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Hockeytown 2.0: San Jose a top spot for the icy winter sport
Note to Phoenix, South Florida, Nashville, etc.: This is how it's done.
http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_22942093/hockeytown-2-0-san-jose-top-spot-icy
Now, as girls' and women's players from around the country have descended this week upon the Bay Area for marquee tournaments, there's no denying what Marleau sensed way back then. Yes, the nickname of Hockeytown already is claimed by Detroit. But San Jose quietly has become a strong hockey town in its own right -- even with our flip-flops weather, swaying palm trees and lack of long history with the wintry game.
And it goes beyond the fact that the popular Sharks are riding a 128-game sellout streak as spectators have made HP Pavilion one of the NHL's loudest arenas. The Bay Area now is home to the country's largest number of adult-league players. Demand for ice time is so high throughout the region that there are plans to add two more rinks to the sprawling Sharks Ice complex in San Jose.
Those facilities help explain why this week about 2,200 players are in San Jose, Fremont and Oakland for the USA Hockey Girls' and Women's National Championships. The events, the biggest ever hosted by the Bay Area, are the latest examples of how the game has established a strong toehold in a sun-kissed locale that can seem so out of place with the icy sport.
"We really are a poster child for the nontraditional hockey market," said Jon Gustafson, general manager of Sharks Ice Properties, which manages three local recreational venues. "The city just fell in love with the Sharks, and the sport started to grow from there."
And it goes beyond the fact that the popular Sharks are riding a 128-game sellout streak as spectators have made HP Pavilion one of the NHL's loudest arenas. The Bay Area now is home to the country's largest number of adult-league players. Demand for ice time is so high throughout the region that there are plans to add two more rinks to the sprawling Sharks Ice complex in San Jose.
Those facilities help explain why this week about 2,200 players are in San Jose, Fremont and Oakland for the USA Hockey Girls' and Women's National Championships. The events, the biggest ever hosted by the Bay Area, are the latest examples of how the game has established a strong toehold in a sun-kissed locale that can seem so out of place with the icy sport.
"We really are a poster child for the nontraditional hockey market," said Jon Gustafson, general manager of Sharks Ice Properties, which manages three local recreational venues. "The city just fell in love with the Sharks, and the sport started to grow from there."
Oh, don't look now, but the big league club just won its sixth in a row.
