Fear the Five: Happy Hour

Welcome back, Sharks fans! This week saw the best and worst of a five-goal game, the start to Movember, and Martin Jones named as the NHL’s third star of the week. This time, I’m doing the top five Instagram posts from around the team. Let’s get started!

#5: Shark-letics

The ultimate shirt! Get your special ticket package for Saturday night – including this @athletics + @sanjosesharks mash-up shirt at: sjsharks.com!

A post shared by Brodie Brazil (@brodienbcs) on Nov 9, 2017 at 3:09pm PST

During the Sharks’ off-season, Brodie Brazil hosts the pre- and post-game for the Oakland Athletics. It seems we finally have an answer to which team is his favorite – both!

#4: Hats Off

Sometimes I feel more equipped to battle mental illness than at other times. I’m not alone as it runs in my family, and there are other families, too many, that also deal with the effects of mental illness. This is serious stuff! In the next 4 photos you will see: 1) even in the darkness we can find light. 2) this was the aftermath of the slapshot that hit me in the temple area while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1998. Initially the concussion was so bad I️that a day consisted of about 20 hours of sleep. 3) watch for these tendencies in someone who might be bipolar. If they do exhibit these characteristics you then have the choice of showing them contempt or showing them …. see photo #4. (Thanks to my family and friends who have shown me much love recently, it’s meant the world to me)

A post shared by Jamie Baker (@bakes_jamie13) on Nov 10, 2017 at 3:37am PST

Normally, I aim to cultivate a series of posts for this article that make readers laugh and enjoy the lighter side of hockey. However, Jamie Baker’s post jumped out at me; I couldn’t leave it out of this week’s countdown. The discussion surrounding mental health in sports has been one that is steadily gaining traction and attention in the last few years. Jamie is the latest former athlete to come forward and talk about his experiences with mental health. Thank you, Jamie, for lending your voice to the discussion and being so open and honest.

#3: Feels Like Summer

Fun must be always at the pool with @hertlik48 :-))

A post shared by San Jose Sharks (@sanjosesharks) on Nov 9, 2017 at 3:13pm PST

The leaves may be turning colors, the mornings may be chilly, and the smell of pumpkin spice may be everywhere, but for the Sharks, and Tomas Hertl specifically, it’s still summer in the city.

#2: Stomper

Can we talk about the elephant in the room?

A post shared by S. J. Sharkie (@officialsjsharkie) on Nov 11, 2017 at 6:28pm PST

Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks was the Oakland Athletics theme night at SAP Center. The team sported Athletics-inspired warm-up jerseys while the Athletics themselves were in attendance. Stomper, the A’s beloved mascot, even made an appearance! Kudos to Sharkie for delivering the best elephant-in-the-room joke we’ve seen in a while.

#1: Have a Tissue Ready

Making these kiddos’ battles a little less tough today. 💜#HockeyFightsCancer

A post shared by San Jose Sharks (@sanjosesharks) on Nov 7, 2017 at 5:28pm PST

November is Hockey Fights Cancer month for the NHL and the Sharks are diving right into giving back to the community. On November 8th, Martin Jones and Dylan DeMelo visited the Kaiser Permanente Hospital to deliver gifts and smiles for the kids at the pediatric cancer center. Their numbers may be 31 and 74, but for this, they’re number one in our hearts.

You can find more pictures from their visit over at Mercury News. You can also see what other initiatives the Sharks are partaking in for Hockey Fights Cancer here at their official NHL.com page.

Bonus: Happy birthday, Tomas!

Happy 24th @hertlik48!! 🍰🍪

A post shared by Logan Couture (@loganc89) on Nov 12, 2017 at 9:41am PST

I usually pull posts from the previous Sunday to Saturday, not from the day that I write these posts. However, this picture by Couture was too great to pass up today. Happy 24th, Hertl!

That’s all, folks! Tune in next Sunday for the next installment of our favorite Sharks social media. Comment below with your favorite post from this week or tweet at me with your candidates for next week!