Without ever playing an official game in its home city, the Oakland Panthers of the Indoor Football League announced Monday the team is moving to San Jose and changing its name.

The 17,562-seat SAP Center already plays host to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League and the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, which owns both teams and manages the arena, said in a news release he’s happy to have another team playing there.

“We are prepared to host live events with fans and spectators in attendance in a safe and healthy environment,” he said. “We look forward to hosting the Panthers and its fan base.”

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Clerks director Kevin Smith turned 51 this week and his birthday also marked the start of production on the long-awaited Clerks III.

“Dear @SanJoseSharks: We would like to recreate this scene with @JayMewes from CLERKS in our new movie we’re shooting called CLERKS III. We haven’t been able to get a permission response, even with the aid of the @NJDevils. Can you help us? Please contact @JordanMonsanto. Thanks!,” Smith wrote.

“We got you, @ThatKevinSmith. Will follow up with @JordanMonsanto but I want it known that I wasn’t even supposed to be here today,” Jonathan Becher, the San Jose Sharks President, replied.

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San Jose Sharks President Jonathan Becher appeared on Fox Business – Cavuto: Coast to Coast to talk about becoming first NHL team to accept cryptocurrency.

Watch the interview here.

San Jose Sharks President Jonathan Becher joined the Rotary Club of Oakland Civic Meeting to discuss the Business of Sports (Now and Future).

Watch the discussion here.

The San Jose Sharks NHL team will now join the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Oakland Athletics, Southampton F.C. and other professional sports teams accepting Bitcoin.

“We’re accepting PayPal, so then by definition, we’re accepting cryptocurrency. Why not embrace it and make it more visible as opposed to just doing it through a third party?,” said Becher.

Becher also explained via Twitter that the team will allow cryptocurrency to be used for season tickets, suite leases and partnerships but other use-cases would be reviewed in the future.

Read the full article here.

The San Jose Sharks will be welcoming a limited number of fans back to the SAP Center to see them face off against the Arizona Coyotes on April 26.

“On behalf of the entire Sharks organization, I am elated to welcome fans back to SAP Center at San Jose,” said Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment.

Becher said the health and safety of fans remains a top priority and pointed to the SAP Center’s recent Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s STAR Facility Accreditation.

“[It’s] the gold-standard designation awarded to select venues that have established procedures to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics,” Becher said.

Becher is essentially saying: it is safe to come back.

Read the full article here.

It’s been 23 seasons since that debut on October 1, 1997. On Saturday at XCel Energy Center against the Minnesota Wild, Marleau was honored for tying Gordie Howe’s record for most games played in an NHL career.

When you are around as long as Marleau is, you rack up some interesting stats, like the one that Sharks president Jonathan Becher shared on Twitter pointing out Marleau has played with 37 percent of the NHL.

Not active players, 37 percent of the players who have ever played in the league’s 104-year history.

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Sharks fans, mark your calendars: San Jose’s National Hockey League team will be playing in front of paying home crowds again starting April 26.

The team will admit 500 to 1,000 fans to SAP Center for that night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. The game will be the first since March 8 of last year that the public will be allowed to attend.

“I hope you’re excited,” team President Jonathan Becher said on a video call with reporters Friday afternoon. “All I can think of is, ‘Is it April 26 yet?’ We’re counting down the days.”

The team does plan to ask fans to provide proof of vaccinations or negative test results before entering the arena, Becher said. The Sharks plan to gradually increase the number of attendees. But the team wants to make sure it can do so safely and wants to work through any potential problems first, he said.

“We’re intentionally starting much smaller than we could,” he said. He continued: “Safety is by far our single biggest issue here.”

Read the full article here.

I was inspired to write this post when my friend and colleague, Jonathan Becher, tweeted: “To all of you using the term ‘virtual events,’ please don’t. They aren’t virtual. They are real events that just happen to be taking place online … Just call them events.”