Editor's note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
RALEIGH, N.C. — “It was a somber afternoon.”
Nico Sturm shared how the San Jose Sharks found out about the Mackenzie Blackwood trade to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Sharks had just practiced at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Monday, right before a flight to Raleigh, N.C.
Blackwood was a full participant in a hard, hour-long practice, and it looked like business as usual for a San Jose squad that was trying to keep its spirits up after back-to-back lopsided losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Jake Walman, for example, tried to engage Mario Ferraro in a play-fight in a lighter moment on the ice.
“After practice, we all went on the bus,” Sturm said after Tuesday morning skate at Lenovo Center, before the Sharks take on the Carolina Hurricanes. “Bus doesn’t leave, something’s going on, you hear some rumors, and then, I think Warso talked to the leadership group and find out, made a trade.”
San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky shared, “When Blacky gets traded, it was right in front of the bus, and every guy got off the bus and gave him a hug.”
San Jose Sharks
None of this was for show: Mackenzie Blackwood was genuinely beloved in the Sharks locker room, which GM Mike Grier spoke on yesterday.
Read the full story on San Jose Hockey Now
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