Hockey is back in San Jose!
It's been a long year without hockey, so I was very excited to be attending the Sharks home opener and bear witness to the greatest sport on Earth. Prior to the game, the Sharks held a street rally with live music, games, face painting, etc. We walked around for a while before heading into the Tank. On the way in, we were given a mini banner commemorating the fact that the Sharks were the Pacific Division champs in 2003-04. After that, we headed to our seats and watched the Sharks practice before they dropped the puck.
A few minutes before game time, the lights went down, the music went up and they started projecting images of the players on the ice surface - the entire ice surface. That was new for this year and it was a very impressive way to introduce all of the players - it's not everyday that you get to see a 200 ft tall Patrick Marleau. When the Sharks took to the ice, the crowd went crazy - as loud as a playoff game. I think the players got the message that we didn't hold a grudge; we were just glad hockey was back.
When the puck was dropped, the Sharks came out very aggressively and looked energized. A little more than 6 minutes into the game, the Sharks scored their first goal followed by another just over a minute later. The Sharks speed is a perfect match for the new rules and it was on full display. The second period was more of the same with the Sharks scoring about 11 minutes into the period and again 1 minute later. After that, the Sharks went into coasting mode and didn't do a whole lot for the rest of the game. The Blue Jackets scored in the third period to ruin the shutout attempt, but they never threatened to keep the game close.
Overall, there were lots of shots, penalties, long passes, speed and energy on display. The Sharks really dug deep, crashed the net and had several great opportunities to score on big rebounds (Marc Denis wasn't on his game). It's good to be back!
Score: W 4-1
1st Period
SJ - Marco Sturm (Patrick Marleau, Milan Michalek)
SJ - Wayne Primeau (Jonathan Cheechoo, Mark Smith)
2nd Period
SJ - Scott Thornton (Nils Ekman, Alyn McCauley)
SJ - Wayne Primeau (Jonathan Cheechoo, Rob Davison)
3rd Period
CBJ - Radoslav Suchy (Manny Malhotra, Adam Foote)
SJ SOG: 36
CBJ SOG: 27
Winning Goalie: Evgeni Nabokov
Losing Goalie: Marc Denis
Tickets: Section 227 Row 5
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