Sunday, October 19, 2008

San Jose Sharks running on a full Tank

Contributed by Vernacular
When I officially decided on attending San Jose State, I was bummed that I wouldn’t be in the same town as the A’s, Warriors, and Raiders because those were the teams that I had grown up following. But last Tuesday night I was given the opportunity to attend a San Jose Sharks game, the Bay Area’s professional hockey team. Although it presented a new and interesting experience I didn’t think that I would have nearly as much fun as I ended up having.

The intensity of the game and the fans were something that I have seldom experienced. I have gone to hundreds of A’s games, a few Warriors games, and two (soon to be three) Raider games in my life and have only felt the same intensity that I felt Tuesday night a handful of times. The Sharks played the Columbus Blue Jackets who put up a good fight for one period before the Sharks took control and went on to win 5-2.

The biggest moment of the night came near the end when Jeremy Roenick got into a fight behind his own goal and was eventually ejected. As a kid the only thing that interested me in hockey were the fights, so to see one in person was quite an experience. But Tuesday night was more than that, I developed an appreciation for hockey and the fans who are so passionate about the game, as did my girlfriend Danielle who was so locked into the game she didn’t pay attention to me.

I believe that this is a hidden gem in the Bay Area for those of us who usually write off hockey as a sport that only Canadians love. But maybe hidden is not the right word to use, being that HP Pavilion, also known as the “Shark Tank,” was sold out with over 17,000 people in attendance. Although the cheapest tickets are $20, I believe it is a good thing to experience, but bring your own snacks. Overall it was a great experience and one that I look forward to having many more times.
GO SHARKS!!!

1 comments:

thelostyelper said...

I was very happy when I read your entry. We Sharks fans love to have fresh blood in the water. :) Hockey deserves more attention around here, and the Sharks especially should be admired and followed as the only local major sports team to make the playoffs recently, with second-round appearances each of the past 3 years.

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