With the San Jose Sharks opening their home schedule this week, downtown is alive at night again. Not to imply that it’s been dead for the last year while the NHL shut down, but let’s be serious there’s nothing quite like the buzz that a Sharks home game generates.
Restaurants are packed, parking lots fill up and thousands of hockey fans make the pleasant walk to HP Pavilion decked out in teal. It’s a big part of what gives downtown its character.
The Sharks also provide the city with a huge shot of civic pride. That may sound corny but it’s true. I always refer back to 1994 when the Sharks rocked the sports world by knocking off the highly regarded Detroit Red Wings in a best of 7 playoff series. I’ve only lived in this area for about 20 years but I wonder if there was ever any other event that caused absolute strangers to hug on the streets of San Jose. Is winning a hockey game a major accomplishment that impacts humanity? Of course it isn’t. Yet if one of our many technology innovators develops an innovative chip or semi-conductor or some ground breaking software do people walk down Santa Clara Street high fiving?
Sport is passionate and hockey is about as passionate a sport as there is.
While not all San Joseans like hockey or can afford to attend the games it’s good for the soul of our city when the Sharks succeed. The business impact for downtown merchants aside, this week’s return of the San Jose Sharks is good for all of us. It provides fans at the Tank and others on radio and television with excellent entertainment. And it also makes us feel even better about the wonderful area in which we live.
Go Sharks!
It’s great that a lot of people enjoy the Sharks and that the games bring business to an otherwise fairly dead downtown. But it speaks volumes about San Jose that the main attraction that pumps life into the downtown is a Sharks game. It also speaks loudly about San Jose when the opening Sharks game cover most of the front page of the Merc.
Sure glad we’ve got things in perspective.
You know Randy, given the suburban nature of this town, even though I’m not a big sports fan it’s so obvious that if other major league sports teams like the A’s or the Warriors relocated to San Jose, they would be wildly successful. This town’s average resident leans way more towards supporting sports teams than it does the more cultural forms of entertainment and has the average income level that most franchise owners can only dream about. Why no one is capitalizing on this situation (those bogus territorial rights notwithstanding) really puzzles me. We’d be on the map in no time with a reputation that would rival Green Bay when it comes to fan loyalty. Seems like a privately financed ball park is a no-brainer. MLB has to see this. The only things standing in the way are politics and greed. Simple stuff to get around, huh?
I went to the game last night. Downtown was pumping. Everyone was so excited, there was no bitterness whatsoever from the lockout. Hockey fans are as loyal as they come.
And until we have retail downtown and more housing, businesses will be totally dependent on Sharks games.
Especially when we win the Cup this year!
It’s not loyalty when someone mistreats you—it’s blind foolishness. Hockey treated us bad and we can’t wait to have them mistreat us again? The owners are chuckling in their sky boxes.
It speaks volumes that having people downtown on a weeknight is “news.”
Tonight there will be no hockey game. Will downtown, as Randy suggests be “alive at night again”? Will those same restaurants, parking lots and sidewalks be packed?
Downtown needs to become it’s own attraction, not dependent on a sports team or special events.
Before anyone gets too angry at the NHL for last year’s reality check, we Californians should take a good look in the mirror. For every selfish, irresponsible financial decision made by an NHL owner, California’s politicians made a hundred such decisions. Likewise, for every one of the disproportional salary demands ever made by an NHL player, we California citizens made a hundred such demands on the state’s budget.
At least the hockey players have the old puck-to-the-head excuse. What’s ours?
When Gray Davis opened his checkbook and signed a host of expensive players (such as the state’s employee organizations), sacrificing fiscal responsibility for a chance to retain the Stanley Cup of California politics, the governorship, he did so to cheers and packed houses. Were you part of the crowd—screaming against a salary cap, cheering for new benefits, new programs?
The NHL may have blundered itself into last year’s debacle, but if it came out of it with a workable fiscal relationship between the owners and the players, then we Californians, who are now feeding off of the future earnings of our children, should be envious.
Hockey’s back. It is ours to enjoy. Save your anger for more important things, such as this question: Will Arnold turn out to be our reality check, or does the real crisis still lie ahead?
Mark T is absolutely correct.
And to #4 – in hindsight, we absolutely needed the stoppage last year. It has put hockey in a stronger position and because of some smart moves by the Shark owners & Doug Wilson, they have put us in a great position to be a serious threat to win the cup. And don’t kid yourself – if we are battling in the Stanley Cup finals, I am sure you will take back your premature comments and find yourself sucking up a tall one in someone’s sky box, spouting about how wonderful this sport is!
Boy, I bet Tom Mcenery was excited last night when the Sharks returned. Downtown is vibrant most of the time at night due to games, concert and for a night out. Ofcourse, it’s always vibrant on weekend nights. They’ve built 6,000 housing units on top of 1,500 dorm units at San Jose State in the last 25 years. We got 35,000 people living downtown now. That’s a hell of accomplishment! Downtown has 8,000,000 square ft of office space and nearly 3,000 hotel rooms. Don’t forget the theaters and musuems, also a movie cinema. Just up on Second St., there’s an improv. There’s alot to do in downtown San Jose. It also has excellent demographics. You should come to the grand opening of the new city hall and after that, check out the killer Martin Luther King Jr Library. Lastly, I like the Guadelupe river park, and it’s an affirmation of downtown San Jose. I don’t care what Smurf, Frusterated FinFan, Richard Robinson, Mark T, Downtown Gal, and a host of others say. Downtown is mature and great.
Downtown will be mature when we have a few shopping districts and people walking from their condos all around downtown. I do agree that there are great things about San Jose, either why else would be all be posting here? I think its easy to get negative, so I see your point. But there is a lot of work to do!
Who the **** are the Sharks?
San Jose Earthquakes are the only pro team worth credibility in the Bay Area. And they’re here to stay, and are getting their own stadium, baby!!!!
GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No More –
The owners chucking in their boxes? Hmmm, I am sure losing millions a year is a lot to laugh about. Why don’t you take it easy and maybe have a beer at a game once in a while. Its actually fun.
Hey Winston,
Pass whatever your smoking over to me!
Hey Winston,
I’m not the Walker you think I am. Just a local San Jose guy.
Cool to see a person who gets fired up about soccer; I personally live for the world cup every four years!
I’ll go to the next quakes game to check out the scene.
Hey Jamil Walker,
How’s life with DC United, now that Earthquakes have let you go? You were so crap last year with San Jose, you needed something like 12 chances to score 1 goal? Don’t worry, I understand your envy. Earthquakes will beat the crap out of your DC United to lift their 3rd MLS Cup.
GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. If you have a fetish about San Jose Sharks, you have my condolences.
J. Walker,
I was just teasing you by ruffling feathers.
Actually, I have nothing bad to say about the Sharks. I was being facetious. Let both Earthquakes and Sharks prosper side by side in San Jose.
You couldn’t choose better than next match to “check out Earthquakes” scene. It’s the freaking conference semi-final playoff match against the most hated Los Angeles Galaxy, baby!!! Anytime we play anyone from Southland, they’re hated. But this is the most passionate and heated rivalry, and everything is on the line being a playoff. The house is literally rocking and shaking. I predict an attendance of 27000 to 30000. Show up on Saturday night October 29 at 7 PM with friends/family, and you’ll thank me. Tickets are going fast, so move soon!
GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!