Jeff Skinner excited about opportunity with the San Jose Sharks

Jeff Skinner excited about opportunity with the San Jose Sharks

Congrats on the new deal as we welcome you to NHL tonight. The immediate question is why was this the right move for you, the right fit? Uh, I mean, uh, they showed some interest, I think, and I think when you’re anytime a player is, uh, looking to go somewhere that that wants to give you an opportunity and and believes in you, I think is, uh, that’s pretty high on the list. Um, obviously there’s a lot of young talent coming up and uh that’s that’s exciting to to be a part of and um I’m a little bit older now, so um feel like uh that may be a good fit for me personally. Yeah, I mean I think it’s exciting to see a lot of your big piece of that, but a lot of the guys that San Jose’s brought in here. I mean you look at that list that we just showed. I mean there’s a lot of additions to kind of complement this young core. So, I don’t know what’s your guys’ mindset. Do you know many of the guys there in San Jose? I actually don’t uh don’t know a lot of guys. Um I know uh Cling Clinger, obviously Clingberg that just signed there from uh being with him in Edmonton. Uh and he’s like you said, he’s one of those additions to to to the youth and and sort of the core group of guys they have there that uh hopefully this year uh we can come in come together uh pretty quickly as a team and uh mesh mesh well and uh yeah and try to get off to a good start. Now going through free agency, I always wanted to hear on the other end of the phone that I was wanted and then I kind of put the pieces together after that. It looks like you obviously were wanted. What were some of the things Mike Greer was talking to you during uh your free agency courting process that really wanted to bring you over there? Yeah, I mean I think that’s that’s for sure sort of the top of of uh mine, but also obviously like you said like a lot of guys’ list is is to be wanted and to see someone that’s uh has uh confidence in you and your abilities and what you can bring. Um, obviously it had gone on a couple days free agency. So, I think uh he sort of mentioned that he’d been sort of talking to guys. He mentioned that he he talked to Clinger um a bit about me. So, I think um yeah, I think that’s that’s an exciting piece of it. I think when you’re going through free agency, there’s a lot of things sort of coming at you all at one time. And um I’m I’m really excited it worked out the way it did. In terms of having confidence in you, Tyler Tfully goes back decades having confidence in you. Our crew dug up this picture and it is priceless. You wearing the C, him wearing the A. Tell us the story behind this picture. It is awesome. Yeah, it’s uh from our minor hockey days. Uh I I don’t know exactly how old we were. Maybe eight, nine or 10 years old. Um, yeah, that was uh a long time ago obviously, but uh looking back I think uh brings back a lot of good memories. Um yeah, and it’ll be be really fun to to sort of reconnect with him after after quite a long time. Buddy, you look exactly the same. You do. I saw that. I’m like, “Oh my god, look at that.” Timeless. I Right. Like how you feeling, man? You’ve been Isn’t it crazy? Like I we got the font on screen right there. 15 years. like I I I remember watching you in Carolina and I’m thinking to myself, I mean, it’s making me feel my age. Uh I mean, where’s the body at? Um maybe you could touch on that. And then also, I’d love to know you, you guys went really late, obviously Stanley Cup finals, so how did you alter maybe your preparation getting ready for this season? Uh feel pretty good. Um, I think like you guys know, I think some days uh feel better than uh than other days when you get a little bit older, but uh yeah, I think definitely especially this time of year, you you have time to recharge, refresh, get in the gym, and uh work on some things that uh you maybe don’t get a chance to work on throughout the season. But uh yeah, I feel good. I think um I had a little bit of a break. Um, I think the difference maybe I take a little bit more time off of uh or less time off of the ice, I think, because you kind of just get back into skating and instead of having that long uh that long sort of break in between maybe May, June where um you take a break off the ice. So, um I think uh I like almost everyone else or like everyone else would would wouldn’t trade that for uh for going on a deep run. So, um, yeah, nice to nice to get back at it and and feel pretty good. Now, you’re going to go into a training camp having gone to the Stanley Cup finals. What can you bring to this San Jose team? There are other additions, but you were there on that long run. How much can you help a young guy like a Will Smith or a Mlin Celibbrini having gone through having some success scoring goals, getting points, but then letting them know what the difference is? Yeah, I mean I think every guy as they go through their career, they pick up things uh whether it’s experiences they have themselves or whether they pick off guys they they’ve played with and their experiences. So for me going on that run, I think uh just being in that atmosphere, that situation where um everything’s kind of turned up a notch, I think was um was a great experience for me personally. I learned a lot. Um yeah, and and and hopefully going forward that will uh I’ll be able to benefit from it, but also other guys to play with um will be able to benefit from it. I think those young guys have been asked a bit about sort of uh what advice I’d give them or or sort of what I would say to them. I think they’re doing pretty good as as uh as you guys can see they they they’ve they’ve had some tremendous success as young players and um I think as a group uh we’re trying to take the next next step and um yeah any any type of experience anyone has I think is is something that uh personally and a group can can probably benefit from. Speaking of your run to the Stanley Cup final, fancy meeting you here. We’ve heard you tell the story many times, but we have to pull up the picture. Taylor Swift, the famous story about the signed jersey all those years ago, but then this year in the cup final, she attended and you were a part of that Edmonton Oiler team. Did it feel like a full circle moment for you? Uh, I mean, I can pretty much guarantee she has no idea about that photo. So maybe a full semicircle, maybe full circle for me and uh a little bit incomplete on her part, but uh yeah, I don’t know. That’s pretty cool. Obviously a lot of buzz around that. Uh uh but yeah, uh complete circle on my part. Not not on her end, I don’t think. That’s so good. Oh, I love that. I love that. Hey, maybe she’s seen Between Two Stalls. I I hate to bring this up, dude. I talked to you like one other time and I I love that segment you did in Buffalo. For the viewers that don’t know, it’s your little skit you did between two stalls and I think you were in Buffalo at that time. You got a lot of young guys in San Jose here. Is there any chance with the social media team we could see something come up again? Because I I’d love to get that out there a little bit. I love that stuff. Yeah, I mean I I I wouldn’t say no. I mean, I think uh for me, I think a lot of young guys are a lot more adept and and more used to social media than I am. So, um yeah, I might be taking poor from young guys on that from uh from guys on San Jose. Your personality shines through. Thanks so much for the visit. We enjoyed it. Yeah, thank you. Thanks so much for having

Newest San Jose Shark, Jeff Skinner, joins NHL Tonight.

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