Barracuda in the Community: December
Jan 11, 2016
December was a busy month for the Barracuda! There was plenty of action on the ice, as the Barracuda held 7 out of their 9 homes games last month at home but time at home means the Barracuda have more time to spend out and about in the community.
The Barracuda kicked off December with their first annual season ticket holder meet and greet party at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Season ticket holders were encouraged to wear their ugliest holiday sweater so they could math with the players who unveiled the Barracuda ugly sweater jerseys which would be worn later that week. At the party fans had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the entire Barracuda team, skate with some players and tour the locker room. Those in attendance were in for a real treat when Coach Sommer had the rookies sing Christmas carols to the crowd!
Speaking of ugly sweater jerseys, on December 5th the Barracuda wore those jerseys against the Bakersfield Condors. It was a back and forth game between the two teams which was ultimately decided in overtime by a goal from Barclay Goodrow, his third of the game! The ugly sweater jerseys were auctioned off during the Barracuda game and the Sharks game later that night, with part of the proceeds being donated to the Jr. Sharks. In all, the Jr. Sharks received over $10,000 so thank you to all those who helped raise money!
There were plenty of other donations happening during the month of December and what better time than during the holiday season. In addition to wearing specialty jerseys on the 5th, the Barracuda also held a winter clothing drive where all the items received were donated to Sacred Heart Community Services. Barracuda players Nikolay Goldobin, Nikita Jevpalovs, Julius Bergman and Petter Emanuelsson helped deliver hundreds of those jackets, sweatshirts, blankets and scarves to those in need a few days later.
This month also marked the first time that the Barracuda held their Gifts and Goals event here at the SAP Center. Each December, the Barracuda will team up with a local children’s nonprofit group and help the kids celebrate the holidays. This season each Barracuda player was paired up with a child from School Health Clinics of Santa Clara County and they were responsible for buying that child some gifts so they could celebrate in style! As a tie in to the Gifts and Goals event, the Barracuda also held a food drive earlier in the month to help feed those who needed it most for the holidays. Thanks to those who donated, School Health Clinics was able to feed 5 families in need!
Barracuda Math Class was also busy last month traveling around Santa Clara County including stops in San Jose and Fremont. Patrick McNally, Julius Bergman, Alex Gallant and Aaron Dell all helped students sharpen their math skills and learn more about the game of hockey. The players were a huge hit with the students in Fremont who are already planning to come out and cheer on their new favorite players!
That wraps things up for December. The San Jose Barracuda have some really exciting things in the works for January and we can’t wait to share them with you! If you would like to learn more information about the Barracuda and our efforts in the community, please visit the Community Relations page or email jgoldstein@sjbarracuda.com!