Editor's note: Sheng Peng is 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.
NEW YORK — Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky gave a rec league goaltender the thrill of a lifetime.
Goalie Harold Robinson was just hoping to change at his permanent locker room stall at Chelsea Piers in New York City. San Jose, getting ready for their practice, were sharing the space.
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“I came out of the locker room because I was heading over towards Chelsea open hockey [at another rink], and one of the [Sharks] equipment managers turned around and said to me, Coach wants you to get on the ice,” Robinson told San Jose Hockey Now. “I looked at him, you gotta be kidding me?”
So that’s how the 65-year-old netminder found himself taking shots from an NHL team on a random Wednesday afternoon.
Sharks are sharing Chelsea Piers locker room with adult rec players, no private locker room here, this goalie asked to come out and take a couple shots from the big boys pic.twitter.com/XTznpEzsxD
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 13, 2024
That’s not all: Warsofsky also asked Robinson to say a few words, introduce himself to the Sharks.
San Jose Sharks
“I'm standing here with a professional hockey team, talking about myself,” Robinson said. “And here's all these great players on this up-and-coming team.”
The Chelsea Fitness personal trainer — born and raised in New York City and a lifetime New York Rangers fan — has been goaltending at Chelsea Piers for 25 years.
“When I was growing up, there's that one guy who decides that he's tired of his friends talking about who's going to play net. So I grabbed the equipment,” he shared. “I went from street to floor to ice.”
He’s also a big fan of the Quebec Nordiques jersey and Iron Man, hence his gear set-up.
This isn’t the first time that Robinson has rubbed elbows with practicing NHL teams. Because Madison Square Garden usually is booked with other events, NHL teams regularly go to Chelsea Piers. The Sharks practiced there just two years ago.
“I remember Roberto Luongo had kidding me about me going out to practice for him,” Robinson said of the then-Vancouver Canucks netminder.
But this is the first time that 5-foot-8 Robinson actually practiced with an NHL team.
“I skate with the NHL staff team. They've had some high-level people at their skates as well. But today, you understand when someone gets a puck on their stick, there's no waste of time. They're releasing the puck towards the net,” Robinson said, still overwhelmed by the experience. “The first two on the left hand side and the first two on the right hand side, it just took me a little while to be like, okay, you need to calm down.”
Notably, 18-year-old Macklin Celebrini didn’t have much mercy on Robinson, going bar down.
“When he let it go, I'm like, oh, that's an NHL shot,” Robinson laughed. “I don't mind being challenged by those guys. That was a really good thing.”
Robinson said that both San Jose goalies went out of their way to make him feel at home.
Mackenzie Blackwood, the goalie on Robinson’s side of the ice, was looking out for him.
“He made me feel very comfortable being out there,” Robinson said. “Look at the video, he's looking over my left hand shoulder, looking at how I was standing and moving in the net.”
Vitek Vanecek gave Robinson a fist bump.
It was a day that Robinson will never forget, and more than anybody, he wanted to thank Warsofsky for it.
“I've been having a rough past couple of months, and today really made my day,” Robinson said. “I tell my son, I tell my daughter, when you have rough times, you may struggle, but you don't quit. You keep pushing on. Today was that reward for doing the right thing and keep yourself pushing forward, to keep your head up.”
That sounds like a message that any NHL head coach would appreciate!
“It was just a true honor, just to be asked to be out there,” Robinson said. “And then to be out there.”