It's been a couple of months since the Pittsburgh Penguins snatched the Stanley Cup from the jaws of the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks didn't hoist the Cup, but by all other accounts the franchises first Final appearance was a rousing success. The fans were all in on their team and the Tank was rocking once again.
That was not the case at the start of the season.
Since the first hit the ice in the early 90's, the Sharks were the gold standard for how a successful franchise should be run. For nearly a decade the Sharks played to a 99.8% capacity. That included 5 consecutive seasons of selling out each and every home game...205 straight.
That's really good. Like epic.
But all good things must come to an end. Following a series of colossal collapses, culminating in missing the playoff for the first time in 10 seasons, the fans were starting to stay away.
Last November, the Mercury News wrote an article about the clubs sagging attendance. At the start of the 2015-16 season, the Tank was filling, or not filling, seats at a hair above 90% capacity. That is well below the franchises 96% average.
The Sharks turned their season around and propelled themselves farther than ever before in the playoffs. The teams popularity spiked and the idea of another great season has the fan base jacked for October and the start of the 16-17 season.
The Sharks marketing team is not going to waste this opportunity. They have already announced a series of unique promo nights and now this from the Golden State Warriors....
2nd Preseason Home Game: Oct. 6 vs. Sacramento at San Jose's SAP Center w/ Klay Thompson @SanJoseSharks Bobblehead pic.twitter.com/lAUfqW6Tmt
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) August 30, 2016
The Sharks NBA counterpart is jumping on the teal and black bandwagon...that sounds strange considering that teams own successes....but I digress. The warriors are playing a preseason game in San Jose and are offering a Klay Thompson Sharks bobblehead as part of the draw and I love it. Anyway to get fans excited, right?
BUT....silly gimmicks only get you so far.
California sports fans can be a finicky bunch. For many years Sharks fans have bucked that trend. But, the low numbers at the beginning of last season speaks to their waning patience. The Cup run was just a taste, but now they want that Golden Ticket. The fans are back in...but for how long?
Is it Cup or bust? How long will they wait? And how many bobbleheads will it take to forget about not lifting the Stanley Cup?
My guess is not as many as the Sharks think.
Thanks for reading, Steve