Rookie Game!

Tonight @ 7pm
North Rink
Sharks Ice San Jose

Admission is $10. Come on out and cheer for the rookies

Post Game Recap: (it's like the real season!)

So, that was awesome.

There's something to be said for the joy that is watching a hockey game from the bleachers, close enough to the ice to know the players can hear you, surrounded by hundreds of other fans who are just as eager and excited for the season to start as you are.

The was an electric energy in the air, and even though we all know that we won't be seeing most of these rookies on the team come Oct 1st, it didn't matter. They had on teal, and that was all we cared about. We knew few names, but still managed to get our like for all thing teal across.

Couture is unreal to watch. He was easily the best player on the ice. This kid is as impressive as they say.

The crowd favorite seemed to be #70, Daniel Erlich. He's 5'6" and only 150, but this kid can motor. He's amazingly fast and the crowd appreciated his efforts. During the shoot out (yep, it went to the shoot out) the entire crowd stood and cheered for him. He scored.

The Sharks rookies looked better overall, though the Ducks had better fighters. Color me unsurprised.

There were a lot of penalties. Some good calls, some I'm not sure, but the crowd weighed in on all of them.

The linesman fell down. Oh he tried to play it off, but he fell down, went boom.

Some hard hits. I mean, bone rattling. A few people were hit into next week.

A few pucks slammed into the windows of Stanley's. No beers were hurt.

The refs were ECHL refs and they could not, for the life of them, place the puck in the right spot during the shoot out. They'd just kinda toss it and let it slide all over. They were also still scared of getting hit, and flinched when players got too close. (not that I blame them). It probably takes a lot of years of practice to develop NHL level nerves of steal.

Shootout was like 7 rounds or something. Nowhere near as nerve wrecking as a "real" one. It also followed what Mina accurately called "the longest dry scrape ever."

Drew Remenda and his boys were in attendance. He was super nice, said hi to everyone and stopped to sign jerseys.

Rusanowsky was there too, but spent most of the time in the glass enclosed war room behind us. This is also were we saw Todd McLellan and Doug Wilson. We also probably annoyed the hell out of them. No one would run up and smash their face against the glass, but I kept hoping someone would.

Marchment wandered by after the game when we headed out front and had the good fortune to meet some seriously fantastic bloggers. SwisherThresher melted into the ground while the rest of us said hi.

It was sooo nice to see hockey again. Live, in person. To feel the chilly air and listen to the religious fevor with which the fans cheered and booed. Just three weeks until the real season begins. I can't wait.