Feb 28, 2023; San Jose, CA, USA; during home game vs Montreal Canadiens at SAP Center. Photo: Hockey Shots/Dean Tait

Andreas Johnsson is pro-burn.

Johnsson, who hails from Gavle, Sweden, smiled when I asked him about the tradition of the Gavle Goat.

Every Christmas, in Gavle’s town square, a giant wooden straw goal is erected. And every year, a number of locals try to get away with burning it down.

Since the goat’s first appearance in 1966, 38 of 57 goats have been damaged or destroyed.

It’s illegal to burn it down, so it’s a real cat-and-mouse game to try to vandalize it without getting caught.

According to Wikipedia, gamblers have been able to bet on the goat’s fate since 1988.

Anyway, Johnsson says he left Gavle when he was two or three, and lives in Gothenburg now.

A likely story!

Johnsson swears that he’s never been on a goat-burning mission.

Thanks to reader Stephan Hodges for the story idea!

San Jose Sharks (19-35-12)

James Reimer starts, otherwise, according to David Quinn, it should be the same Sharks’ line-up.

Minnesota Wild (37-21-7)

Could the Wild line up so?

Where to Watch

The San Jose Sharks will take on the Minnesota Wild at 7:30 PM PST at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.