Former Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon made his return to the Shark Tank for the first time since he was traded to the Washington Capitals at the 2019-20 NHL Trade Deadline.
Traded to the Sharks from the Dallas Stars during the 2014-15 season, Dillon spent four and half seasons with San Jose, the most memorable of his career.
“Going to the Finals for the first time in franchise history and being part of that," Dillon told reporters Friday, "and all those guys from (Joe Pavelski), (Joe Thornton), (Patrick Marleau), even though a lot of the guys have moved on to different teams – we still keep in touch.
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"The little things, first game as a Shark I still remember. My last game as a Shark I still remember. The playoff moments, all those things, it’s an amazing place to play. I had an awesome time here like I said. All the friendships I’m still keeping and those will last a lifetime.”
The Sharks defeated Dillon and the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 Saturday to begin their 2021-22 campaign. Dillon reflected on his departure from San Jose.
“It was a tough time for me, personally, knowing my whole situation and the trade deadline coming up,” Dillon said.
“I think for the team too, that year was a really tough year and it bled into last year from what you kind of saw. I think it’s a nice fresh start for a lot of those guys individually, and I think for the Sharks too. For the Sharks, I obviously wish them nothing but the best. The league as a whole, everyone went through some frustration – I think everyone in the world did the last year and a half, whatever it’s been now. Thinking back to 2019-20, it seems like forever ago now with everything we’ve gone through. Nice to see both myself and the team seem to be having some good days ahead of us.”
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The 30-year-old Jets defender is playing in his first season with Winnipeg, and even tallied a point against his former team.