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.
