Truth is stranger than fiction

You attend a hockey game.  You expect that the game will start on time. You expect that all the action will be on the ice. And that’s the norm.

But occasionally, VERY infrequently, unusual things happen. (And often challenge the trivia quotient of fans.)

And the Sharks have been involved in a few of those games including:

March 10, 1995

First ever NHL “rained out” game; during the lockout shortened season.  The Guadalupe River, hundreds of feet from the San Jose Arena, reached flood stage, some local underpasses were flooded.

(Game was rescheduled for April 5. Flaherty was the goaltender of record in 3-5 loss.)

December 29, 1996

Snow delay in Vancouver. Rescheduled for January 20, 1997.

(Sharks lost 1-6 behind Hrudey.)

March 12, 1999

Sharks are hosting the Red Wings.  Game delayed 25 minutes with SJ Sharkie tangled up (great video and raw footage from event) as he attempted to rappel from roof.  Sharks won 2-0 with Shields in net.

Guess Sharkie scared them as he was hanging over their net.

March 10, 2002

During the waning seconds of the game, the Sharks are on a power play in Vancouver. But the Canucks are behind by two goals and pull their goalie.  So, Nabokov gathers up the puck, lofts it down the ice, straight in the goal and becomes the first NHL goalie to score a power play goal, and the first European NHL goalie to score a goal. Sharks win 7-4.

March 19, 2003

Snow delay in Colorado. Flying to Colorado 3/18, they couldn’t even land in Denver, but had to divert to Colorado Springs and stay there overnight.  Game rescheduled for March 20, 2003, after the Sharks’ players (union members) had to vote to play on that day as it resulted in the team playing three games in three days (March 20 in Colorado; March 21 hosting Boston; March 22 hosting Anaheim), something prohibited in NHL CBA (and still is).  (But it was preferred to traveling home to SJ and make another trip to Colorado to play the game.)

The Sharks  lost to Colorado 0-2 and Kipper left game in 3rd for the season with knee strain, Toskala came in relief (surprising the coach who didn’t realize there had been a goalie change). As for the other two games: Toskala won against Boston 3-2, and Nabokov lost in OT to Anaheim 2-3.

October 13, 2007

Home opener against Boston after major refurbishment of HP Pavilion.  During warmups, power outage occurs.  Game start is delayed about half an hour to get the lights and things fixed.  (Audio was out for all of the first period.)

Sharks lost 1-2 with Nabokov in nets, backed up by Patzold.

April 17, 2014

Division semi-final Playoffs Game 1 against the Kings, warmups delayed 15 minutes after a five minute power outage. But after the lessons learned seven years earlier, the emergency lights came on immediately. Things were pretty much able to go “on time” as this was a “15 minutes after the hour” national game.

Sharks won 6-3 with Niemi in nets.