San Jose Sharks in Berlin: Bundesliga, currywurst and season prep vs. Eisbären
San Jose Sharks Culture NHL
Corey Masisak
The Sharks are opening the 2022-23 NHL season in Europe as part of the league's Global Series.
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The Athletic
BERLIN — When a few media members left the open-air press box about 20 minutes before the start of Hertha Berlin’s match against Hoffenheim, much of Olympiastadion looked pretty empty, save for the die-hard fans that began filling up the Nordkurve end of the stadium more than an hour prior.

The reporters went to meet with two members of the San Jose Sharks in one of the stadium’s club lounges. As Nico Sturm and Timo Meier answered questions about being in Germany and what they were excited about as their team participates in the 2022 Global Series with games in Berlin and Prague, a mostly quiet crowd suddenly stirred to life.

There was the usual pregame pageantry, but it was the sing-a-long to a very European-sounding German pop song that caught at least one reporter (this one) completely off guard. How was it so loud inside the stadium that it was hard to concentrate on Meier’s answers?

After he finished the interview, I turned around to peek through the club lounge windows into the stadium bowl, and I had my answer. The rest of the stadium had filled in incredibly quickly, like 30,000 fans finding their seats in a matter of minutes. And they were belting out “Nur nach Hause,” an unofficial anthem for the club from Frank Zander.

Meier didn’t want to miss the start of the match, and for good reason.

“It’s actually my first Bundesliga game. I’m a guy that watches every game that I can,” Meier said. “I am in a fantasy league, so I’ve gotta make sure my team is doing well. I’m very, very committed to the fantasy league so this is a nail-biter for me.

“(The stadium) is very historical, like Berlin overall. I’m really excited to be here as a big soccer fan. It was a long flight and everything and I’m a little bit tired, but this is getting me really excited. I think it’s great to have all the guys here to watch the game with me.”

Two players on Meier’s roster were on the pitch in Berlin — Chidera Ejuke for Hertha and José Ángel Esmorís Tasende, better known as Angeliño, for Hoffenheim. He may have been focused intently on them, particularly given that Angeliño had one of the match’s first half-chances inside the 18-yard box.

Many of the rest of the Sharks were focused on the Nordkurve. It was an exciting match, a 1-1 draw with plenty of pace and chances for both clubs. But Hertha’s most passionate supporters were easily the star of the show. For anyone who had not experienced a proper European football match before, this was quite the introduction.

“Unbelievable. It’s just the craziest thing ever,” Sharks defenseman Nick Cicek said. “All the people jumping and chanting the whole time. You get going yourself just watching them.”

While Sturm and Meier were speaking with the media, a few other Sharks players were seated at a table nearby, huddled around someone’s cell phone. The Singapore Grand Prixh, which had been delayed because of rain, had just gone lights out, and the biggest Formula One fans on the team — Tomas Hertl, Erik Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Radim Simek — were intensely watching the opening laps before the start of the match. Karlsson noted that they couldn’t find the broadcast on the large TV in their suite, so they needed a backup plan.

Eventually, all 27 players and the rest of the Sharks’ personnel that made the trip settled in to watch European football at the stadium where Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics. While some of the Sharks have seen big-time matches before — Hertl is a Manchester United fan and was at Old Trafford for the match against Liverpool just before training camp started — it was a first for many of them to see the spectacle of the world’s most popular sport at this level.

“Yeah, it was fun,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “I watch a lot of Premier League. I don’t really watch the Bundesliga that much. Timo is a big Bundesliga fan. Cool atmosphere. I got to experience it a little bit when I played in Switzerland during the lockout year, kind of the chanting and the drums and all that. It’s so different. Soccer is a different sport than hockey in terms of fan support, but it was pretty cool.”

The Hertha-Hoffenheim match was a grand opening for this European excursion. San Jose will close it out with two games against the Nashville Predators in Prague this weekend to kick off the 2022-23 NHL season. Before that, there was more of Berlin to explore and two important pieces of the Sharks’ final preseason preparations.

‘I love the vibe’

The Sharks stayed at a hotel not far from Unter den Linden, the famous street that runs through the center of Berlin and connects Brandenburg Gate and the recently reconstructed Berlin Palace. This strip of the Mitte district in central Berlin is filled with large museums, astounding churches and plenty of reminders of Germany’s fraught history, particularly from the 20th century.

Couture and Hertl went to check out Brandenburg Gate before San Jose’s practice Monday. Meier, Noah Gregor and Jaycob Megna went to see it with an NHL production crew after the workout. It was a long practice Monday, but the players had time to get out and stroll through the city.

There were demonstrations going on throughout the city. One was just outside the team hotel. One was at the base of the gate when Meier, Gregor and Megna were there. It was officially Unity Day, an annual holiday to celebrate when Germany became one country again in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

It was a lot to take in. Some players just wanted some fresh air and a stop at a coffee shop. Others wanted to see more of the famous German city that was effectively cut in half during the Cold War.

“Just all of the exploring,” Cicek said. “I love walking around new countries. I love the vibe that Europe gives. Everyone is so nice and kind. Going to get coffee at little coffee shops. Just taking in the culture — that’s what I’m most looking forward to.”

Added Couture: “European culture is a lot different than in America. It’s been around a lot longer, obviously. Just the detail on all the structures was really cool.”

Sturm had a long Monday of media responsibilities, first meeting with the assembled hometown press after practice and then being one of two players, along with Steven Lorentz, who made a late-afternoon appearance at the NHL’s Global Fan Tour located outside Mercedes-Benz Arena. He went to meet up with a friend for dinner and had some time to relax.

Meier, being from nearby Switzerland and being fluent in the local language, was also a popular interview subject while the team was in Berlin. He had a couple of German culinary staples on his mind.

“Currywurst is one of my favorites, I’m not going to lie,” Meier said. “I’m going to have to fit that into my schedule. Definitely some kebap. I really just like German food. It’s pretty similar to Swiss food in some ways, so being here in Germany kind of makes me feel like home.”

The surprises

San Jose was able to bring 27 players to Europe, so 16 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies made the trip. Defenseman Markus Nutivaara’s injury left a spot open, and that led to the biggest roster selection surprise.

Cicek played his first season of pro hockey with the Barracuda on an AHL contract. He had a strong season, and the Sharks rewarded him with a two-year NHL deal in April. Then he had a strong camp, and the undrafted defenseman was rewarded again.

“We were in Vegas for the last preseason game,” Cicek said. “Then I was getting off the flight and started to think well we’re probably going to find out tonight. I was walking by Mike Grier and he said, ‘Cheech, pack your bags.’ And I just got the biggest smile on my face. I told him thanks and now we’re here.”

Ryan Merkley, Santeri Hatakka and Artemi Kniazev are all defensemen the Sharks drafted. They all earned NHL call-ups last season and combined to play 49 games for the big club.

They are not here, but Cicek, who had five goals and 25 points in 53 games for the Barracuda last year, is.

“(The final roster cuts) were definitely in the back of my mind earlier in the day, but when you get close to game time, I mean that atmosphere in Vegas was the most electric game I’ve ever played in,” Cicek said. “And that was only a preseason game. Before it was definitely in my mind, like are you getting it or not? What do I need to pack if I’m going? By game time, it was all Vegas.”

The Sharks played exhibition games in Las Vegas and Anaheim the night before leaving for Berlin. It was a pretty quick turnaround for anyone on the bubble to make the team. NHL players can pack pretty light if they want to — there was a story passed down among Washington Capitals beat writers that in his playing days Dale Hunter would show up for road trips at the airport in a suit with a toothbrush in his shirt pocket and nothing else.

“I like to make sure I’ve got everything,” Cicek said. “I got my toiletry bag, a couple suits, dress shirts, ties and then just essential stuff like comfy clothes for the plane. They hooked us up with some pretty nice swag too. I think I was pretty prepared.”

Scott Harrington’s place on the roster wasn’t a surprise once he signed a one-year contract last week. But it’s not very often that a defenseman who came to training camp on a PTO ends it skating next to a two-time Norris Trophy winner.

Harrington moved into the spot next to Karlsson after Nutivaara was injured. Unless there’s a last-minute lineup tweak, he’ll open the season next to him as well. It’s been a tough few years for Harrington, who was a second-round pick in 2011 by Pittsburgh and was part of the package that went to Toronto for Phil Kessel in 2015.

His best season came in 2018-19, but he’s played just 58 games in the NHL over the past three seasons with Columbus. He spent most of last season in Cleveland with the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate.

“It’s been a good couple of weeks, just trying to keep proving myself every day,” Harrington said. “So it’s been pretty simple for myself and just trying to show a new team what I’ve got and keep improving and keep trying to get comfortable playing with different guys. It’s been fun. Erik obviously is great player. Just trying to build chemistry as quick as you can and keep things simple and trying to communicate a lot.”

Luke Kunin was one of Grier’s top offseason acquisitions, a gritty two-way winger who was expected to fit somewhere among the top-nine forwards. Alexander Barabanov’s injury left some prime real estate open — playing on the wing next to Hertl and Meier.

Kunin was there for practice Monday and Tuesday night against Eisbären Berlin.

“I really like him,” Hertl said. “He works hard in every shift, gets a lot of pucks for us. That’s what I told him, that me and Timo will try to hold the puck and make plays and he can (get open). He was getting a lot of pucks. I didn’t know what to expect from him, honestly, but it’s fun to play with him. We hopefully will have a good connection on Friday and score some goals.”

The Sharks traded a third-round pick and John Leonard to the Predators for Kunin on the second day of the 2022 NHL Draft. San Jose was one of the worst goal-scoring teams in the league last season, and the new GM added depth scorers like Kunin and Oskar Lindblom to try to give that a nudge despite the salary cap limitations he faced.

“You know the rosters all around the league,” Kunin said. “You don’t really know where you’re going to fit. You kind of know what your game is and what you can bring to the team. I think one of my strengths is being able to play kind of up and down the lineup. So right now that’s with Tommy and Timo and I just want to do whatever I can to help those guys and just help out offensively but also be reliable in all areas.”

There was one more surprise in Berlin, but it was more of a mystery shrouded in secrecy.

Sharks owner Hasso Plattner was born in Berlin. When he is here, like he was for the opening of his newest art museum, Das Minsk, in late September, he stays at the villa he owns in Potsdam, a short train ride southwest of the city.

“Is Hasso going to be at the game in Berlin?” has been a much-asked question, dating back to when the 2022 Global Series was announced. Representatives from the Sharks have maintained that they did not know, in part because his schedule can change and also lead him all over the world.

An employee at Das Minsk believed that Plattner was still here a couple of days before the game at Mercedes-Benz Arena. One of his neighbors in Potsdam wasn’t so sure.

The day of the game, three different representatives from the Sharks all had slightly different answers. One person in the organization said, “I’ve been told I’m not answering that question,” when asked if anyone from the Plattner family was in attendance.

During the second intermission, someone who is connected to Plattner but not through the Sharks, let it slip that Hasso was indeed in the building. His attendance might have been a surprise. That he did so without any publicity and without drawing any attention to his presence was not.

Ready or not …

Because the Sharks are beginning the year in Europe, this was never going to be a normal training camp. Given that David Quinn was hired in July, that meant trying to get the club ready and comfortable with the systems and principles he wants them to play with was always going to be a challenge.

The Sharks did not have a full team practice until the day they arrived in Berlin. All of the practices in San Jose were split between two or three groups. There wasn’t a lot of time for systems installation. There wasn’t a lot of time for players to get used to playing for Quinn or with the new guys on the roster.

“There’s a lot we haven’t touched on, but at the end of the day, if we play with the pace and the tempo we’ve been playing with and the mentality, that can cover a lot of mistakes, a lot of things structurally that they haven’t had a chance to learn,” Quinn said. “That’s all we’ve really focused on. We’ve been implementing structure and systems that we’re going to need to be good at, but there’s only so much you can cover in eight days.

The practice at Wellblechpalast in Berlin may have been the most important day of training camp. It ran a little longer than expected, mostly because it’s an old barn and they needed to scrape the ice after the first part of the workout to make it workable for power-play practice.

There was a lot less time doing drills and a lot more time stopping and listening to instructions from the coaching staff.

“I think we’re making some progress for sure,” Gregor said. “I think we’re going to start really dialing in on more specific stuff. We’ve kind of had a broad overview of the system. There’s a lot of new guys and we got into the exhibition games pretty quick. I think over the exhibition games, we’ve gotten better. We’ll continue to work on some things. What we did at practice today was trying to focus on more specific stuff. So far it’s been good. I few of the things we’ve switched up have good and we’ll see how they work out.

“I think some of the D-zone things are a little different than last year. Certain switches and areas that we are trying to improve on are a little different than last year. It’s a little more zone-ish than what we played last year. Guys are trying to figure that out. I think (Quinn) has been happy with the way we are playing and defending.”

The Sharks finished their trip to Berlin with a 3-1 victory against Eisbären Berlin. The home team took a 1-0 lead in the second period, in part because the San Jose players seemed a little out of sorts playing on an international-sized ice rink and also because Eisbären’s 21-year-old goaltender Tobias Ancicka put together a 30-minute spell that belied his age and experience level.

Hertl scored on a beautiful no-look, give-and-go pass from Meier, Lorentz tipped in a Karlsson shot and Kunin added a shorthanded insurance tally. It was far from a sterling performance, but the Sharks also looked like many of their NHL brethren have in these exhibition games across the pond over the years.

A slow, slightly disoriented start, but eventually control is restored as the players get more comfortable with the geography of the rink. And so it was time to leave for Prague after a preseason that did include five wins in games, but also still left the club with plenty of questions still to answer once the games begin to count.

“I like how we persevered,” Quinn said. “I thought we got off to a shaky start. I thought they came out hard and made life difficult for us in the first five minutes. I thought as the period went got better. I liked our second period. We were getting chances and just weren’t able to capitalize. They go down and make it 1-0 and it can get difficult in those situations. It was really our first test of adversity all year, quote unquote. I just like how we responded. We got a lot out of tonight, that’s for sure.

“I really like the way we’ve come to work every day. They’ve been very attentive, very coachable. They play with the right intentions. In the exhibition games, we’ve played with the mentality I want t play with. I feel good about where we are at.”

(Photo: Amanda Cain / NHLI via Getty Images)