The Re-Watch: 2015 NHL Stadium Series

Welcome the The Re-Watch, a series where I revisit video of the San Jose Sharks of the past.

The 2019-20 season has been a weird and bad one for Sharks fans. What better way to kick off this series than to take a journey back to another season of heartache and pain: 2015. Jump in to the wayback machine with me and let’s double down on feeling bad together by re-watching the 2015 NHL Stadium Series game. It’s also Rivalry Week here at SB Nation, so finishing this off now feels fitting.

First, here’s coverage of the series right here on Fear the Fin back from when it originally aired, if you want a true stroll down memory lane. Next, I’ll be watching the series on [popular video streaming platform here], but since the upload doesn’t seem to be all too official, I’ll let you work out watching along at home on your own (it’s not hard to find, I promise).

Pregame

The entrances are so dramatic. I love this stupid sport.

Just a reminder, the Sharks’ starting line up is:

Patrick Marleau — Joe Thornton — Melker Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Brent Burns
Antti Niemi

First Period

19:33: Marion Gaborik? [takes a long drag off a cigarette] I haven’t heard that name in years.

17:24: This Sharks team is utterly useless in the neutral zone, holy shit.

17:14: Aaand the Kings score first. Kyle Clifford deflected a point shot from Jake Muzzin. I’m so glad Muzzin isn’t in the Western Conference, dude’s good. 1-0, Kings.

16:43: Marleau with a shot up close blocked by Muzzin.

13:34: A delayed holding penalty called on Brenden Dillon and I truly cannot remember the last time the Sharks were in the offensive zone.

11:34: The Sharks manage to kill off the penalty, but like, barely.

10:40: “Melker Karlsson, a young man who has fit in very nicely with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.” Oh, how the turntables …

09:55: “Anze Kopitar, most things flow through him.” Dang, that’s really beautiful phrasing, actually.

09:40: Sharks hit a post, finally getting on top of Jonathan Quick, who is no longer good at hockey and signed through 2023.

05:49: The Logan Couture line has been the only good line, and he’s on Joe Pavelski’s wing with Tommy Wingels (may he retire in peace).

02:08: Baby Tomas Hertl doing work with Long Beach Native Matt Nieto!

01:04: BRENT BURNS! There we go, okay boys, tied game. Hell yeah. A ton of luck went into that goal, but it spends the same.

END OF FIRST: Sharks 1, Kings 1

Second Period

19:00: Okay, not a bad opening shift for the Sharks.

16:53: They’re talking at length about Tyler Kennedy, a player I forgot exists.

16:20: I love these Sharks jerseys, I don’t care. They’re slick.

13:14: Drew Doughty is getting a ton of minutes this period.

12:36: Delayed penalty, a hooking penalty on Robyn Regher against Joe Thornton. Big scale chomping motion (though Todd McLellan’s special teams speech is in my head, so I don’t have high expectations).

10:36: The power play wasn’t terrible exactly, but the Kings’ penalty kill was pretty damn good.

08:55: The pace of the game has increased quite a bit. The first period was heavily controlled by the Kings, but since the Sharks tied it up, it’s been much more back and forth.

08:20: Just remembered that some former FTF folks went to this game. Gonna see if anyone would like to make a comment.

07:45: They just showed footage of Doug Wilson scoring at the Cow Palace. That’s our Hall of Famer!

06:54: Delayed penalty on Matt Irwin for hooking Kyle Clifford. Sharks on the kill.

04:54: Good penalty kill from the Sharks.

04:20: Whole big mess of bodies along the boards, including the referee.

03:57: Muzzin goes off for delay of game. Sharks to the power play.

02:23: The overheard shot is insanely cool and the only good part of outdoor games.

01:57: Well, I don’t know what I expected.

00:53: Melker Karlsson just took a huge hit from Regher.

00:24: Couture hits the post.

END OF SECOND: Sharks 1, Kings 1

Third Period

19:02: Kings come out of the gate and aren’t messing around.

17:36: The ice is starting to look rough. The skating sounds so much louder on the outdoor ice.

16:57: John Scott seems to be ready to pick a fight here and starts to go at it with Matt Greene and Jordan Nolan.

This is the first time I’ve really paid attention to the letterman’s jackets the Sharks’ coaching staff are wearing, but they’re dope and I want one.

15:56: Marion Gaborik just scored from so far out, goddamn. Just brutal. Beats Burns for the puck, shoots before Vlasic can get him and beats Niemi five-hole. 2-1, Kings.

14:09: Damn, that’s knocked the wind out of the Sharks’ sails, huh?

11:09: Unlike the jerseys, which I have always loved, I still can’t decide how I feel about Niemi’s pads. I think I kind of hate them?

10:13: Once again, I cannot remember the last time the Sharks looked Jonathan Quick’s face.

09:54: Penalty against Dustin Brown for taking out Joe Thornton.

09:04: Yes, the drone shot from above is cool, but also a few birds have been mistaken for pucks at a glance.

07:54: Penalty killed.

06:03: It’s been the Kings’ game since that goal. It is so strange to remember that the Kings were good not that long ago.

05:10: A little bit of time in the offensive zone, but it’s mostly just rimming the puck around the boards.

01:33: Sharks pull Niemi.

01:18: Joe Pavelski was ready to murder Justin Williams after Quick covers a shot from Burns.

00:20: Even with a whole extra skater on the ice, this Sharks team is looking ragged.

00:00: That’s all, folks.

END OF GAME: Sharks 1, Kings 2

Well, that was absolutely miserable and I hated every minute of it.

Here are some comments from the folks of Fear the Fin who were at the game:

Kyle Demetrius: The Stadium Series was fun. The most vivid memory is when we were in line for beers and some drunk dude asked us what our favorite hockey movies were and he said his second favorite was Goon and his third fave was D3. Also the view from way at the top was actually pretty good.

JD Young: It was fun, the Sharks played like garbage.

East Bay Ry: Good night. The game sucked ass.