Deep Blue Sea: Josh Norris’ big weekend

The game last night sure was a doozy. We only get one day to process, then it’s right back into things when the Sharks face the Penguins back on home ice. They’ll take the day to lick their wounds, we’ll spend it on easy reading.

Following his World Juniors performance, Josh Norris is getting back into the swing of college life. This weekend, his University of Michigan Wolverines will be taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Check the links below for a preview of his B1G weekend, as well as additional Sharks news and notes:

• #12 MHKY Visits #20 Michigan This Weekend | Penn State Official Athletic Site
  The 12th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions travel to No. 20 Michigan this weekend for a pair of crucial Big Ten matchups on Friday and Saturday evening.
• Josh Norris, N.L. hockey hero Dwayne's son, is a chip off the old block | The Telegram
  And so, here it is, 27 years later and Norris was headed to Buffalo and the 2018 world juniors where his son, Josh, was poised to make his world junior debut.
• Matt Nieto is finding a post-Sharks home with the Avalanche
  As prospects, such as Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen, bubbled up through the pipeline last winter, Nieto found himself on the outside, unable to crack the Sharks 12-man forward group.
• Sharks Foundation's Shark for a Day Fantasy Camp Raises More than $52,000
  30 players, ages 21 to 60, experienced a day in the life of a San Jose Sharks player at the Sharks Foundation's 2018 Shark for a Day Fantasy Camp on January 13. This year's fundraiser brought in more than $52,000 for youth and families in the Bay Area via the Sharks Foundation.
• Sharks Sending Two Behind-the-Scenes Workers to Olympics
  The San Jose Sharks have two longtime employees who have earned a trip to the Pyeongchang Olympics: Director of Event Presentation Steve Maroni will be working his fifth Winter Games, and he'll be joined by Sharks public address announcer Danny Miller
• As he climbs scoring charts, appreciate Thornton’s greatness while you can | NBCS Bay Area
  This season alone, Thornton has passed Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Dale Hawerchuk, and Doug Gilmour on the all-time scoring list, as well as Oates.
• With Martin waived, holes in Burns' game are his to fix alone | NBCS Bay Area
  It should be no surprise the Sharks have been badly outscored with Burns on the ice at even strength, to the tune of 17 goals for and 38 goals against. With all due respect to Fetty Wap, you don't want to see that.
• Also the San Jose Barracuda will be doing a Legends of the Hidden Temple themed jersey near the end of the season and how do we get these as the permanent Barracuda jerseys?

And here’s some blood in the water from around the league:

• Positive Sign Girl is the Hero We Need Right Now - VICE Sports
  A Capitals fan is all about making people feel good about themselves. Finally, a leader in Washington who knows what's up.
• How on Earth is Willie O’Ree not in the Hockey Hall of Fame? - Stanley Cup of Chowder
  It’s been 60 years since he broke the NHL’s color barrier. Why is his number not even in the rafters?
• How can the Carolina Hurricanes Replace Sebastian Aho? - Canes Country
  The second-year forward leads the team in goals, points, five-on-five points per 60, five-on-five primary points per 60 (20th in the NHL), and power play goals; ranks second in assists and power play points, and third among forwards in average time on ice per game.
• A star is born: Mikael Granlund building on his breakout season - Hockey Wilderness
  So when new coach Bruce Boudreau switched him from center to wing, and Granlund responded with his 69 point season, that seemingly arrived out of nowhere.
• A statistical breakdown of Sean Couturier’s breakout season - Broad Street Hockey
  The 2011 first round pick is having an all-star season.
• Luke Witkowski May Face Fine for Post Game Comments - Winging It In Motown
  At the end of the day, regardless of whether or not one thinks Luke Witkowski deserved the penalties he received, saying that a referee is out to get him seems like crossed line that could easily lead to a fine from the league.
• Mike Babcock needs to stop playing Roman Polak so much - Pension Plan Puppets
  Why are the defensive players on the Leafs playing so many minutes?
• Putting Eric Nystrom’s Lawsuit Against The Predators In Context - On the Forecheck
  Nystrom recently became the 8th former player (and the first in nearly 14 years) to file a workers’ comp lawsuit against the Predators in Tennessee.
• Nathan MacKinnon emerging as Hart Trophy contender after years of stalled development - SBNation.com
  But what a difference the past year has made for MacKinnon and the Avalanche. He’s now living up to the hype as one of the most dominant forwards in the entire NHL.
• The NHL Should Want Nothing to Do with Kid Rock - VICE Sports
  Yet the tone deaf league chose the pro-Trump, Confederate flag loving washed-up musician to perform at the All-Star Game.

Once again, a reminder to sign the petition to induct Willie O’ree into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Feel free to discuss any of these topics (or maybe some that we missed) in the comment section below!