On Wednesday, we found a little Youtube gold when we looked back at the San Jose Sharks‘ first ever NHL game from Oct. 4, 1991.
Today, we’re exploring the Sharks’ first steps onto California ice the following night, as well as their first win three days later on Oct. 8.
To start, we’re introduced to the Cow Palace where the Sharks debuted on Oct. 5.
“The anticipation was not millenniums away, it was not months away,” says the narrator of the mini-documentary. “It was now just moments away.”
(Millenniums?)
If you haven’t seen that pre-game ceremony before (video above), consider yourself lucky to be watching it for the first time. The Sharks introduced their franchise to the fans with a laser light show that includes the theme from Jaws, a laser shark consuming a hockey player and the origin of the logo.
It’s pitch black, that menacing Jaws music comes on in the arena, and a team is born. Eat your heart out, Original Six.
The laser show does go a little long by today’s standards, but you have to give it to the producers who must have been pretty jazzed about what they’d come up with. As the laser hockey player is rag-dolled and eaten by the shark, the crowd goes wild.
Finally, Laser Shark chomps on a hockey stick and a now-25-year-old logo is unveiled.
What a way to see your hockey team arrive. (Unless you’re a hardcore traditionalist.)
The players, evidently, had to climb down from the attic to get to the ice.
The Sharks would lose in their home opener that night, but returned a few nights later to play Doug Gilmour, Gary Roberts and their Smythe Division rival Calgary Flames.
“We were playing on emotion in that game, the place was going crazy,” said Sharks goalie Brian Hayward who recorded the team’s first win with 36 saves that night. Pat Falloon, the first player drafted by the Sharks (second overall to Eric Lindros), scored his first NHL goal.
The great Harry Neale, providing his lovely brand of colour commentary, quipped, “Even the cows are cheering!”
Kelly Kisio scored the winner late and the Sharks made history.
Oh my, the old Cow Palace had fold up chair seating.
“I’m sure they’ll win other games,” said Neale as the clock wound down. “But I’m not sure fans here at the Cow Palace will enjoy any of them as much as they seemed to enjoy this one.”
That notion is likely still to be determined.
The Flames didn’t just lose — The Globe and Mail‘s Eric Duhatschek burned them in his post-game, too.
Almost 25 years later, the Sharks still have plenty to prove.
