San Jose Sharks High School Writers Day: A Night to Remember

I couldn’t believe it. In just a couple of minutes, I was about to walk into the arena where the best team in the NHL resided.

Sure, I had been inside the Tank before, but never through the media entrance. The moment I stepped into the building, I knew that this was special. Not only was I out of the freezing cold, but I was also given a media pass that could get me places where I had never gone before.

This opportunity would never have been given to me had it not been for the San Jose Sharks, owners of the best record in the NHL.

Sharks Fan Development Coordinator Jeff Cafuir, started this program, High School Writers Day, a few years back in an effort to give back to the community. As a result, I was given a chance to experience the life of a professional sports journalist in all of five hours.

The night began with an exceptional dinner in the pressroom surrounded by many other professional sports journalists either covering the Sharks or the visiting Columbus BlueJackets.

After dinner, Cafuir led us through the maze of business offices on the bottom floor of the Tank. It was amazing really. Had I not known that I was in the Tank, I would’ve thought that we were in any old business, except for the Sharks decor that almost every cubicle sported.

Finally past the business offices, we walked into a room where we were informed that we were about to speak with former Shark beat writer and current Yahoo sportswriter, Ross McKeon.

McKeon was quite frank with us in saying that, “even though Internet changes, journalism itself does not.” 

Having worked for the newspaper for 31 years, and Yahoo for the past fourteen months, McKeon is most definitely experienced in his field, and eagerly explained to us the ups and downs of journalism.

In order to get to the top of the ladder, McKeon explained, journalists must “show integrity, stay fair, and quote accurately.”

McKeon really opened my eyes to the field of journalism. I always imagined it as the carefree job, where a writer could just write to his heart’s content, while interviewing the next NHL Hall of Famers.

The biggest requirement, however, was not based on skill. McKeon told us that as potential future journalists, we need to retain a passion for the sport and telling stories about it, and that we need to know the sport inside out. That passion, I already have.

After speaking with Ross McKeon, we were in for another surprise when we had the privilege of meeting Sharks GM Doug Wilson. To me, meeting Doug Wilson was like a dream come true.

After watching the Sharks do so well over the past few years, I was now talking to the mastermind behind all the magic. As Wilson eagerly answered our questions about anything in general, I learned a great many things about the life of a typical hockey player, and how hard it is to be in his position.

I also learned how hard it is to deal with the pressure of being a General Manager for a team as good as the Sharks.

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