Let’s be clear at the outset: I am not a hockey fan. I grew up in Hawaii, so ice hockey is as foreign to me as surfing is to a Canadian. I watched some college games in New England but could not muster enthusiasm. Scoring was difficult, and the action was halted too often by penalties for “icing”, in which the puck is sent to the other end of the rink without the offensive team having a man in the proper position. Also, plays were constantly disrupted by “checking” (legal hitting) and the puck being intercepted or otherwise going astray. A frustrating game to play and watch.
I had promised my 12-year-old son that I would take him to a Sharks game if certain behavioral and scholastic criteria were fulfilled, and, because they were met, albeit barely, we found ourselves at the HP Pavilion last Sunday.
A professional hockey game is a high-paced, enjoyable experience. Although scoring was as infrequent as I had remembered—it was tied 1-1 after the regulation three periods—one could see plays developing as the puck was passed crisply from player to player. I began to see the logic of knocking the puck into a corner when outnumbered, and I began to admire the skill of players who could stop, whirl, and reverse course at high speed.
If one lost interest in the hockey, the audio and video systems kept up a constant stream of sensory stimulation. Loud, rhythmic rock, widescreen instant replay, pans and close-ups of the audience, and games (for valuable prizes!) during the breaks kept boredom at bay. Not that boredom was a concern this night, as the Sharks won 2-1 on a goal by Wayne Primeau in sudden death overtime.
The worst part of the evening was leaving the parking lot. About five hundred cars were funneled through a single-lane road that had a slow-changing light off a main thoroughfare. The sidewalks, roads, and buildings around the Pavilion are somewhat decrepit, and San Jose has a ways to go before it can be considered a “big league” city. If the Sharks keep winning and selling out (and the Google IPO catalyzes the next tech boom/bubble), that will only be a matter of time. © 2004 Stephen Yuen
