In a recent interview with reporters, San Jose Sharks owner Hasso Plattner spoke about owning the team, some regrets he's had and more. 

In the interview Plattner, who hasn't spoke to the media in some time, took the time to answer questions and when he was doing it, he was truthfully and rather funny. And, thanks to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, he was kind enough to transcribe the interview for viewers. 

So, here are some of the stand out points from the interview that Peng transcribe.

Plattner spoke on the decision to head into a rebuild in 2022:

"That was actually my wish five years ago. And quote, unquote, the previous team said that’s not there. Erik Karlsson was probably the last real try to keep the level of the Thornton's and Pavelski's.

First, one [star] is not enough. Second, you know his qualities and you know his deficiencies, he was not the most, how do I say it, team-friendly player.

He was good, but he was probably very good in a very good team.

Our good players already leaving the team or we let them go. Was not the right environment, and then Burnsie didn’t like it so much, I think, so the team was already on the way down, and one star player cannot help. You need more.

We needed someone who can score a goal, and we needed some defensemen.

It was right to let even the relatively good players like Timo [go]. He’s not a player you can build a team upon. You can put him in [with a good team].

And when Tomas came and said, Hasso, please let me go. I played 10 years for the San Jose Sharks. I did everything possible. I got three knee injuries. If I get one more, I’m done. I have only so many years. Let me go to a team where I have a chance to win this goddamn Cup. And I said, Tomas, we’ll let you go…which I regret, because I really liked him and we always had fun together and joked. He always had a smile on his face. He was a good guy."

That lead to him talking about signing Hertl to a contract extension. This is what he had to say:

We still had the hope, or Wilson still had the hope he could turn it around with Couture and Hertl.

All these years we worked together, he told me he doesn’t like long-term contracts, and this is wrong, what the other ones do.

And then all of a sudden, we made long-term Vlasic, long-term Hertl, long-term Erik Karlsson…I don’t know what happened. Probably he was afraid of the future. If we lose these players, he will go down with a losing team, which he finally did after, I don’t know how many years, 12 years being top of the league, in the top-five, at least.

Plattner spoke on hiring Mike Grier to run the show in 2022:

"That was clear already when we hired him. There’s no way that we can rescue the team. Burns wanting out. Hertl wanting out. Pavelski gone. Erik Karlsson was going, so we were left with Logan. And then Logan got injured. Ferraro is the last one standing."

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Later in the interview, he was asked about if he had any regrets regarding the teams that were so good but didn't end up winning the Stanley Cup. Here is what he had to say:

Not much. He got the people we wanted.

Remember when Heatley came, 40 goals in the first year, but he was already [injured].

I don’t know whether it was Wilson when we got Selanne…that was Lombardi.

I had to tell our guys, hey, he has a bad left leg, because sometimes he overskated and could not really stop before the boards. Something’s wrong with him.

The Finnish Flash. He was such a good player.

I have a house in Aspen. Sometimes, I went to Denver games. He came to Denver, after a year of rehab, knee surgery, and all of a sudden…Finnish Flash is back, goes back to Anaheim, wins the Stanley Cup. Fantastic. (shakes head)

We got nearly everybody we we wanted. We could not draft [high] picks because we were always finishing top-five. I think [Wilson] did well.

We, on average, over 10 years, we might have won the league. We made it to the Finals.

With a new team, I think we have a good chance that this team is as good or even better.

I hope we don’t have to go for McKenna…I just talked to the coach.

“No McKenna here now!” And Mike said, “Absolutely not, absolutely not.”

I think we have enough. And if we bring up Musty and Chernyshov and Cardwell, then we have an excellent team we need.

And then replacements for the aging defensemen to real star defensemen, that will be the main focus."

After talking about the young talent, Plattner was asked if he thinks the Sharks will make the playoffs this season. 

"No. Next year, we should be close. With Dickinson fully engaged. Misa being close to the same level with Celebrini.

We should not push them too hard this year. If they do it for whatever good reason, fine, but you cannot push them. Look, some of them are only 18. They’re just allowed to drink a beer. (laughs)"

He then was asked if the Sharks are heading in the right direction:

We are on the right track, whether we achieve what I wish, we have to see.

The last thing Plattner talked about was a story about him and the Sharks trying to sign Evgeni Malkin:

"I gave a speech here, and I said, ‘So we are so strong now, that we should even be attractive to a Malkin.’ And ‘Ohhh!” everybody said. Six years ago, and there was, what is this term, called? Tampering. You should not be tampering, [the NHL] said. Malkin is a good player. I got a slap on my wrist, and that was it because he was becoming a free agent."

You can view the full article from Peng at SJ Hockey Now, here.

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