

I get questions from readers about the AFC NEO, the legendary piggyback computer from Apexi that led the way for tuners since the mid 80s.

These questions vary from the advanced to the idiotic, but after getting a patch of comments asking questions about the unit and how it works, I’ve decided to go in depth and explain just what the AFC does.

The 2nd generation AFC.

To fully understand what the Super Air Flow Controller does, you must first understand what exactly you are trying to accomplish.

When adding a power adder such as a turbocharger, supercharger, upgrading your fuel system or upgrading your power adder can result in undesirable results without tuning your ECU.

When you add more fuel, or add more air, you need the ability to adjust fuel trims to reach the desired performance from your vehicle. To do this however, you will need a tuning computer, piggyback or standalone as well as understanding the 3 operating modes of the ECU itself.

A piggyback like the AFC is an easy, cheap alternative that allows you to get the job done with minimal hassle and cost. By splicing into your MAF or MAP sensor, the AFC gives you the ability to adjust the amount of air the sensor reads.

What does this change?  When you lower or raise the mass of air seen by the ECU,  you can lower and raise the IPW and subsequently the injector cycle.

By lowering the airflow value before it reaches the ECU, the ECU drops the IPW and basically compensates for the larger injectors or fuel pump you have installed.

While there are those members of the tuning community that likes to turn their nose up at such a crude and simplistic method of tuning. And while a piggyback isn’t IDEAL, it’s more than enough to get the job done, and I’ve tuned countless cars to the 400-500 hp range with nothing more than just a AFC for tuning.

But they do have a point… how you ask? We’ll get to that point later in the read.

Onward to your ECU’s modes, and explaining what each one does.

Limp Mode : This mode is when the ECU sees conditions that the manufacturer deemed “unsafe” and thus puts the car into this mode to prevent any serious damage. When one of these parameters is violated or breached, the ECU switches the car into limp mode, making the car overly rich and circumventing what could be certain disaster.

Limp Mode isn’t fun, but it will allow you to get the car home and / or to a mechanic for help.

The Super AFC II

Closed Loop : Closed Loop mode is where you as a tuner should spend the majority of your time. This loop describes the connection from the 02 sensor and your ECU / PCM. This mode helps the ECU determine if the previous combustion cycle was rich or lean, and what to do about it.

The ECU is aiming for stoichometric air fuel ratio, which would be 14.7:1, which is the ideal mixture for maximum fuel efficiency. Reaching this mixture will allow you to extract every last single bit of mileage from your vehicle.

As the ECU receives the narrowband voltage reading from your 02 sensor to determine the engine’s mixture, it sets values that we will speak about later.

These values are STFT ( Short Term Fuel Trim ) and LTFT ( Long Term Fuel Trim ) to adjust the fuel deliverability for the next combustion cycle. Whether or not your car is running lean or rich is an easy determination, once you have these fuel trim values.

Open Loop : Thirdly, but not lastly the final mode is what is commonly called “Open Loop” or Wide Open Throttle for those scoring at home. In this mode, the ECU reads values such as Intake Air Temperature ( IAT ), Barometric Pressure, and Manifold Absolute Pressure ( MAP ) to calculate the mixture required to operate the motor at WOT.

Based on the values the ECU reads from the motor, it calculates the amount of fuel needed to reach the desired AFR. While at WOT, the knock sensor informs the ECU when there’s more knock ( or pre-detonation ) than what it’s been programmed to accept. Using the feedback from the knock sensor, the ECU monitors the engine’s operation to ensure that things stay in one piece and don’t start melting.

The latest version of the AFC, the AFC NEO

In the event that the ECU sees an overly lean condition in the previous combustion cycle, it will then increase the value of the STFT, which in turn increases Injector Pulse Width ( IPW ) in an attempt to restore a stoich mixture.

In the event of an overly rich condition ( too much fuel ) the ECU will then lower the value of STFT, which in turn decreases the IPW to bring down the mixture back to the desired 14.7:1 / or .50 voltage via 02.

Now when the vehicle has run for an extended period of time, consistently rich or lean the PCM will turn the STFT value into the LTFT value, and return the STFT to zero. When tuning with a piggyback for maximum gas mileage, you want these 2 values as close to 0 as possible to prevent any modification to the Injector Pulse Width.

When tuning for maximum power however, ignition timing is the name of the game. If all other values such as IAT, boost and engine load are the same, your tuning changes to your AFC will dictate the ignition timing of your engine.

As the knock sensor is the ECU’s “eyes” at open loop operation, it’s important to monitor this value, because of the inherent nature of the SAFC.

Earlier, we spoke about possible downfalls of using a piggyback like the SAFC. Because you are “fooling” the ECU into thinking there is less air, there is more timing available right out of the box from the ECU.

Problem is, you haven’t truly changed the amount of air the engine is ingesting, you are merely fooling the ECU into giving you the IPW you need to get the car running. So when tuning your vehicle on a dyno at wide open throttle under load, you can see how this can become a problem.

So when you’ve upgraded your injectors to larger units, you need to remove more and more fuel ( or air flow reading to ECU in this case ). But since the injectors aren’t stock, despite the ECU treating them as such, the “factory IPW” creates additional fuel, that shouldn’t be there.

Additional fuel = rich condition = decreasing STFT until your car throws the good old P0170 CEL, Fuel Trim Malfunction (Bank 1).

So when tuning for maximum power, you must monitor knock to maintain maximum ignition advance in relation to your AFC.

When tuning for maximum gas mileage, you must monitor STFT, LTFT and the ACTUAL airflow value from your MAF or MAP. Please remember when monitoring your MAF or MAP, the reading given to you by a datalogger is the value AFTER the AFC has adjusted it.

To achieve true airflow value, you must take the value from your datalogger and divide it by the AFC Correction factor in decimal form.

For example, we have a Evolution XIII showing 19 lbs/min of airflow at 4500rpm, at 80% throttle you have adjusted the airflow reading by -21 on your AFC.

19lbs/min / 1-.021 = Actual Air flow.

The Worst Trades in San Jose Shark History – A look back

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It’s always interesting being a Sharks fan, at least for myself because it allows me the rare chance to follow a sport I love while living in a state where, for the most part nobody really cares.

It’s also damn frustrating, because it’s hard to talk about the Sharks without some self serving baseball-football-basketball fan jumping in with their 2 cents. Nothing like listening to self-serving pundits talking about how Patrick Marleau’s struggling shooting percentage somehow relates to Alex Smith’s pass protection.

After a few minutes of that “analysis”, and I’m looking for the nearest sharp stick so that I might promptly shove it into my eardrum.

The lack of interest can split the fanbase down the middle, one side being too soft and coddling of our millionaire superstars who play a game for a living, no matter what the effort. And the other side is viewed as being too harsh and critical, in a sport where clutch play is celebrated and loved, while following this team.

For a die hard hockey fan such as myself and hopefully you as well reader, you can see how talking hockey to the average fan here in San Jose can be an exercise in futility.

When the average fan walks up to me and says the Sharks will be fine next year, and that all is needed is a few trades, I usually just smile and nod my head.

Sharks fans may look for the big fish trade like the Dan Boyle, Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton trades of the past, but the fact of the matter is the salary cap is making big trades damn near impossible.

The Sharks have been “tinkering” at the deadline the last few years, with little to no success, this year included. So when and “if” the Sharks fall to the Blues, there will be no lack of projections and predictions about exactly how the Sharks will get back to where they need to be.

One thing is for sure, however, with the top-heavy nature of this roster and payroll, Doug Wilson cannot make another mistake. I don’t envy his job because he’s going to have to make some tough choices should the Sharks bow out in the first round.

Speaking of mistakes, I’ve decided to revisit a few from the pages of Shark history, just for fun :)  Here then is a chance to look back at some of the worst trade mistakes in franchise history.

Bob Errey For a 7th-Round Draft Pick

While many fans may question the impact Bob Errey had as a San Jose Shark from a statistical perspective, he was a huge part of the team. For the young franchise struggling to find it’s way, Errey was an unquestioned leader in the locker room and an important part of the playoffs during the 1993-1994 season.

Errey was initially selected 15th-overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins and won two Stanley Cup rings in 1991 and 1992. Bob would also win a gold medal at the World Championships as a member of Team Canada in 1997.

He was one of the Sharks’ early franchise cornerstones and leaders and served a huge role as a captain from 1993-1995. Errey would tally 12 goals, 18 assists in 1993-1994 and chip in three goals and two assists in the playoff run that year for the Sharks.

Errey was moved out of town for a seventh-round draft pick and in favor of Jeff Odgers, a respectable player but not nearly as charismatic.

Errey would be reunited with former Peterborough Pete teammate Steve Yzerman and retire from hockey in 1999.

Miikka Kiprusoff to the Flames for a 2nd-Round Pick

“Kipper” joined the Sharks organization well before being officially recalled to the big club on March 5, 2001. Miikka would end the 2000 AHL season with the then-Sharks affiliate Kentucky Thoroughblades with a 2.48 goals against average and star in the All-Star game.

He backstopped the Thoroughblades to their first division title and post a 19-9-6 record for longtime Sharks coach Roy Sommer.

Kiprusoff would get his first start and win in the NHL against the “Mighty” Ducks of Anaheim on April 8th, 2001. With Evgeni Nabokov sidelined in the playoffs series against the Blues, Kipper would record 39 saves in the huge 3-2 victory.

Kiprusoff failed to capitalize in the 2002-2003 season with Nabokov holding out in a contract dispute. Instead of taking the next step he would go backward, losing his first three games and posting an ugly 5.65 goals against.

The next year with Nabokov and Vesa Toskala firmly entrenched ahead of him, Kiprusoff was traded on November 16th, 2003 to Calgary for a conditional second-round draft pick.

He made an immediate impact taking over for the injured Roman Turek, posting a NHL record low GAA of 1.69. He would be lights-out in the playoffs, winning 15 games; five by way of shutout. He would backstop the Flames within a game of the Stanley Cup championship.

Kipper would come back to haunt the Sharks multiple times during his career as a Flame, and has been a huge Shark killer in his career, especially at the Saddledome.

Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy For Mark Bell

We all remember this trade as being one of the worst trades ever, but not from what the Sharks gave up. With Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo in the fold, the Sharks were looking to add that one left winger opposite of Cheech that would make the big difference.

Bell enjoyed moderate success as a Blackhawk in 2003-2004, recording 21 goals and 24 assists.

Instead of building on that as a San Jose Shark, Bell would bomb despite being paired on the top line with Thornton and Cheechoo. Head coach Ron Wilson lost his patience with Bell and relegated him to fourth line or completely scratched him.

To add insult to injury, Bell would make a series of professional blunders and simply was just too dumb to utilize his God-given talents.

In early September of 2006, Bell drove a rented Toyota Camry into the back of a stopped pickup truck in Milpitas, California.

The victim was an uninsured and unlicensed man and suffered severe head and neck trauma from the accident.

Bell would walk away from the incident and was arrested an hour later, blowing a .201 when given the breathalyzer test. His blood level would be tested when he was taken back to the station where the blood test would reveal a level of .15, almost twice the legal limit of .08 at least an hour after the accident.

I’d say that’s one hell of a party but it was 4 p.m.

Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy to Chicago was initially viewed as a big win for the Sharks, although Preissing would enjoy modest success. After it was all said and done though, this trade was a huge mistake for a joke of a NHL player who just couldn’t get his head on straight.

Bell was mercifully shipped out of town with Toskala to Toronto for their 2008 first-round draft pick, a 2007 second-round pick and a 2009 fourth-round selection.

Igor Larianov For Ray Sheppard

What a magical season the 1993-1994 season was for the Sharks, who set a NHL record with a 58-point improvement from the year before. Igor Larianov and Sergei Makarov along with the young Sandis Ozolinsh would be part of a Russian revolution in San Jose.

Backstopped by the great Arturs Irbe with timely offense from the Russian top line, the Sharks would upend the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round.

Sharks’ hockey had to wait until January 15th, 1995 to resume due to the NHL lockout.

Upon their return, the Sharks struggled to regain the magic from the 1993-1994 season. The Sharks would again play the role of underdog, sending the Calgary Flames packing in seven games.

The Red Wings destroyed the Sharks in the second round, quickly dispatching them while outscoring the Sharks to the tune of 24-6 in the sweep.

A long and sad tale of how the Sharks would unravel would then play out, as one by one our heroes would fall.

Irbe would struggle after being bit by his dog and suffering nerve damage to his glove hand and wrist.

Makarov couldn’t make it out of training camp after reporting out of shape and not ready to play.

Ozolinsh was traded to Colorado after a contract dispute had him play a few games for the now defunct IHL San Francisco Spiders.

Worst of all, Larianov made his way into the doghouse after a run-in with fiery head coach Kevin Constantine in training camp. He was traded on October 24th, a sad day indeed for Sharks fans.

While Sheppard enjoyed some success as a Shark, but he was largely a one-dimensional player and was traded to Florida the following year.

The rebuilding would commence with Constantine and Chuck Grillo being dismissed, leading to the Dean Lombardi-era and the forgettable Al Sims.

Larianov joined the “Russian Five” in Detroit and win back-to-back Stanley Cups as well as scoring over 400 more points.

Steve Bernier and First-Round Pick for Brian Campbell

The Sharks approached the trade deadline in 2008 needing another puck-moving defensemen to bolster the breakout and man the power play. Doug Wilson would trade Steve Bernier and a first-round draft pick to Buffalo for Brian Campbell, who would fit the bill for the most part.

At the time of the trade, Campbell ranked seventh among NHL defensemen with 43 points (5 goals, 38 assists) in 62 games.

While the local media made much of the sexy trade at the deadline and what it brought to the team, many fans worried about the price of the rental. Much was made about Soupy’s childhood relationship with Joe Thornton and the Ottawa 67 connection with GM Wilson, leading to speculation that he would resign.

Campbell played decently, scoring three goals with 16 assists in 20 games down the stretch leading into the playoffs. He would also score the game-tying goal in the third period of the elimination game against the Dallas Stars in the conference semifinals.

Despite those contributions, he didn’t make the difference many fans envisioned and his decision to leave San Jose put him in the fan doghouse.

Despite some poor defensive coverage in the playoffs, Campbell also posted a plus-3 during that time.

Bill Guerin For Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball and First-Round Pick

Doug Wilson played mad scientist and get burned in this classic tale of locker room chemistry gone awry. Looking for the power forward type of player who could crash the net and contribute along the boards, Wilson would trade for Bill Guerin on February 27, 2007.

Guerin was just 20 days removed from playing his 1,000th NHL game as a member of the St. Louis Blues.

Reunited with Doug Weight in the Gateway City, Guerin had resurrected his career and was a hot commodity at the deadline, initially making Wilson look like a genius.

A gritty, veteran power forward who could score in clutch situations, Guerin was supposed to help lead the Sharks in the playoffs. Instead his critical voice in the locker room would alienate himself from many Sharks and he would turn out to be the worst rental player to ever don the teal.

Who can forget the Game 4 gaffe against the Red Wings when the Sharks were poised to take the 3-1 series lead with just under a minute remaining. Guerin would get caught cheating up ice looking for the empty-net goal, and the Red Wings would even the score with just 30 seconds left.

Guerin would suffer a deep laceration to the face when he was struck by a Christian Ehrhoff slapshot in the following overtime.

Guerin would record just two points in nine playoff games before missing the rest of the postseason with the injury. He’s arguably the worst rental player trade in San Jose Shark history.

Ed Belfour For Chris Terreri, Michal Sykora, and Ulf Dahlen

Ed Belfour was one of the most intense and razor-sharp focused goalies in the NHL.

He went undrafted despite winning a college championship at North Dakota with a tremendous senior season. He went on to be signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks and in his rookie season he won 44 games in 74 starts and recorded four shutouts with a GAA of 2.47.

Awarded the Calder, Vezina and Jennings trophies that year, he was also nominated for the Hart as the NHL MVP.

Dean Lombardi would trade Chris Terreri, Michal Sykora, and Ulf Dahlen halfway through the 1996-1997 season for Belfour’s services.

The thinking was Belfour would give the Sharks their true bona fide goaltending star, and instead failed to live up to his hype. Crazy Eddie was absolutely horrible with a .884 save percentage and a 3.41 goals against in just 13 games.

There were more than a few whispers in regards to Belfour’s mysterious back injury and why it took so long for him to return.

Despite our team attempting to re-up the goaltender, he strung San Jose along just long enough for him to sign with the Stars the first minute that free agency opened.

Belfour deserved every bit of the venom that would spew forth from the Sharks fanbase, and if he isn’t the most hated ex-Shark, I just don’t know who is.

Owen Nolan For Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a 1st-Round Pick

Yet another transitional period for the Sharks brings us this list’s worst trade in franchise history.

The team struggled mightily in 2002-2003 and would miss the playoffs despite a roster laden with offensive talents.

Darryl Sutter was fired on December 1st during a disappointing season due to Brad Stuart and Evgeni Nabokov contract disputes. The Sharks would have a record of just 8-12-2-2 through 24 games when Sutter was fired, and Ron Wilson was hired to lead the turnaround.

Teemu Selanne, Marco Sturm and Patrick Marleau would score 28 goals apiece and Vincent Damphousse would lead the team with 38 assists. Even with those combined contributions, it was clear that locker room chemistry had failed, and captain Owen Nolan was moved.

On March 5, 2003, the Sharks traded Nolan to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a first-round draft choice in 2003.

It was one of the darkest days for Sharks fans as the singular face of the franchise and captain who held so many team records was gone. Dean Lombardi was dismissed just three days later and Doug Wilson would take the reins.

Now, many of you may say that McCauley provided a good return, and he did for the most part.

In 2003-2004, McCauley would have a good year posting 47 points in 82 games and another three points in 11 playoff games.

Boyes has become a much better player than he was during his time in San Jose. He was traded to Boston in a three-way deal that brought Curtis Brown to the Sharks. The first-round pick would be used to select Steve Bernier taken 16th overall.

Some names still on the board when Bernier was taken? Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Burns, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Mike Richards. Yeah…

So was the return sufficient? Yes, on paper it was quite sufficient, but yet this trade was the one that will always stick in my mind as the worst in Shark history.

Nolan’s leadership, competitive fire and locker room presence were unmatched and to this day not found on the Sharks roster. I can remember when Owen was actually criticized for being too much of a fiery leader in the locker room.

Nolan was a fan favorite as soon as he arrived from Colorado/Quebec in the Ozolinsh trade. San Jose loved Nolan and he would take the reins of leadership without complaining about it.

After Kevin Constatine was shown the door in 1995-1996, and interim coach Jim Wiley could do no better, Owen was consistently the brightest light for the Sharks. Sharks fans loved Nolan despite the team finishing only ahead of lowly Ottawa with a 20-55-7 record.

The Sharks would sell out all 41 home games that season, a testament to the fans in San Jose and Northern California.

Nolan, even with all of his warts and coach-killer label, was and still is the face of the San Jose Sharks to many fans including this one.

Go Sharks