Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng
PHILADELPHIA – You can’t blame Alexander Barabanov if he’s disappointed.
Last Thursday, the 29-year-old winger was scratched for trade-related reasons before the Sharks’ game against the New York Islanders. While no guarantee, this appeared to be a prelude to him leaving San Jose during the next day’s trade deadline.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
And Barabanov, much as he enjoyed the city – he established himself as an NHL’er with the Sharks and both his kids were born here – was excited the leave the last-place Sharks.
The two-time Gagarin Cup champion couldn’t contain himself when asked, before the deadline, how much he missed winning, “Oh my god, so much, so much. When I was 25, we won every year, the KHL Cup. Big games. World Championships, we didn’t win, but we have medals. I miss the playoffs and everything. It’s why I play hockey.”
