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
PITTSBURGH – You never forget your first team.
Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl – and Harlow Karlsson – know.
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Karlsson confirmed to San Jose Hockey Now that for his four-year-old daughter Harlow, SJ Sharkie still is the one. Harlow was born in San Jose, and Sharkie was the first mascot in her life.
In much the same way, Karlsson knows all about the tough decision that Hertl made recently, choosing to leave the rebuilding Sharks for the contending Vegas Golden Knights.
San Jose drafted Hertl in 2012, and it’s in San Jose where he emerged as a star, a leader and a family man.
Karlsson followed much of the same track with the Ottawa Senators, who drafted him in 2008 and traded him to the contending Sharks in 2018.
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“I’m sure it was bittersweet for him. No one wants to leave after being in a place for that long,” Karlsson said. “I’m sure he’s excited for the opportunity as well.”