I want to dedicate posts on CPF Hockey to each NHL game I have attended and plan to attend in the future. I will start with my first NHL game, which dates back to the 2013-14 season. This game was also my first and only Sharks game I have attended thus far.
The game took place February 1, 2014 at SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks hosted the Chicago Blackhawks, who had won the Stanley Cup the season prior and were still looking to defend their Stanley Cup victory. This was where I got my first Sharks jersey, which was a Reebok alternate with Joe Thornton's name and number on the back. As you can tell from the first photo, my seat was in the upper deck towards one end of the ice. I remember there was a protocol in place at that game advising fans to not lean forward in their seats as it may obstruct the view of surrounding fans, which seemed foreign to me at the time. All other sporting events I attended before that one never had that specific protocol in place.
Anyway, most players on both teams at the time were much different than they are today. The starting goalies for this game were Corey Crawford for the Blackhawks and Antti Niemi for the Sharks. Todd McLellan was the Sharks' head coach during the 2013-14 season, while Joel Quenneville was the Blackhawks' head coach. The Blackhawks' core players were the same then as they are today, consisting of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the top forward line and Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook on defense. The players that still remain on the current roster from the 2013-14 Sharks are Brent Burns (he didn't have as big of a beard then as he does now), Logan Couture (he was on the injured reserve when this game was played), Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, Patrick Marleau, and Matt Nieto.
The game was scoreless for the first and second periods, with not much to show for from either team. Each team received one power play opportunity in the first period, which were due to a tripping minor by Patty Marleau and a hooking minor by Patrick Kane. The second period added two power play opportunities for Chicago on a tripping minor by Mike Brown and a high-sticking minor by Justin Braun, while Team Teal received one opportunity on the man advantage on a bench minor by the Blackhawks for too many men on the ice.
The third period added three more power play chances, two for the Sharks on a hooking minor by Niklas Hjalmarsson and a high-sticking minor by Patrick Sharp, and one for the 'Hawks on a hooking minor by Brad Stuart. Scoring from both teams began in the third period, starting with the Sharks by Joe Pavelski while shorthanded with Scott Hannan assisting on the play to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Blackhawks answered back one minute and 31 seconds later with a goal of their own, this time on the power play by Brandon Saad. Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa were credited with the assists on the game-tying goal for the 'Hawks. The game remained tied at 1 at the end of regulation, forcing overtime and eventually a shootout.
The shootout period only needed one round as Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Thornton were each successful on their attempts, sealing the deal for the Sharks as they went on to win 2-1 and gain two points in the Pacific Division standings. On the other hand, Jonathan Toews succeeded with his shootout attempt, while Patrick Sharp failed with his attempt. As for the Blackhawks, they walked away with one point from this game for making it to a shootout.
Antti Niemi recorded 29 saves for the Sharks that night, while Corey Crawford recorded 38 saves for the Blackhawks.
As for the rest of the 2013-14 season, the Sharks went on to finish second in the Pacific Division and face the LA Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, the Sharks blew a 3-0 series lead and were reverse-swept by the Kings in the first round. As you may already know, the Kings eventually went on to win their second Stanley Cup that season. As a Sharks fan, this series remains one of the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching losses to this day. Luckily, the Sharks got their revenge over the Kings two seasons later when they faced each other again in the first round, and the Sharks went all the way to their first Cup Final appearance in franchise history.
My first NHL game was an amazing experience I will never forget. It helped set the stage for my interest in the Sharks, the NHL, and the sport of hockey as a whole to grow exponentially over the next six years. It wasn't until nearly six years later that I got the opportunity to attend my second NHL game, which I will discuss in a future post.
Source: Hockey Reference
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