San Jose Sharks & Hockey Giant Team up to Launch Little Sharks Youth Hockey Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Sparaco
January 30, 2015	San Jose Sharks
	(408) 999-5792

SAN JOSE SHARKS TO LAUNCH "LITTLE SHARKS" YOUTH HOCKEY PROGRAM PRESENTED BY HOCKEY GIANT

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks are happy to announce the inaugural year of the "Little Sharks – Learn to Play" program presented by Hockey Giant. The Little Sharks program is designed for children ages 4-8 who have no prior hockey experience and are interested in picking up the sport of ice hockey. For a registration fee of $125, each child will receive four, one-hour lessons as well as head-to-toe hockey equipment which participants will get to keep upon the conclusion of the program. To register, go to sjsharks.com/littlesharks

All registered participants will receive the following equipment: ice hockey skates, helmet with cage, shin pads, elbow pads, gloves, shoulder pads, pants, jersey, socks, hockey stick and equipment bag. Participants must get fitted for, and pick-up, their equipment at the Hockey Giant Superstore in San Jose on Sunday, February 15, 2015. The gear will not be distributed at your respective rink locations.

Little Sharks Hockey Program presented by Hockey Giant is coming to the Bay Area at locations in San Jose, Fremont, Oakland, Tri-Valley or Redwood City. The schedule will be as follows:

Rink	Address	Day	Dates	Time
Sharks Ice at San Jose	1500 South 10th St., San Jose, CA 95112	Sunday	3/15, 3/22, 3/29 & 4/12	9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Sharks Ice at Fremont	44388 Old Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont CA 94538	Sunday	3/15, 3/22, 3/29 & 4/12	2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Oakland Ice Center	519 18th St., Oakland, CA 94612	Saturday	3/21, 3/28, 4/4 & 4/11	11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Nazareth Ice Oasis	3140 Bay Rd., Redwood City, CA 94063	Sunday	3/8, 3/15, 3/22 & 3/29	9:00 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Tri-Valley Ice	6611 Preston Ave. D, Livermore, CA 94551	Saturday	3/7, 3/14, 3/21 & 3/28	12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

"The San Jose Sharks are pleased to partner with Hockey Giant to offer an affordable, introductory program that allows local youth an opportunity to try hockey for the first time," said Jim Sparaco, Director of Fan Development for the San Jose Sharks. "The San Jose Sharks have both a desire and a responsibility to help grow the sport of hockey. The Little Sharks - Learn to Play program allows us to put hockey equipment in the hands of youth who might not otherwise have an opportunity to play while expanding our presence in communities throughout the Bay Area."

"We are very excited to be entering into this long term partnership with the San Jose Sharks," Shael Wilder, President of San Diego-based SportsGiant LLC said. "The Sharks organization has demonstrated a very strong level of development and support of youth and amateur hockey in its overall marketplace and that is very much aligned with our philosophy and business objectives."

About the San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) based in San Jose, California. They are currently members of the NHL’s Pacific Division of the Western Conference and play their home games at the SAP Center of San Jose. The Sharks were founded as an expansion team in 1991 and made their NHL debut in the 1991-92 season. To date, the Sharks have won six division titles and made the playoffs in 17 of their 22 seasons, including each of the last 10 years.

About Hockey Giant

A trusted brand with a focus on customer service, product selection, and competitive pricing, Hockey Giant was founded in 2001 and operates a chain of retail locations and Ecommerce website such as Hockeygiant.com, one of the largest and most trusted E-commerce sites selling Hockey equipment. In addition to its major e-commerce operations, Hockey Giant currently operates eight locations across the United States and opened their first Northern California location here in San Jose. Located adjacent to the 101 Highway at 1290 Tully Road, Hockey Giant San Jose is the largest hockey shop in the San Jose area, at approximately 9000 square feet. The store carries a wide variety of hockey sticks, skates, protective gear, apparel, accessories and more from top brands like Bauer, Easton, CCM, Warrior and Reebok. In addition, Hockey Giant San Jose carries a wide selection of Goalie Equipment.

# # #