Editor's note: Like you, NBC Sports Bay Area insiders, reporters and analysts are feeling the sports void during the coronavirus stoppage. They'll share their thoughts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in "What I Miss About Sports." Next up in the series: Sharks play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn.
The NHL’s indefinite suspension amid the coronavirus outbreak has impacted Sharks fans, players coaches and even broadcasters. We all miss enjoying the games. And as we head into April, I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I am really going to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The unexpected halt to the season notwithstanding, this wasn’t going to be a playoff year for the Sharks, so we would have missed that anyway at the end of this season. But even in the rare instances where the team has missed the postseason over the past 29 years, I’ve still been glued to the television for the playoffs, especially the opening round.
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I really like some aspects of the NHL’s playoff setup. I like the fact that only 16 of 31 teams (soon to be 32) actually get in. That puts more value on the regular season and sets up an incredibly exciting end to the regular season as teams fight and scrap for every available point and try to get in. I’ve missed that race to the finish line, and at this point it doesn’t look like we’ll get to enjoy that this year. I also like the seven-game format in all four rounds. It just feels like the right number of games to determine which team is the best in each series.
When the opening round begins, with 16 teams in the fight for the Cup, it makes for incredibly compelling viewing. On most nights there are three to five games on TV in the opening round. For those of us lucky enough to live in California, we can start binge watching around 4 p.m. PT and be all wrapped up by 10 p.m. Unless of course there is overtime, or multiple overtimes.
That’s another thing I’ll miss this month. There’s nothing quite like an overtime playoff game. Someone has a chance to emerge as the hero and score that big goal. And when it goes to multiple overtimes, like Game 6 between the Sharks and Vegas last year, it’s must watch TV.
I’ll miss the battles on every shift. Games in the regular season tend to blend together over the six months it takes to play 82 times, but come playoff time, every game and period and sometimes even shifts take on a life of their own. One mistake can lead to a costly goal against that can lead to a loss that can lead to elimination. It’s extremely compelling. I suspect that’s why the players enjoy the postseason so much. There’s a lot on the line every game and it’s also the time of the year when a player can cement himself into franchise lore as Barclay Goodrow did last season in Game 7 of Round 1.
San Jose Sharks
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I’ll especially miss the atmosphere whether in the arena itself of just watching on TV. Hockey fans wait all year for the playoffs. It’s the best time of the season because it’s the best hockey of the season. People take their fanaticism to the next level and beyond in the playoffs and for good reason. One series, even one game can take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions with the outcome in doubt sometimes until the final goal is scored. It’s exhilarating and unlike most of the things we experience in our day-to-day lives.
I’ll miss the playoffs this month, and I’ll miss the Sharks being in them. Here’s hoping we’re all able to enjoy playoff hockey again soon, and here’s also hoping the Sharks are back in the mix in 2021!