San Jose shares anti-Las Vegas message on video
A strange message — one that at first seemed barely comprehensible — was shown on the large video board at SAP Center in the second intermission of Tuesday's game with the Anaheim Ducks.
The message didn't seem to make much sense until the first letter of each of the 14 words was put together to form a vulgar — or clever, depending on one's point of view — three-word acronym that denigrated one of the Sharks' fiercest rivals.
Fans Unite! Celebrate! Keep The Hockey Energy Kicking! Now Imbibe Generously, Honor The Sharks! Or, (Screw) the Knights. The Sharks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Sharks' rivalry with the Golden Knights dates back to when Vegas first came into the NHL prior to the 2017-18 season.
The two teams met in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs, with the Golden Knights winning the 2018 secondround series in six games en route to the Stanley Cup Final, and the Sharks won the 2019 first-round matchup, memorably capped off by an overtime goal in Game 7 by Barclay Goodrow.
Vegas had dominated the series in recent years, though, beating the Sharks 11 straight times before another memorable meeting on Sunday night.
San Jose erased a 4-2 Vegas lead in the final three minutes of regulation time, with Timo Meier scoring with 0.9 seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime. In the shootout, rookie center Thomas Bordeleau was the only player for either team to score as the Sharks won 5-4.
The Sharks' win damaged the Golden Knights' playoff hopes, and Vegas' 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday left the team's postseason aspirations on life support.
The Knights now have to beat Chicago on Wednesday and St. Louis on Friday, then hope Dallas loses in regulation time to both Arizona on Wednesday and Anaheim on Friday to get into the playoffs, which begin next week.
The large video board that hangs over center ice at SAP Center is mostly used for live game action, game replays, birthday wishes to fans and other forms of in-arena entertainment. The Sharks will be installing a larger video board before the start of next season.
The Sharks were playing their final home game of the season Tuesday, a 5-2 loss to the Ducks. San Jose finishes the season with road games against Edmonton and Seattle on Thursday and Friday, respectively.