With the playoffs underway and all that, I can definitely sense the excitement amongst Bay Area sports fans. I'm seeing Sharks paraphernalia everywhere and the previous game almost always comes up in every small talk-laden conversation I have with someone I barely know. I've watched most of the games this year with friends, at sports bars, their houses, or my house (financial difficulties kept me away from the Tank, save one game against the Yotes on December 23rd) and after every game I can usually count on at least 5 Sharks-related status updates on my news feed. 

However, it was not always like this. I'm sure I don't need to remind the life-long Sharks fans here of this, but there is a point I would like to make with this post. Prior to 2009, a sell-out at HP Pavilion wasn't guaranteed. Just after the lock-out, 5 year-old jerseys with names like "Nolan", "Irbe", "Makarov", "Larionov", "Marchment", "Ricci", and "Damphousse" weren't all that rare. Hell, I even counted THREE Link Gaetz jerseys at one game in 2006. I remember routinely running into Shark Tank regulars by the benches during the pre-game shoot-around. At my school, a mere 25 miles north of San Jose, I was one of maybe four Sharks fans, if you couned two of my friends who I forced to watch a game or two with me. I could afford 15-20 games a year (The cash I made from full-time filing work at my mom's law firm over the summer went to 10 packs and some additional tickets) and first and second round playoff tickets.

However, during game 1 of the less than memorable opening round series against the Ducks in 2009, I took my usual lap around the Pavilion concourse and noticed something different about the atmosphere. Since the Sharks had won the President's Trophy that regular season, they were closely watched and picked by many as a team that would likely go far. Adding fuel to the fire that was the intense anticipation of that series was a matchup with their arch-rivals. The atmosphere was something I had only experienced before at the Shark Tank when teams like the Red Wings or Maple Leafs were in town or if CBC was broadcasting the game as the HNIC game of the week. It felt like, even half an hour before the game began, that everyone was watching. Before that, playoff games only felt important, in so much as, a few more people around the Bay Area were watching. 

If you had to ask me when the Sharks transition from a cult-status semi-obscure sports franchise to a team truly appreciated by all Bay Area fans occurred, I would have to say it was that game, regardless of how the series ended. 

The last game I went to, I paid almost $70 through StubHub for nosebleed seats that cost me $25 through ticketmaster when I first started going to games. I used to never have to resort to buying from a season ticket holder because games only sold out maybe half the time.

Last year, the team sent 8 players to represent their respective countries in the winter olympics. And in both post-lockout all-star games, the Sharks had at least 3 representatives (player and coach). Compare that to back in 03-04, when our leading scorer was Patty Marleau with a measly 57 points. 

Point being, I think the old days of being a Sharks fan are long gone and while it is beneficial, not only financially, but  in regards to the team securing a home in San Jose for years to come, I will miss the cheap games, the familiar faces, and the scrappy Sharks games of old. Just goes to show how far we've all come.   

It was a ton of fun. I got to watch Joe Pavelski play table hockey close up (I was 5 or 6 feet away from him) and I shook hands with Mike Krukow. Not bad for a 45 minute wait in line. There were some autograph hounding jerks pushing and shoving their way through and some cubs fans decided that their arbitrary presence was necessary, but I'd go over and over again. 

Anyways, the purpose of this post is to find out if anyone has footage of Joe Pavelski's interview on the mainstage. I may or may not have been caught on TV behind the guy waving his shirt around, but I can't find it on the CSN website.

Hey, this would be my first post here, but I've been reading daily.

Anyways, throughout these playoffs, I can't help but notice the fans behind the bench always wear these really obnoxious Bad Boy's Bail Bonds shirts that look like they came straight out of the goodwill bargain bin. 

This might've been cleared up or discussed once before and if I missed that I apologize. But yeah, it's been bothering me for the longest time.