text: The Chronicles of Fuji: Saturday Night Five: Hanging With Sharks
  Yesterday I took the day off to visit the doctor and get my car fixed. My buddy offered to pick me up from the dealership, so I went with him to grab Sharks autographs. It was perfect timing since I've been really wanting to add a Tomas Hertl autograph to my collection.
  Who is Tomas Hertl? This is Tomas Hertl...
  Even if you're not a fan of hockey... you can appreciate that. Right? It's one of the coolest shots I've ever seen. To top it off... the memory has been captured and is now hanging on my office wall with his John Hancock attached to it:
  He also signed a puck for me too...
  And if that weren't enough, he also took the time to take a picture with me:
  Hertl wasn't the only player who stopped to sign. I also grabbed autographs from these guys too:
  If you look closely, Brent took the time to personalize it for my good friend who is a huge Burns fan. It's the first time I've come across him and he's taken the time to sign, so I'm pretty stoked to be able to grab it for her. In fact it made up for the fact that Big Joe refused to sign, Patty snuck out the side door, and Nemo never ended up coming out while we were there... and we waited at least an hour for him.
  But... beggars can't be choosers. Right? Go Sharks!
  Labels: autograph, san jose sharks, saturday night five
  Mike Gutierrez October 19, 2013 at 3:23 PM
  Great goal. The news played it a bunch here in NYC. Any time something like that happens against my most hated team makes me happy. I just wish he didn't do that when the score was 7-2. It made him look bad and I had to hear Rags fans whine about it for a couple days.
  Fuji October 21, 2013 at 5:34 PM
  I know I'm being a homer... but I didn't think that the Hertl goal was that huge of a deal for a couple of reasons:
  A. There were 8 mins left in the game and yes the Sharks had a 5 goal lead, but I want them to score as many goals as they can regardless of the opponent's score. If it were little kids playing hockey, than that's a different story... but the Rangers players make a lot of $$$.
  B. I understand that it was flashy. But disrespectful? That's a stretch. When Kobe does a flashy dunk... is that disrespectful? When Trout lays his body out and makes a flashy catch... is that disrespectful? When Mike Smith (Coyote's goalie) shot the puck with 4 seconds left with a 2 goal lead and scored with .1 seconds on the clock... was that disrespectful? How about when AP jukes embarrasses a defender by juking him out... is that disrespectful?
  C. Is it because he's a rookie? This past March, Patrick Kane did a spin-o-rama power play goal against the Stars while up 7 to 1 with 10 mins left in the 3rd period. I don't remember everyone giving him a hard time about being flashy.
  Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Raizv_vjPcc
  I don't know. I'm all about respecting the game and being respectful to people in general. But personally... I think this is a situation that was blown way out of proportion. As a hockey fan, I want to see creative goals.
  The Chop Keeper October 19, 2013 at 7:09 PM
  now, which one are you? ;) That's awesome! Sounds like a great day!
  Fuji October 21, 2013 at 5:37 PM
  I'm the guy who's standing on his tip toes... and is still barely in the photo ;-)
  Chuck's Used Cards October 20, 2013 at 5:48 PM
  What a great day. That goals will not soon be forgotten (as well as his 4 goals in the game). I am not a west coast teams fan, but I hope he has a long career. And I'm happy for you having such a cool experience.
  Fuji October 21, 2013 at 5:38 PM
  Yeah. His numbers have already slowed down. But regardless he's a part of Sharks history. Him and Owen Nolan are the only two players in franchise history to score 4 goals in a game.
  Greg Zakwin October 20, 2013 at 10:12 PM
  That Hertl photo is sweeeeeet. Great get!
  Fuji October 21, 2013 at 5:40 PM
  Thank Greg. Even though he didn't say a word (don't think he's mastered the English language)... he was totally willing to hang out and take photos with everyone (while smiling the whole time).
  Ana Lu October 24, 2013 at 3:21 AM
  Since losing the ESPNAmerica I'm far away from American sports and this year, that NHL season started at the right time I haven't watched a single game 'til now. But for what I've seen for results in the net Penguins are doing just fine ;)