Sharks Locker Room: Why I Liked All the Loud Kings Fans at SAP Center

A decade ago, the San Jose Sharks-Los Angeles Kings rivalry was perhaps the best in the NHL.

The memories, good and bad, are unforgettable. Joe Thornton’s water slide celebration after eliminating his Southern California rivals in Game Six OT in the 2011 playoffs. The Reverse Sweep. Shutting Drew Doughty up in the first round in 2016, en route to the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup Final.

You can perhaps look at San Jose’s 2-1 loss to Los Angeles on Thursday night, before an almost-pro Kings’ 12,266 crowd at SAP Center – certainly, Kings fans were more enthusiastic – in two ways.

Simply, a sad reminder of how things used to be? Or more, a reminder that there’s still a fire there, that just needs to be stoked?

Certainly, the 30-or-so Kings fans sitting below the press box, chanting, “You have no Cups! You have no Cups!” haven’t forgotten. Certainly, many of the unresponsive Sharks fans here, numbed by all the losing this season, haven’t forgotten.

For me, as grating as it could be hearing deafening chant after chant – a library-like SAP Center is great for concentrating on my writing! – it was a reminder of how fun that Sharks-Kings can be. How fun that hockey can be.

Imagine those 30-or-so-Kings fans…surrounded by 15,000 just-as-loud Sharks fans?

Maybe one day…soon?

“We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing,” San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn said about getting back to the halcyon days of the rivalry. “We’re in a lot better position than we were two years ago. We knew that this was probably going to be the year that was going to be the most painful. But we’ve got a lot of faith in our organization with the moves that Mike and our staff have made and the people we have here.”

Will Smith is in the Frozen Four. William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau are NHL players with real upside. Filip Bystedt just dropped three points in his AHL debut. Collin Graf, arguably this year’s top NCAA free agent, just signed with the Sharks. San Jose will be flush with cap space after 2024-25.

There is hope on the horizon.

“Things are going to turn around here quickly,” Quinn said.

Fast or slow, just as long as you get there.

David Quinn

Quinn, on Studnicka’s return to the San Jose Sharks:

Jack had a good game. I didn’t love our team’s first period. I thought we played much better than the second and third.

But Jack in particular, I thought he got his legs under him.
He did a good job killing penalties and I liked his game in all three zones.

Quinn, on hoping for the return of the heated Sharks-Kings rivalry:

We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re in a lot better position than we were two years ago. We knew that this was probably going to be the year that was going to be the most painful. But we’ve got a lot of faith in our organization with the moves that Mike and our staff have made and the people we have here. Things are going to turn around here quickly.

Quinn, on Kunin fighting Englund, in part to get the team going:

I can’t say enough about that guy. I’d go to war with him any day. You want him on your team every day.

He’s always a guy doing it. It’s just who he is. It’s who he’s been his whole career.

Jack Studnicka

Studnicka, on if he thinks that he applied the things that he’s been working on in the AHL to the NHL tonight:

I think it was a good steppingstone for myself. Obviously, there’s certainly room for improvement. Maybe [be] a little more physical. But like I said, I tried to play defensively sound, and I’ll have to watch the tape. But I think I did that to the most part.

Luke Kunin

Kunin, on his fight with Andreas Englund:

Yeah, just kind of happened. A couple of cross checks here and there. And next thing, you know? It’s just part of the game.

Kunin, on trying to get the San Jose Sharks going with a fight:

I think definitely part of it. Just like I said, situations happen out there and I felt like it was a [good] time to do it.