SHARKSPAGE

Green Man of San Jose appears for season finale on fan appreciation night

GREEN MAN OF SAN JOSE MAKES HIS PRESENCE FELT IN 1ST

GREEN MAN OF SAN JOSE MADE SEVERAL WARDROBE CHANGES

GREEN MAN CHEERS JOE PAVELSKI'S GOAL IN 2ND

It was not the first appearance for a Green Man in San Jose, but for Saturday’s regular season finale against the Phoenix Coyotes he was the most easily accessible Green Man in the lower bowl. Like Superman, the Green Man of San Jose made a quick change in the slightly larger bathroom stalls and became a rallying point on the south side of the Tank. He made several wardrobe changes, but finally achieved his goal of being on the scoreboard late in the 3rd period. As he cheered the HP Pavilion video crew green screened him with special effects. Kept an eye on the penalty boxes during absences, but apparently there was work to be done in the bar area. Forgot to write down his name when his seatmate mentioned it, but I am pretty confident he is not related to Spoonman.

If there is one night to be in the stands at HP Pavilion, fan appreciation has to be at or near the top of the list. All 17,562 fans in attendance received complementary car flags from HP, and each Sharks player on the ice autographed and then handed their jersey to a fan after the game. There were a number of different giveaways during the game. One fan received a $3000 refrigerator, and even Sharks rookie of the year Logan Couture received a Sony Playstation for his standout effort. Sharkspage gave away 2 leftover Versus playoff shirts (cool black and white one’s that mimic player practice gear) to random fans in the concourse, as well as a tie up black Versus hooded pullover.

Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton were two Sharks who addressed fans after the game. Goaltender Antti Niemi was named the team most valuable player in a vote by the local media. He also picked up the cumulative 3 stars of the year award. Patrick Marleau earned the inaugural fan favorite award with over 11,000 votes. He spoke briefly to the fans and thanked them for their support. Marleau handed the mic off to captain Joe Thornton and taking a page out of Jeremy Roenick’s handbook, Thornton called out the fans and said they “were good, but they could be better in the playoffs.” He also challenged his teammates and the fans to make the Tank the most difficult building to play at in the postseason. A young fan rinkside screamed for Thornton to bring Slappy onto the ice. Logan Couture earned the team rookie of the year honors, and should be a finalist in the NHL’s Calder voting.