Today I went to my first Sharks game since 2009, along with family, some of whom had never seen a hockey game in person.
It also happened to be Barbie Game Day, giving away a crossbody bag in blue, pink and hot pink.
I opted for blue.
It’s been too long since I saw this view in person.
Hello, boys!
And there’s the future of Team Teal.
And of course they’re playing one of the other teams that I used to root for, when Eric Lindros was Captain of the Flyers.
Game On!
Odd angle to see the banners…
***
32 years ago, this guy became my all-time favorite Shark.
#24 Sergei Makarov, one of the few players of who I own a sweater.
He played on the Soviet hockey team (5 goals, 6 assists) who Team USA beat in the 1980 Olympic Games at Lake Merced.
As a member of the Calgary Flames, he scored a goal and an assist in the first Sharks game I ever saw.
He was a Sharks player from 1993-1995, the first Sharks playoff teams.
The “OV” line (Makarov, Igor Larionov, Johan Garpenlov) was one of the best in the league at the time.
I was sad when he left the Sharks and shortly retired afterwards.
Flash forward to today:
I was walking the concourse during second intermission, and saw a woman at the Upper Deck booth, chatting with one of the workers. She was wearing a teal #24 Makarov sweater.
When she finished talking and turned around, I walked up, pointed to her sweater and said, “I left my #24 at home today.”
She went wide-eyed and said, “Really? You have a #24 sweater?”
“Yeah, Makarov #24,” I replied.
And then she smiled and said, “That’s my Dad.”
That’s when my eyes went wide, and I had to haul up my jaw, which had fallen to the ground.
“Seriously?!? Sergei Makarov is your DAD?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Does he still live in the area?”
“No. He’s in Moscow. Moved there as soon as he could. He’s like a God there.”
“No doubt there. Can I get a selfie with you? My friends are never going to believe me.”
“Sure.”
“What’s your name?”
“Kat, or Katya. I’m always at the games, and I like meeting people who I see wearing #24.“
We chatted a bit more, she showed me some pics on her phone of a much younger Sergei holding her as a baby, and some pics I had seen online when he entered the NHL Hall of Fame in 2016. I think I babbled a bit about he was my favorite Sharks player and his ‘Like Freight Train’ moniker.
“It was very nice meeting you,” I said as I left.
“Take care,” she replied.
And that was the highlight of the 4-1 Sharks loss to the Flyers.
I’m sure she told her mother and brother that she met another of her Dad’s fans today.