What were the San Jose Sharks’ biggest takeaways from the 4 Nations Face-Off?

SAN JOSE San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun was no doubt cheering on the red, white, and blue as the United States played Canada in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off at TD Garden in Boston.But Thrun was also intently watching American defenseman Jaccob Slavin, who might have been the best player on the ice Thursday night despite Team USAs 3-2 overtime loss to Connor McDavid and the Canadians.Hes big, he can skate, Hes smart, and hes got an unbelievable stick, the Massachusetts-born Thrun said of Slavin, who is from Denver and plays for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Theres d-men that are smart and have a good stick, but theyre not as big and cant cover as much ice as him.

He literally has every tool in the toolbox and is elite at it.Thrun was among the millions of North Americans and numerous Sharks players who tuned in to watch the breathtaking game, which ended with McDavids overtime goal.

But while also turning into fans for a night, the Sharks also watched how several of the NHLs best players went about their business in a pressure-packed environment and knew they were seeing something special.With some exceptions due to injury, the tournament featured most of the NHLs best players from the U.S., Canada, Finland, and Sweden, who committed to making it as competitive and entertaining as possible.

Mikael Granlund was among the ex-Sharks who competed in the event.For them to come together as one team and play a certain way, as goal scorers had to become checkers and vice versa, Sharks defenseman and Toronto native Jake Walman said.

It kind of opens your eyes to the selflessness of the best players in the world.Thursdays game and the tournament as a whole figured to grow the sport, but the response was perhaps more significant than anyone expected.ESPN posted on social media Friday that the 4 Nations final drew 9.3 million viewers, the cable giants largest-ever audience for a hockey game.

49ers players George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey posted about the final on the social media platform X.I saw a lot of people that Ive never seen tweet about hockey before all of a sudden tuning in, Walman said.

Even as a player in the NHL, I was way more excited to watch this game than any other game.Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky watched the event as a fan and from a coachs perspective.

He enjoyed how the Americans smothered the Canadian team during their round-robin game last Saturday and appreciated how close friend and longtime Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan led the U.S.

team.

Former Sharks coach David Quinn was among those on Sullivans staff.Hes one of the best communicators Ive been around, Warsofsky said of Sullivan.

His details, the way he sees the game.

Its incredible.

He commands a room.

Hell of a coach.The NHL resumes its regular season schedule on Saturday.

The Sharks play their next game on Sunday, when they begin a seven-game road trip in Calgary.

The trip lasts until March 6, the day before the NHL trade deadline.According to a Sharks spokesperson, the organizations sales team received positive feedback from season ticket holders regarding the tournament.

While perhaps not solely attributable to the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Sharks said they have seen a significant rise in interest for their next home game on March 8 against the New York Islanders.Related ArticlesSan Jose Sharks | 4 Nations Face-Off analysis: In U.S.-Canada game, real winner was obviousSan Jose Sharks | Askarovs status for slumping San Jose Barracuda remains unclearSan Jose Sharks | Sharks top goalie prospect leaves San Jose Barracuda game with injurySan Jose Sharks | Sharks players thirst for Olympics after watching 4 Nations Face-Off.

Who has a chance?San Jose Sharks | After years of celebrating titles, Bay Area sports fans face new realityIts really good for the growth of the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said of best-on-best hockey.

It grabbed a lot of eyes around the around Canada, the U.S., and Im sure worldwide.

We needed that.Its what the NHL organized, which is good, but its also what the players brought.

They competed hard, and thats what hockey is all about.

So, hopefully, the fans and people watching have a little bit more respect for us now.

But were proud of all the players that competed in that tournament.

They definitely put on a good show..

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