When Joe Pavelski takes the ice in San Jose for the first time wearing a different shade of teal, there are bound to be personal connections and emotions that feel a little weird.
This is the same seventh-round draft pick who transformed himself from the moniker of “Little Joe” to “The Big Pavelski” with the Sharks, eventually representing his country and NHL team as captain, before joining the Dallas Stars as a free agent this past summer.
I spoke to some of Pavelski's former teammates ahead of his Saturday night return to SAP Center, and they shared some insight into the man who spent 13 seasons in a Sharks sweater.