Kiefer Sherwood didn’t need long to remind everyone why he was such a hit in Vancouver - and why he’s a pain when he’s wearing someone else’s sweater.
The Sharks winger, who was dealt by the Canucks earlier this year for two second-round picks and AHL defenceman Cole Clayton before signing a five-year extension, has only 8 points through 21 games this season. But the offensive numbers weren’t the story in San Jose’s Oct. 29 game against Vancouver. Sherwood’s voice was.
San Jose dropped a six-minute mic’d-up video from that night, and it quickly turned into a showcase for Sherwood’s nonstop chatter. He was barking from the jump, urging his teammates on with lines like: “Let’s pepper this f***ing tendy,” “Hunt him,” and “Hunt these D, boys.”
Then came the familiar jabs at old teammates.
At 2:27, Sherwood leaned into Filip Hronek and said, “Still the same, always barking,” drawing a laugh from Hronek. A little later, at 2:52, Max Sasson got a shot to the hair: “Free haircut, eh Sass?”
The tone sharpened after that. At 3:15, Sherwood got into it with an unseen Canuck and yelled, “Do something about it!
Do something about it!” When the response came back, “I’ll do whatever the f*** I want,” Sherwood fired right back, “You won’t do s***!”
The most interesting exchanges came with Elias “Junior” Pettersson.
The Canucks had jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and Vancouver had been throwing its weight around. Pettersson led the team with four hits, and Sherwood clearly took notice. When the two bumped into each other at 3:12, Sherwood tried to needle him with, “You don’t f***ing want it.”
Later, with the Sharks still trailing and looking for a spark, Sherwood circled back at 4:20 before a faceoff and told Pettersson, “You better f***ing watch it, Junior,” in a tone that was as cold as it was direct.
That’s the part that stood out most: Sherwood wasn’t chirping Pettersson like a throwaway target. He was treating him like a real problem, someone worth rattling. That’s respect, even if it comes wrapped in a few choice words.
And in the end, San Jose got the result it was chasing. The Sharks completed the comeback, and Sherwood helped finish the job with the primary assist on the game-winning goal.
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