San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf sometimes can’t believe the position he’s gotten him self to in his hockey career.
Despite the intense nature of a hockey game, especially during the San Jose Barracuda’s postseason, Graf reminisces about how he felt as a young fan of the sport.
Tech CU Arena has a maximum capacity of 4,200, which allows Sharks fans to get a close-up view of the players on the ice. There is also no upper section, so when the players enter the ice, they walk past many fans.
“[I’m] super excited. We were maybe robbed of that a bit in the first series, just playing in Crypto.com Arena,” Graf said. “Super cool, but it wasn’t full, right? It wasn’t the same thing, and then you’re on the road, so fans are not really rooting for you. It should be really exciting. Hopefully [our fans are] excited for playoff hockey.”
Round two of the Calder Cup Playoffs is a best-of-five series, and due to travel rules, the Barracuda, despite being a lower seed, will host games one and two.
Talk inside the Barracuda locker room amongst the Sharks’ prospects is that Friday will be a sellout crowd. That got Graf thinking about how he would be as a young fan attending a game.
“I think it’s super cool. Looking at it from the other side, when I was a kid, I’d be right on that walkout line getting fist bumps. It’d be awesome,” Graf said with a smile. “I’d be making signs, try to get a stick, and stuff like that, for sure. It’s cool for us, but it’s definitely way cooler for [fans]. They can feel a little bit closer.”
San Jose Barracuda coach John McCarthy has repeatedly complimented the business staff for helping with fan engagement this season.
“The business people have done a great job this year with the promotions. Country night and the wrestler night (CudaMania),” McCarthy said. “[We’ve] sold out multiple times this year, and I think our team gets a lift from that. You can see something starting to emerge.”
Graf on the Sharks’ moment that reminded him he’s playing a kids’ game for a job
Graf has played 40 NHL games for the San Jose Sharks since signing late in the 23-24 season, giving him lots of fan exposure. The winger has drastically improved this season and connected with the fans in a way he had never thought he’d do.
“When you drive out of the rink from Sharks games and all the fans are waiting outside,” Graf reminisced. “I think that the first time I did that, I was like, Oh yeah, it’s weird, because you’re on the other side of it.”
Graf has also participated in some community events with the San Jose Sharks, including the Special Olympics.
“The one that I did was really eye-opening, and it was awesome, the Special Olympics. It was super well put together. They had all the Sharks announcers. All the coaches were there. There were a bunch of [players] who were there,” Graf said. “We played games. They had an inflatable shark. It was super well done. All the kids were so excited to see us and play with us. That’s something that I’ll remember forever.”
Graf’s competitive spirit will never leave him, but the young forward can use these moments to remind himself of his love for the game.
“In practice, for sure. You can laugh, smile, and have a good time almost all the time. It’s fun out there. It’s a long season, and there’s a lot of pressure put on yourself a lot of the time, especially in the game,” Graf said. “Trying to keep it as fun as you can, and try to have a good time. It’s fun to win, so hopefully we can keep winning.”
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