The Answer Is Always "Dan Spang."

So, the new Sharks season has begun, with all its attendant delights and horrors. Yay! Yay for hockey. Yay for hockey on a night that's not 86 degrees, like last Saturday at the season opener in Springfield. Holy cognitive dissonance, Batman, that was a trip. The Boosters took a bus up to see the game, which was at total freaking blast, but the temperature was tough to even up with the actual hockey part of the evening. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on the new season, team and DCU Center.

• New DCU Center improvements = magic. I was reticent to accept the new "Charter Zone" since it was located in my old stomping grounds in section 117 (WOO SECTION FAMILY SHOUT OUT!), but they really did an unbelievable job, and the whole thing looks great. What they did was to knock out the upper part of 117 and the concession stand behind it, and made this beautiful bar and sort of social viewing balcony. They spared no expense and it totally paid off. Yay, DCU Center, city and Sharks!
• Ditto the two new concession stands that were done over by New Catering Vendor MSG or SMG or MGS or whatever the hell...they look great, clean, and snazzy!
• The Sharks hosted a VIP party beforehand, and I was VERY impressed with the event they put on...as I have come to expect from the Sharks and the DCU Center. The seafood buffet was wonderful (dude, there were oysters), and hopefully I don't sound like too much of an alcoholic, but it was nice to be able to get a hard-liquor-based drink. While I love beer and no beverage goes better with hockey, sometimes I just crave a G&T.
• City Manager Michael O'Brien holds my eternal respect for a variety of things (if not his unending devotion to the phrase "bring/brings/brought to bear"...stop it, Mike) but maybe most of all for his willingness to amuse me by appearing in public wearing jeans. I have never seen anyone look so uncomfortable in denim.
• Props to the Sharks for not going with the iron-on transfer numbers that Springfield (and I believe some other teams) used when their white jerseys didn't show up. Using white jerseys with iron-on numbers would have been the easy way out and would have fit in with their "opening night white out" concept, but using the black ones (which I like better anyway) was the classy move.
• On the other hand, the font used to write the guys' names on their backs is effing abysmal. It's too narrow and you can't read it.
• Thomas Greiss' pink helmet for the month of October is a great idea. He'll be playing in it this month (which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month), and then it will be auctioned off for charity. Very cool, even if the pink color is particularly Pepto-Bismol-y.
• New announcer Erik Lindstrom is a hot shit with a funky prepped out wardrobe that I enjoy very much, and I'm glad to have him on board.

While I like many of the Sharks individually, I'm mildly nervous about the season's potential. Speed is fairly negative about it, mostly because he's a stats guy and doesn't think that by the numbers and composition we have a great chance, but I think I give more credence to scrappiness and heart, so I'm willing to give them a shot. I'm very interested to see what Setiguchi can do, and Mink and Iggulden's returns would seem to promise that we'll see them paired up on a line again this year. While I liked that line with Tomas Plihal in particular, they also did juke the third man around a bit with about the same results, so I think Mink and Iggulden are the magic.

Dan Spang, victim of WAY more taunting from me than he really earned, is on Josie Tryout since I haven't seen him actually play since 'Nam. He gets points for cutting his hair, which previously gave him a certain neandertal flair. He has been a bit of a mystery to me, as he's regarded as a superhot prospect and has NOT done much for me. I see flashes of it, but I'm not seeing "GOING UP" in neon over his head. I'm reserving judgment on him until...let's say Christmas. I don't expect him to be hitting on all eight until at least then. I will NOT, however, discontinue the Dan Spang Trivia Game, which is an amusing past time of section 108, whereby we declare the answer to all trivia questions to be "Dan Spang." It's really quite an asshole move on my part, and yet it continues to amuse. As my capacity for self-amusement is pretty much endless, I don't see the game losing its lustre any time soon. Yes, I am a sad, sad person. I've embraced it by now, so all y'all are going to have to do it too.

While I'm not 100% assured of the sheer ability of the team as a whole, I do feel that anyone starting with Thomas Greiss in the nets starts far ahead of the game. Not only is he already an accomplished goaltender, but I see flashes in him of a greatness far beyond his current level. This is one of the reasons I was thrilled when Patzold got the call to San Jose instead of Greiss...I feel that Greiss' play warrants the call more than Patzold's, but I also think Griess should be getting regular play, which he wouldn't in San Jose. I am very excited to watch him progress.