It’s always tough joining a new team. You have to become familiar with the city, culture, your new teammates and even the playbook and strategies. Add in the fact that your new teammate speared you during a game when you were with your former club and it makes the transition from one team to the other even harder.
Yep, Erik Karlsson is now apart of the terrifying San Jose Sharks defensive group. But Karlsson and the Sharks have a history dating back to December 14th of 2016.
The Ottawa Senators bench erupted after a tussle between Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Karlsson. It happened in the corner of the Sharks defensive end. It seemed harmless at first (other than Karlsson hitting the ice), but cameras caught the real reason the Sens bench exploded.
The play was reviewed by SPORTSNET, and the footage showed Vlasic jabbing his stick in the body of Karlsson. Vlasic speared Karlsson and there was no call on the play.
Now a member of the San Jose roster, Karlsson was asked about the incident. The play may not have been on his mind as he entered his new dressing room, as Karlsson didn’t bring up the play in conversation.
Karlsson had a humorous response when a reporter reminded him of the encounter.
The exchange happened like this:
(Warning: Tweet NSFW due to explicit language)
https://twitter.com/KKurzNHL/status/1045048092695752704
Vlasic had a funny answer to Karlsson’s statement. It seems like there won’t be any animosity between the two moving forward.
As long as Vlasic and Karlsson can put the past behind them (I’m sure they already have), it should be smooth sailing in San Jose.
Could you forgive your new teammate for spearing you in a previous game?
