What the Puck? Hockey makes its debut in San Francisco

designed by Sara Bloomberg
By Ivan Huang
The Guardsman
Sporting new gold, orange and black jerseys in an atmosphere like no other at the Cow Palace arena in Daly City, the San Francisco Bulls hockey team made its debut on Oct. 3 in an exhibition game against the Stockton Thunder.
In a fast paced, smash mouth style of play game between the two Northern Calififornia based hockey teams, the Stockton Thunder came out on top, edging the Bulls 5-4 in overtime.
Though the business enterprise was declared a loss by the time the Bulls first stepped out together on ice, there seems to be a major upside to the upstart minor league hockey team organization.
First, there was a great turn out for the exhibition, with thousands of new Bulls fans and a sea of fans from the opposing team in attendance.
Second, although engaged in a losing effort, the Bulls showed they were game even against a team that has been around since 1990.
The Bulls are part of a mid-level hockey league, the Eastern Conference Hockey League, that is in affiliation with the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
Serving as a developmental league for unknown talent, the Eastern Conference League has produced 490 hockey players that have gone on to compete in the NHL, the world’s premier hockey league.
A minor league hockey team is creating so much buzz in San Francisco lately because the city is known for supporting its professional sports teams no matter the sport.
Lately, neither the Giants at AT&T Park nor the 49ers at Candlestick Park have had a problem with attendance, even through tough times on the field.
There is no better time than right now to be a sports fan in San Francisco. The Giants are in the playoffs, the 49ers are off to a great start playing suffocating defense and the Bulls will now try to carry on the winning tradition of San Francisco teams.
San Francisco has never been a city that has been recognized for its love of hockey. That might have changed on October 12th, when the puck officially dropped in San Francisco.