NHL Preseason Game Preview

(In an effort to prove how crazy I am, I am going to attempt game previews and reviews for all the games this season. The chances are slim that I will pull this off and my posts will look eerily similar to those from BoC and other sites. But I'm working on my own unique style as well. I promise.)

Last season I attended my first NHL pre-season game as a part of the SharkPak that Gray and I share. It was against Vancouver and it was full of awesome. The game started innocently enough with a tie game at the end of the first. And then all hell began to break loose. The game was very chippy, indicative of two teams whose hate for each other is in mid-season form. Near the end of the 2nd period, Cowan, McIver, and Burrows got involved in a major fight with Rivet, Marleau, and Clowe. No, you are not hallucinating. Patrick Marleau got into a fight. Really. Doug Murray and Rob Davison got in on the action before the end of the game and the Sharks won 3-1.

The problem with this game is that I have very high hopes for tonight's game. It will be Steve Bernier's first time back in San Jose with another team after being traded at the trade deadline. I miss him a bunch and will be one of the fans cheering him when he is announced. I'm not looking forward to seeing the Sedin's again (Goddamn Sedin's) as they always seem to have awesome games against the Sharks. I am curious to see who is stepping up in the absence of Torrey Mitchell (*sob*) and who's going to take his roster spot. It's hard for me to talk about importance or previews to this game since it's only halfway through the pre-season. But I'm still excited about an almost real hockey game.

Forecast: (yes, like the weather, but not like a prediction) 4-0 Sharks, just like the season series from last season. Goals for Clowe, Joe Pa, Patty Marleau, and Not Graham Mink (Mike Morris). And my first chance to test out my new camera in my new SharkPak seats.