San Jose Sharks kick off season at SAP Center with pregame event
SAN JOSE, CA - The San Jose Sharks held their season opener Thursday night at SAP Center and an opening-day event for their fans.
Downtown San Jose becomes Teal Town when the Sharks are playing and thousands of their fans came out wearing their Sharks gear to kick off the season.
"Yeah, this is the opening night, and I’m really excited! I just started watching the Sharks back in 2018, so I’m a newer fan," said Monique Mitchell, of San Jose.
Whether cheering the Sharks on for the last few years or since the Sharks arrived in the early '90s, fans at Thursday’s pre-game event outside SAP Center were hype.
"Just the excitement. Seriously my first-ever hockey game, there was like a fight within two minutes, and I’m here for the fights. One hundred percent, I’m here for the fights!" said Hope Rodriguez, of Sacramento.
"Yeah, it’s just always a good time. The fans are always a good time, and I’ve never had like a bad experience," said Kayla Azevedo, of Stockton.
Sharks’ fans also say they’re ready for a new season of hard fought games, even if a friend supports the competition.
"I mean for tonight; I’m going to look like I don’t know him," said Sharks fan Yianni Constantinides, who attended the game with a friend who's a fan of the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
"I’m from Vegas. So, I’m going to be out here to support my team, and it’s his birthday, so it's kind of a double whammy," said Malcolm Livingston, of Las Vegas.
While some people bought souvenirs and ate from multiple food truck vendors, other fans stopped to take photos in front of these murals painted by Bay Area muralists George Anzaldo, Carlos Rodriguez and Eli Lippert.
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"There’s a very multicultural, kind of melting pot of cultures that make up the fan base of San Jose Sharks so we just kind of wanted to bring a little bit of everything to it so everyone felt included, and they could relate to it in some way," said Anzaldo.
The San Jose Sharks lost their home opener 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
"It’s the first game. We expected the team to be in a regrouping stage right now, but we’ll come along eventually," said Anthony, of San Jose.
"Definitely glad to be back for the new season. We love SAP! They have great stuff, great food," said Michael, of Campbell.
"This actually my first hockey game but I had a great time. I’ll definitely be back, so yeah," said Taylor, from Campbell.
Sharks fans say they’re keeping their fingers crossed and still hoping for a good season.
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