San Jose Sharks
Sharks in Prague: Despite Losses, an Unforgettable Experience
Welcome guest writer Josh Frojelin! Josh is San Diego State University’s Hockey Information Manager. He also writes for Fear the Fin, Future Consideration, and the Daily Aztec.
The San Jose Sharks did not start the season how they wanted, dropping both games to the Nashville Predators. However, their stay in Prague as part of the NHL Global Series was still an unforgettable experience.
Czech-born players Tomas Hertl and Radim Simek headlined the team’s travels in their return to their home country. The locals’ first tour took teammates through Old Town Prague on Wednesday.
Nobody does it like us.
📍Prague, Czech Republic pic.twitter.com/rtZKiITIgd
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 6, 2022
The true headliners, however, were the always stylish Thomas Bordeleau, Nick Cicek, and Jeffrey Viel. Their style, aided by some filters, looked perfect for a hip-hop album cover.
Personally, I’m more interested in this album’s release than Midnights.
That night, Hertl treated the San Jose Sharks to dinner. An old friend dropped by:
Ferraro says that his favorite part of the trip so far was the team dinner on Wednesday. Did Hertl get the bill?
“Yeah, he soaked that one. Hometown guy, he had to.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 7, 2022
Cech would drop the ceremonial puck before Friday’s night game.
Surely dinner was a pricey tab, but it probably struggled to make a dent to Hertl’s recently signed $65.1-million contract.
His teammates weren’t letting him get away without paying!
Ferraro says that his favorite part of the trip so far was the team dinner on Wednesday. Did Hertl get the bill?
“Yeah, he soaked that one. Hometown guy, he had to.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 7, 2022
Even his fellow countryman Simek joked, to Czech media, that a billionaire (in Czech koruna) like Hertl could surely afford dinner for his mates.
San Jose Sharks president Jonathan Becher toured the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Prague with Sharks fans. Attached to the Old Town Hall, the clock is the oldest clock still in operation.
The Prague Astronomical Clock in Old Town, which dates back to 1410, is a sight to behold but #sjsharks fans are focused on something else #TimoTime pic.twitter.com/H8q0p2ypLW
— Jonathan Becher (@jbecher) October 6, 2022
Unfortunately, the clock was not able to be used in any “Timo Time” tweets as Meier was held goalless over the weekend.
Becher had himself a time, also seeing the Dancing House:
On Thursday, the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators got down to business and practiced.
They were treated to a massive crowd at O2 Arena, eager to see Hertl and Roman Josi and company. Thousands of fans flocked to see both NHL teams practice ahead of their two-game series.
Good crowd waiting for Hertl and #SJSharks to come out pic.twitter.com/hgfNuuljlQ
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) October 6, 2022
‘Can’t Even Wait’: Hertl, Prague Excited to See Each Other Again
Before practice, Hertl went upstairs to hang out with hockey legend Jaromir Jagr.
2318 zápasů NHL na jedné fotografii. 🙌 #NHLGlobalSeries @TomasHertl48 🤝 @68Jagr pic.twitter.com/4lRQDtxD1Z
— NHL Česko (@NHLcz) October 7, 2022
After that, the San Jose Sharks appeared to focus on the task at hand, leaving the sightseeing for another day.
In his blog for NHL.com, defenseman Matt Benning felt the highlights in Prague were “going for dinner, seeing the crowd react to Tommy [Tomas Hertl] and Simmer [Radim Simek], that was super special”
The Sharks should be about home now, but it was an unforgettable four days in Prague. And of course, hometown hero Hertl had to thank his city for everything:
