This is the worst part of the year. The entry draft and free agency have settled to a quiet, but players have yet to return to their homes away from home. There’s little-to-no hockey news. Jagr hasn’t been signed. The Bruins aren’t trading Pastrnak. Ovechkin wants to go to the Olympics. Bettman hates fun.
A week ago, the leaves on the tree in front of my apartment started changing color.
It’s a season of transition. Hockey season is nearly here. But it’s not here yet.
Before we get too busy with the preseason, there are some changes being made at Fear the Fin. This off-season, we’ve been incredibly lucky to have Marcus White as an interim Managing Editor. Marcus is someone whose work I’ve admired since before I started writing for this site. I will miss his writing voice, the sense of humor in his pieces, and his guidance in my own work. He made this site better.
With his departure, I will be taking over the position of Managing Editor here at Fear the Fin.
If you’ve been here awhile, you’ve likely seen my name around the site. While I don’t dwell in the comment section too heavily, I’ve been posting consistently and over a broad range of pieces. If you were around for our entry draft coverage, I was parked at my laptop all day researching each of our picks. I interviewed Timo Meier after the Barracuda were knocked out of Calder Cup playoffs. During the SB Nation “Fan with us” event, I wrote about how I became a fan of the Sharks.
Frankly, that’s the best introduction I could give myself and I hope you go back and give it a read.
Some other things about me: My name is Sie, pronounced like “sea.” I’m 26 and I live in Michigan. I’m a major supporter of ECHL hockey (shouts to the Kalamazoo Wings!). I went to college to study public law and creative writing with a focus in playwriting. Before contributing to SB Nation sites, I wrote for several blogs that are now defunct, but gave me valuable experience in covering many teams. When I’m not writing, I’m a manager of a sporting goods store and none of my employees are Sharks fans. My two year old niece is the coolest person I know and she’s absolutely going to be a Sharks fan.
I’ve always been proud to be part of Fear the Fin. I want you, the reader, to have as much passion and enthusiasm about this site as I do and I’m going to do everything to make this experience a great one for all of us.
There will be some changes. Hopefully we’ll be adding some fresh voices that will increase the depth of our already amazing group of writers. I’ve got a lot of ideas for the season that I can’t wait to share with you. More will come on that later, along with an updated user guide.
My goal is for us is to not just write what we can about the Sharks, but to write about what Sharks fans want to read. So tell me what you want to see! You can find me on Twitter @nowyousieme. My DMs are open and the @ feature is free. Hit me with your thoughts.
To cap this off, I’d like to thank Marcus again. He left the biggest shoes to fill. Being here without him is scary, but I’d never have this opportunity without his encouragement. You’ll see him around a bit, especially as we wrap up our Top 25 Sharks Under 25, so you still have your chance to razz him in the comments.
Welcome back to Fear the Fin, everybody. I’m glad to have you.
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