As an out of market Sharks fan, I partake in other SB Nation blogs, one of them being South Side Sox since I'm a Chicago native. On one of the recent blogs posts there, a man said he was trying to start his own group of a 'Section 8' crowd at U.S. Cellular Field. For those who don't know, Section 8 is the 'supporters group' of the Chicago Fire, the MLS team in town. They're the guys you see at soccer matches, jumping up and down, chanting, waving flags, that sort of thing. Also, the term 'supporters group' is derived from the older term ultra, meaning a group of fanatics basically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultras

Ironically, I was at the game where the leader of this group made his first attempt and thought it was kind of odd and interesting to see that sort of group at a baseball game of all places. Granted since that sport is all about the anticipation of action, I don't know if all the smoke and tifo cards really work well under that sport. But I do appreciate all the chanting, the scarves and the color coordination to make the home arena all the more intimidating and show some solidarity.

So I throw it out here to fellow Sharks fans: Do you think the concept of an ultras group like "Teal Town" or "Friends of Jaws" would be able to flourish in a hockey like atmosphere or is it something a little too radical for the purist hockey fans among us. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of the smoke and the tifo cards since going for broke out the gate would just make it doomed to fail. But perhaps something like the chants and scarves and banners could be something that helps add a new signature to a franchise always overlooked by the Original Six. Just a thought.

Go Sharks.