Three in a Week, and the Best Fan Ever

I finally made it to the Shark Tank.  I attended the games against Phoenix on 12/18 and Anaheim on 12/20.  The game on the 18th was fantastic- kick ass action and J.R. literally kicking ass, stepping in to defend Steve Bernier when he was 3rd manned.  J.R. pounded the dude, actually knocking him out.  He's a welcome addition of energy and leadership.

Big changes at the Tank.  The most noticable, a GIANT new HD scoreboard.  This thing is totally amazing.  There were a few times I caught myself watching it, even when the action was right in front of me!  Changes at concessions in the club, too.  You've to go upstairs for cheesesteak now, but the new, freshly prepared sandwiches are worth the change.  The chicken club is good stuff!

Went with brother on the 26th to the Staples Center for the Sharks/Kings game.  The game was alright, the Sharks dominated in a 3-1 victory.  

Behind us, was, without a doubt, the most amusing fan I've ever seen.  He was a middle aged man with a Russian accent.  He kept shouting the entire game, while also listening to it on the radio.  His catchphrase was "For CRYING OutLoud".  You'd also hear assorted tidbits like: "Idiots!" "Communicate with each other" "Left, look to your left" "Why do you do that Stuart?"  The quote of the night had to be, "Faster.  Run faster.  What's wrong with you?  For CRYING OutLoud!!!!"  "Run faster."  HA!  Run on ice.  I love this man.  By the end of the game, he was perched over his seat, with his feet on the seat in front of him.

The whole section was filled with characters, actually.  SuperFan's kids were nearly as chatty as he was, though sadly without accent.  Another dude starting singing "All we are saying...is give us a fight" totally randomly.  The guy in front of Scott was pointing at shit the whole game.  Who knows what he was trying to show his friend.  Section 309, sit there.

Oh, Canada!

The Sharks Tour enters it's second season with the northernmost stop on the trip, Edmonton. Sadly, it's missing a special guest. My mom was meant to join me on the visit to Canada, but a recurring foot problem has left her at home. Thus, I soldiered on, solo.

The flight out was marked with a special surprise. Captain Jim Ritchie, the pilot on the fist leg of the trip, was making his final flight as a commercial pilot. He was greeted with water cannons and police (and an announcement for us not to be worried by their presence) upon landing in Long Beach. Accompanied by his family, including his son as the co-pilot, he flew us to Seattle, where his was greeted by fellow Alaska Airlines pilots. Congratulations to Captain Ritchie.


After settling into the Hotel Varscona, I took a walk around the Old Strathconia part of town. I step into O'Byrnes's Irish Pub for a bite to eat. The burger was decent, nothing to write home about. However, the atmosphere was wonderful. It reminded me of good times living in London.


I thought that might night would end there. It was a long trip, there was a lot I wanted to see the next day. Not super tired just yet, I decided to take a stroll around the neighborhood, and my night flew in a totally different direction.


As I walked by a bar called Stolli's, someone shouted, "Cool book man". I stopped to chat, and was enticed by a 25 cent drink to go in. There were only two other people in the bar. Good thing my new friend Sharkie (ironic, eh?) decided to come in and drink with me. There were more drinks, shots, drinks, and suddenly it was a party. Sharkie's friend Rudi joined us, and we were soon hanging with some cool dudes, too. After more shots, drinks, medicine, it was time to move on.


Rudi had to work early the next day, so she took off. The rest of us ended up at some sort of club called Pawn Shop. It wasn't very crowded, the music was only alright, but at that point it didn't matter. More shots, drinks, medicine. Good times. One would think that would be the end of the night. One would think that, indeed.


A short walk from the club, and thankfully my hotel, was the house of one of the dudes we were partying with. He has just moved in, and the place was a bit of a wreck. No matter, though. With gin, something horrible called cherry whiskey, and more medicine the night moved on. Eventually, full of joy and tiredness, I stumbled back to the Varscona. Somehow, I didn't get lost.


Plans for Thursday were put on hold until after noon, because I didn't wake up until after noon. Somehow, I managed to rally, and set off to see a bit of Edmonton. The first stop was the Muttart Conservatory, a multi-pyramided building housing all sorts of plants. The conservatory was divided into four zones: temperate, tropical, arid, and showcase. My personal favorite was the temperate zone, especially the shaggy, smallish redwood.


After the Muttart, I took a walk along the river. The River Valley Park System is the longest stretch of urban riverfront parkland in North America, and it's beautiful. The leaves were in full autumn color, and the brisk air was tonic for my hangover. I walked for a few miles, and felt the better for it.


Shortly after, I was drinking again. Rudi picked me up, and we were off to Rexall Place for the opening of the 2007-08 NHL season.


Rexall is one of the older arenas in the NHL, with a lived-in feeling. It's a no-frills, concrete building, seating around 16,000. There's no need for cheerleaders or fancy food joints here, hockey is the religion of the city. (Side note: it was an amazing site indeed to see people wearing their jerseys during the day, excited for the opening of the season.) The rafters are filled with banners, reminding us of the Oilers' glory days of the 1980s.

For the first time, I felt lonely being a Sharks' fan. Everywhere else I've visited, there have been quite a few people wearing teal. Not in Edmonton. This is a true hockey city, and these are true hockey fans, supporting the local team. I was filled with excitement to see two other people wearing Sharks' colors. Much to their credit, the Edmonton fans engaged me in good natured shit-talking, to which I responded in good humor. In some ways, it was quite fun to be the only guy standing when the Sharks scored. Extra props to the 7 3/4yr. old kid sitting next to me, for his killer comebacks and hockey knowledge.


The game was tight and intense. Coach Ron Wilson rolled out the new lines, most notably the Thornton/Cheechoo/Marleau 1st line. Boy, these guys might do some heavy damage this season, and, indeed, Patty Marleau scored the 1st goal of the game, early in the third period. The Oilers answered quickly, with two rapid-fire goals of their own. Things looked lost, until "Jumbo" Joe Thornton knocked in a 6-on-4 goal with 11 seconds to go. After a scoreless overtime, the Sharks lost in the shootout, with "Little" Joe Pavelski scoring the lone goal for the Sharks. Some things never change.


Overall, the Sharks played well. The power play could have been sharper, but I'm sure that will happen. The grit factor is up early in the new season, Ryan Clowe clearly being the captain of kick-ass. Everyone stood up for one another, and Douglas Murray won a bang up fight. The new away jerseys look great. I especially like the gold stripes! The Sharks end the game with a record of 0-0-1.


Special thanks to Rudi for being a kick-ass game buddy. It was sad not being there with my mom, not only because it would have been nice to have another Sharks' fan there. Rudi did her best to make up for that, even going on a post-game mission to find an extra opening night bandanna for me to bring back home to her. Despite her cheering for the wrong team, it was a lot of fun. Not only is she a super-cool chick that likes beer and hockey, she has a killer spirit too.


My final full day in Edmonton was a chill one. I was surrounded by Canadian school children at the Royal Alberta Museum, was given special milk oolong tea by the owner of The Urban Teahouse, who was impressed with my tea knowledge (wonderful tea!), checked out the provincial capitol, nearly lost a lot of money playing craps, but ended up winning a few bucks, and ate some good smoked ham at Smokey Joe's Hickory House. Smokey Joe's is run by two wonderful women who make you feel right at home. Really, they even make their kids work there!


The final night was mellow. The only number I had was Rudi's, and it seems her boyfriend didn't really approve of her going to hockey games with random Americans. It's all good, Rudi's boyfriend. A walk around the block, a beer, and inside to write this special blog. Tomorrow it's an early start- going to the Farmer's Market (Update: AMAZING!), then to the airport and home.


Here are a few things I learned in Edmonton:

• I forgot how interesting it was to travel solo. It takes a lot of balls, but the reward is a bundle of random experiences that would be hard to find elsewhere.
• Edmontonians might be the worst drivers in the world. They make old ladies in Florida seem like safe drivers, and Minnesotans seem like aggressive drivers. Maybe they need a few feet of snow on the road to really shine.
• With the weak U.S. dollar, food is really expensive here. Drinks, however, are still really cheap. $3.50 for a shot of Jager? Oh Boy.
• The women of Alberta rival the women of Ireland in their drinking prowess.
  
• Overall, people here are amazingly friendly, without being at all fake. I felt really welcome wherever I went. That being said, as an American I did have a lot of explaining to do. Being out of the country forces one to be an ambassador of sorts, defending certain national policies, and explaining that we don't all agree with others. People were good listeners here, and I didn't feel any resentment at all, especially once we were engaged in conversation.
• Edmonton is a big city, so they say. I'm not sure I agree with this one.
• People here actually like, no love, hockey. It leads the sports broadcasts, it's on the front page of the paper, people watch it in bars- hell, you're lucky in the U.S. to get in on a small TV in a bar, even during the playoffs. It was swell indeed to be in a hockey town.
  
• There is a level of racism here that I'm not at all comfortable with. There seems to be a lot of prejudice, especially toward the native peoples and to Asians. The casual use of words that anywhere in the U.S. would be considered hate-filled, and the lack of diversity in most locations was a pretty shocking to me. Sure, "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," (I had my Avenue Q moment when I commented on the fact that everyone working the concession stand was white...), but this was more than a little bit. Listen, I'm no hippie, we ALL don't need to get along, but hatred of someone for their color/culture is never justified.
• Bathrooms here are called "washrooms".
• I LOVE HOCKEY!
  

See the pictures

Home Ice

The second season has begun. The San Jose Sharks returned to the Shark Tank for games three and four of the Western Conference quarterfinal. After a split of two brutal games in Nashville, the Sharks looked for two decisive victories on home ice.

Before game one, fans were invited to attend a pre-game rally outside the tank. Sharks TV and radio announcers were on were on hand to kick off the festivities. San Jose faithful cheered and jeered, building up excitement for the upcoming game. Lots of free treats were given away- ice cream, hot dogs, key chains, and, of course, face painting. There were also free shirts thrown. As you can see, my Dad really wanted one.

Inside the Tank, fans were greeted with white pom-poms and lots of balloons. The atmosphere was energy packed, and full of teal.

SJ Sharkie might be the best mascot in the game. Starting with his pre-game entrance and continuing throughout the game, Sharkie's energy resonates through the whole arena. While other mascots are trotted out for special events or wander around drunk (Chicago's Tommy Hawk), Sharkie leads the Tank in supporting the Sharks. The HP Pavilion would still be a great place to see a game without him, but SJ Sharkie's presence is no doubt a huge part of what makes the Shark Tank one of the loudest in the NHL.

I went to Game 3 with my Dad. After attending various road games, it was great to be back rooting for the home team. The Sharks, and the fans, didn't disappoint. After a bit of a slow start in the 1st period, Milan Michalek's 2nd period goal rallied the Sharks. As the area's energy heated up, Ryan Clowe scored a beauty that put the Sharks in control for the rest of the game. Captain Patrick Marleau added a goal in the 3rd.

The (super) star of the game was Mike "Dr. Hustle" Grier. Although he had no points, Grier was a force of his own. When I looked at the box score after the game, I was amazed to see he played less than thirteen minutes. It seemed as if he was involved with every play. Grier's hustle and heads up play will become as endearing to Sharks fans as Mr. Hockey Hair himself, Mike Ricci. Speaking of the fans, the decibel level at the Shark Tank was often over 100, at several times reaching 110db. That's like standing in front of a lawn mower.

Jay Money and his ladyfriend Carrie were there with me for Game 4. Once again, the Sharks dominated. Milan Michalek scored early in the 1st period, and that was just about the end of the drama. Miggy added a second goal late in the 2nd period, his two goals bookends for Joe Pavelski's beauty early in period two. The only real drama came with three minutes left, when Nashville coach Barry Trotts pulled the goalie. This allowed for a 6 on 4 power play, resulting in a Scott Hartnell goal. So there was a little bit of drama for the last three minutes.

A great moment of the night was the discovery of Smoke Tiki BBQ. I usually sit in the season seats, and spend a bit too much time on the club level. This time we were up in section 205, and I got to explore a little bit. I'm glad I did, the smoked brisket sandwich was fan-tastic! The corn and cole slaw were a bit lacking, but the sandwich is certainly worth an eat if you're there.

Goalie Evgeni Nabokov was the star of Game Four. His twelve 1st period saves set the tone for the game. Several times during the game, the Shark Tank erupted in cheers of "NA-BBY! NA-BBY!" after a fantastic save. Special mention must also be given to "Dr. Hustle" Mike Grier, who had another stellar game.

I know people have come to expect a picture of me with hot cheerleader type girls. Sadly, the HP Pavillion has none. The best I could do was a picture with a picture of the San Jose Sabercat (Arena Football) cheerleaders. Ah well.

The Sharks head back to Nashville with a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series. Things are looking good.

Troubled Waters

It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Sharks. Coming into the game tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, the Sharks had lost 6 of the last 8. They were looking to turn things around against the Ducks, but it was not to be.

The Sharks lost the contest 3-1. Although it was a tough game to lose, there were some positives to be taken away. New Shark Craig Rivet scored the Shark's lone goal in his first game in teal. He adds a needed grit and depth of experience to the young defensive corps. Trade deadline acquisition Bill Guerin played hard in his 2nd game with the Sharks, putting the puck on goal whenever the chance arose. Both trades were well done, and once the two new players get used to the team, they're going to give the Sharks the extra push they need in the playoffs. Evgeni Nabokov played a solid game in net, making some spectacular saves. It's a shame the Sharks can't seem to score when he starts. Overall, I thought the whole team played hard. They had chances and didn't make many blunders (Matt Carle being an exception with a horrible lack of hustle that led to a Chris Kunitz goal).



Thought I'd mix things up by letting Victoria take a picture with the hot Miller Lite girls. Scroll down a few entries to see my picture with them.



I can't believe I'm saying this, but, once again, I was really impressed with the fans at the Honda Center. There was screaming, shouting, and, it being Anaheim (this is the city that brought Thunder Sticks and Rally Monkeys to baseball), random assorted noise makers. What a leap since last season. I spoke with a season ticket holder who was sitting behind me, and he thought it was a mix of the team's success and hockey finally starting to catch on a bit in Orange County. I'm really interested to see what happens as time goes by. It would be fantastic if hockey interest in SoCal moves in the same direction it's going in San Jose.



One of the things I enjoyed most about the game was the rivalry between Sharks and Ducks fans. I've noticed in my travels that Sharks fans seem to be everywhere, and Anaheim is no exception. From little kids giving me the the thumbs down to adult fans shouting "Sharks suck!", the razzing was much appreciated. I've been to too many games in Southern California (and now Chicago) that we out of towners are louder than the local fans. Fear not, there were a lot of loud "Let's Go Sharks!!" cheers, but at least we were met face to face with shouts back.



One thing that still worries me is the lax SoCal attitude toward paying attention the whole time. People showed up well into the 1st period and left half way through the 3rd, even though the game was close. I understand that traffic is quite terrible in this part of the world, I live here too. Personally, I'd rather take an extra 10 minutes to get home and see the rest of the game. People, like those in front of us, also would come and go during the period. Not only is this annoying to others in the section, it seems pretty silly. I like beer as much as anyone, but I like hockey more.



Decided to go with Carl's Jr. for dinner tonight. I love my Bacon Western Cheeseburgers. Honestly, it's a better choice than the other arena food at the Honda Center. Dessert was a special treat- cheesecake from the dessert cart lady. It was about a dollar too much, but it was tasty indeed. Too bad the guy in front of us was such an asshole. He got super freaked out when the lady grazed the tip of one of his cookies with her thumb. He talked down to her, gave her shit for any little wrong move, had no consideration for the growing line behind him. I don't know what he was expecting at a hockey game, but the Honda Center isn't Le Cordon Bleu. What a dick.



I forgot to mention a special quirk of the Honda Center in the last blog. The men's room etiquette is very bizarre. Instead of forming one line, people line up behind individual urinals. This makes the bathroom unnecessarily crowded, and causes much distress when you have to pee and you get behind a few slow leakers. I really wanted to take a pic, but it seemed somehow inappropriate. My suggestion would be to go with the entrance/exit system that EVERYWHERE ELSE goes with. It works.



The slumping Sharks end the game with a 38-25-2 record. Their 78 points puts them 6th in the Western Conference.

Thank You, Barack Obama

This is a hockey blog, but, before I write about anything hockey related, something important must be said.

I think that most people who read Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" take away some very important lessons on how to make themselves better people and make the world a better place. I took away the name of a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I learned lessons and think that Obama would make a fantastic president. However, the most important thing in his book is that his favorite place to eat in Chicago is called MacArthur's.

Located in the impoverished West Side, MacArthur's is the best soul food joint I've ever eaten at. For real. Those of you that know me know I don't mess around with my food, so take it to heart when I say this is one of the best (and inexpensive) meals I've had in my life: smothered, fork tender pork chops; golden fried chicken; stewed, spiced yams, which perfectly complimented the pork chops; and, though lacking in bread crumbs, soul-warming mac-n-cheese. This place is as close to eating a southern grandma's home cooked meal as you can get without being cooked by a southern grandma (mmm, country ham and fried corn). If you're ever anywhere near Chicago, go here. By "anywhere near," I mean anywhere. Go here, now.

Now onto the game.

Located just past downtown Chicago is the United Center. It looks a little like a fancy prison or an electric company building. The inside is huge, it seats 20,500 for hockey. Sadly, no one showed up. It's rather disheartening that a city with so much hockey history can hardly fill a third of the building. I know the Blackhawks are a bad team, but a little bit of loyalty isn't too much to ask for. Especially when the parking is set wonderfully close to the arena.

The game was a bit of a snooze. The Sharks won 2-0, but both teams looked like they'd rather be home finding out who got booted off American Idol. Joe Thornton scored the 1st goal of the game and assisted Jonathan Cheechoo on the other. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 21 for his 4th shutout of the season.

Martha J, Bobby T, and Momma L were my Chicago hosts and companions at the game. Thanks to Bobby T, we scored some great seats behind the net. Fantastic view, and not a distraction anywhere near us. That's because we had about 4 sections to ourselves. No joke.

Look, it's me with more hot ice-bunnies. I think I'm seeing a tradition develop in these special hockey blogs. The ice girls job was to clean the ice around the goals during breaks, but, unlike the ones in Anaheim, the don't really do that so much. One or two skate out with a shovel, pick up some ice, and skate off. Then two guys with blue pant-suits and red hats do the rest of the work, without any credit.

There are a wide variety of food choices on the main level, less so on the top floor. We were lucky to have club seats, and with club seats comes easy-peasy in your seat food service. I tried the chicken strips (a pattern I'm trying to break!) with fries. The strips were high quality, served with a tasty BBQ sauce. The fries were alright.

A real treat was to be found at the appropriately named Club Desserts. It might not be the best idea to have a root beer float at a hockey game, but oh boy was it tasty. Martha J spilled a bit of hers trying to take a picture. Sad, though she lived to enjoy the rest of it.

The atmosphere in the United Center is a bit surreal. It's a strange mix of glorious history and contemporary apathy.

High in the rafters hang the banners of three Stanley Cup victories, and many conference and division championships. The sweaters of some of hockey's greats hang proudly nearby. The proud history of the Chicago Bulls is represented on the other side.

Outside the arena sits a statue of Blackhawk heroes, balanced on the other side by a tribute to Michael Jordon. Inside the arena store, Fandemonium, relics of past glory are displayed behind glass.

Frank Pellico is a reminder of the way it used to be, too. A wonderful organist, Mr. Pellico lets us listen to a great show in between the 2nd and 3rd periods, and entertains us throughout the game.

The apathy of today is best represented by the laziest mascot in the business, Tommy Hawk. He didn't appear until sometime in the 2nd period, and spent the rest of the game slowly moving from chair to chair. That's right, Tommy Hawk spent more time sitting in the (many) empty seats than getting the crowd motivated. When he tried to get a cheer going, he was met by half-assed claps and shouts. Tommy Hawk should be put out to roost.

The people behind the scenes at the United Center don't do much to help, either. A pre-game laser show looked like it was designed in the 80's. There was no great welcome of the Blackhawks when they took the ice. In fact, they skated on at the same time as the Sharks. Power plays seemed like no big deal. The PA announcer didn't do anything to get the crowd going, only speaking to announce information in a flat manner.

At the end of the day, the blame lies with the fans. If people don't show up, no electricity can be generated. The loudest crowd noise came at the end of the 2nd period, when fans booed the team off the ice. I'm sure there were quite a few loyal fans there, and I have a lot of respect for them. It's hard to support a team when it's been in the gutter for a long time.

I hope things change for the Blackhawks and Chicago fans. It's sad to see a place that so appreciates it's history abandoned.

The best way to describe Chicago is flat and sturdy. It's a city that doesn't mind being slow to change. The buildings are generally older, and built solid. The people and places can withstand brutal winters and hot summers. It was really cold, and I was amazed that no one was wearing hats. Except for me. You bet your ass I was.

Chicago is a wonderful city for food. I ate wonderful, hearty food the whole time. MacArthur's was amazing. Gino's East, one of Chicago's most famous deep dish pizza joints, was terrific. While I'm a New York pizza guy at heart, comparisons are unfair. Comparing NY vs. Chicago pizza is like comparing apple pie and pecan pie. Sure, they're both pie, but they're very different. Big props to Patsy the waitress at Gino's for being so damn cool.

I also ate at the Webber Grill. Awesome. They must have the best vent system in the world, because the place is filled with Webber charcoal grills, working overtime to provide tasty BBQ in various styles. The Carolina pulled pork was very good, the ribs were out of this world. Something tells me the burgers taste like the best backyard bar-b-q.

Despite the winter storm, adventures were still to be had. There was a journey to the Field Museum, where we saw Sue. Sue is the most complete T-Rex in the world. The Field also had the bones of Lucy, the oldest hominid on record. It's a great museum, as is the Museum of Science and Industry.

At the height of the snow and sleet storm, Martha and I walked to the Family Bar. It's a swell neighborhood drinking hole. The crowd is mixed, drinks are cheap ($6.50 for a cocktail and beer!), and darts is the game of choice. There was a competition taking place while we were there. It made our Shakespeare Santa Cruz games seem sad in comparison. Then again, we weren't very good. Only downside of the family bar, the juke box was crap.

I took Lucy with me on the trip. It was a great time for her, too. She had big house to play in, and a new special friend- Gabby. I'm not sure how they know each other so quickly, but Italian Greyhounds always make instant best friends. Lucy showed that she was the boss right away, taking the warm, comfy spot by the radiator. Gabby was not quick to give up, though, and there were many great fights over various squeaky toys. They had lots of crazy fun together.

The Sharks end the game with a 38-22-1 record. Their 77 points are good for 5th in the West, and they are 3 points behind the Ducks for the Pacific Division lead.

Many more great pictures on my flickr.