When the Sharks acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in September of 2018, he found himself in the mecca of sports influences.
The Warriors were being their typical selves and heading toward the NBA Finals once again while the 49ers were inching their way toward the Super Bowl.
He’s been spoiled.
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Despite the relocation, he’s embraced the Bay Area teams and told NBC Sports that it has forced him to pay attention to them more so than he would have before.
“To be able to move to the Bay Area and be able to see Golden State for the two years and the 49ers really took off this year, to be that close it kind of made me follow their sports a little bit more than I maybe didn’t do before, which I think is very intriguing and interesting,” Karlsson told Mike Tirico. “It’s been great to have that so close by.”
Very close by indeed.
The 49ers offered their support to the Sharks last year during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Members of the team were watching San Jose’s crazy comeback victory over the Las Vegas Golden Knights in overtime.
They celebrated accordingly:
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Later on, the Sharks would return to the favor with Karlsson and teammate Timo Meier coming out to the NFC Championship Game last season.
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“I’m very fortunate to live in a cool area like that,” Karlsson added.