Captain “America” Joe Pavelski

Joe Pavelski is an American born hockey player and the current captain of the San Jose Sharks and has been a force to be reckoned with since he was brought up from the Worcester Sharks. Pavelski original wore number 53 now he wears number eight. Pavelski joined the Sharks in 2006 and right away started contributing on the scoresheet. He scored ten points in his first twelve games. Unfortunately an injury sidelined him for most of that season. 

International tournaments

While players spend their careers in the NHL they do have the opportunity to represent their country in international tournaments. The most popular being the Olympics, although the NHL stated players will not be playing for their home countries in the 2018 Olympics. This decision did not sit well with players and some said they plan on playing either way.

Equipment

Hockey is known for being an expensive sport to get involved in.  Along with skates, players need pads for their upper and lower body, a couple sticks, a cup, a helmet, a mouthguard. shinpads, hockey pants and the list goes on. Not only is it pricey but as you grow you need to buy all new equipment. Hockey leagues are also costly and a lot of the time you are forced to travel long distances for the best ones.

Worcester Sharks/San Jose Barrcuda

All NHL teams have a minor league affiliate that they send their younger players or prospects too. Superstars like Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture got there start with the Worcester Sharks. From 2006 to 2016 Worcester, Mass served as the home of the “baby sharks.” Since the AHL team was in Massachusetts and the parent team was in San Jose it made calling up a player in an emergency situation a little bit difficult.

Rilvaries

The San Jose Sharks have had many rivalries throughout their history. The Detroit Red Wings were a rival after the Sharks stunned them in the playoffs. Even though the Red Wings are an East Coast team most times the two teams played their was a little hostility towards each other.  Now that the core of the Red Wings has retired or left the rivalry has died down a bit.

Sharkarita

A popular drink and the tank is called a sharkarita, a play on a margarita. A restaurant near the SAP Center also serves their own version called a Shark tank. So this post will show you how make your very own “sharkarita” from home.

Offseason acquisitions

The 2017 offseason for the San Jose Sharks should be interesting. Both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau’s contracts have expired and the Sharks have to decide whether they want to keep the two veterans around and how much they want to give them. Thornton showed interest in returning while Marleau has been on the fence.  The Sharks may want to sign them to a one-year contract to since they are 37 and 38 years-old. 

Brent “Chewbacca” Burns

The San Jose Sharks acquired Brent Burns in a trade with the Minnesota Wild. He instantly became a fan favorite. Burns is eccentric on and off the ice. He has a little shimmy routine when players have their warm up skates. When he first joined the Sharks he left his house which was referred to as “Burns Zoo” because of all of dogs, cats and reptiles mostly snakes. He is a huge animal guy and a huge supporter of the armed forces. He even said if he wasn’t a hockey player he would have joined the military.

Recent signings

The San Jose Sharks announced that the have signed Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi to new contracts on May 12th. Karlsson signed a three-year contract while Donskoi was signed to a two-year contract. Both players are in their twenties and have a lot to offer the team. Although both had a bit of a decline this a past season, they also suffered injuries that sidelined them for a bit.

Sharks history 2005 – present

After hitting the 100 point mark and winning the division, the NHL had a lockout during the 2004-05 season. The players association and the league agreed on terms after a year and the regular season began again for the 2005-06 season. The Sharks found themselves in a hole which is when they traded for Joe Thornton. After that trade the Sharks have been consistently in the playoffs and even held the record for second longest streak at 10 times.