Even though I owned a San Jose Sharks partial season ticket plan when I was in high school, I rarely get to a Sharks game anymore (obviously, since I live in Chicago). The last Sharks game I attended was May 7, 2007 when the Sharks hosted the Detroit Red Wings in a conference semi-final playoff game. The last regular season game I attended was November 30, 2002 when the Ultimate Sports Wife sang the National Anthem before the game.

Given these facts, I realized on the ride down to HP Pavilion that I have actually never scalped tickets outside of the arena. I have seen scalpers walking into the arena many times, but never negotiated with any of them because I always had tickets ahead of time. I either attended with 1) my season ticket, 2) free tickets because Nicole was singing the National Anthem or 3) we bought tickets early for the Sharks playoff game in 2007 because they were so cheap on StubHub and eBay.

We parked in the same parking lot I always parked in 16 years ago – on W. Santa Clara St. directly right from the Guadalupe Parkway off ramp and before S. Almaden Blvd. The price is reasonable (this year’s price is $13) and the parking lot is convenient to HP Pavilion. Plus, it allows you to pass ticket scalpers on your way to the arena.

However, tonight there were not many scalpers on the walk from the parking garage to the arena. We walked to the box office and only passed one scalper. From there, I asked at the box office what was available. They only had scattered singles and the cheapest price was $55 each. That price was too high so I found two ticket scalpers in front of the arena. One wanted $50 for upper level seats and the other wanted $60 – too much money given the fact the most expensive upper level seats were $55.

Instead I tried to find my own secondary tickets but to no avail. We ended up buying tickets in section 102 (face value on the ticket was $80 while day of game face value was $92) for $70 each. Not my best work, but with my Dad pressuring me to get into the game on time and the nearest scalpers a few blocks away (I heard from another buyer that the main scalper location was outside of Amici’s Restaurant) this was the best I could do.

Blue Line Seats: Stars at Sharks
Our seats were right on the blue line in the 21st row of the lower level. Evgeni Nabokov picked up the 50th shutout of his career and third on the season as the Sharks blanked the Stars 3-0.