Black cats are widely attached to superstitions and bad luck. And it’s no secret that hockey players are highly superstitious – especially during the playoffs! So you can imagine the horror when a black cat somehow wandered onto the ice and crossed directly in front of the home bench inside SAP Center before the San Jose Sharks took on the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of their 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If you didn’t see it, here’s the kitty’s Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance:
The cat was eventually found safely hiding under the seats. While the Sharks have no idea how the cat ended up in the arena and onto the ice, they are working to ensure the furriest hockey fan is taken care of now. They’ve aptly named the cat “Joe PAW-velski”, after the team’s captain, Joe Pavelski.
The Sharks are making arrangements to transfer “Joe PAW-velski” to a local animal shelter, where it will undergo a full health examination and a microchip scan, to ensure it does not already have an owner.
In the event the cat is healthy and is not micro-chipped, the Sharks anticipate that the cat will be made available for adoption. If that is the case, the Sharks will provide more information via the team’s social media channels and sjsharks.com when it becomes available.
San Jose Sharks Chief Operating Officer John Tortora issued the following statement:
“The amount of interest generated by ‘Joe’s’ appearance and those wishing to adopt him has been overwhelming. We want to make sure the cat is safe and healthy and returned to its rightful owner, in the event it has a microchip. If he is indeed a stray, our goal is to find the best home for him with the support of our local animal shelters. If families are interested in adopting ‘Joe’ but unsuccessful, we strongly encourage you to consider adopting another animal in need of a good home from one of our terrific local animal shelters.”
Oh, and to dispel the myth that black cats are a sign of bad luck -the Sharks won the game, 5-2.
UPDATE: The Sharks’ lucky kitty has been thoroughly examined by Humane Society Silicon Valley, where they discovered that Joe was actually a healthy young girl! So, they’ve dropped the ‘e’ from her name. “Jo” may soon be available for adoption.
Fans interested in adopting Jo can contact the humane society at 901 Ames Ave., Milpitas, or call 408-262-2133, ext. 150.
This isn’t the first time a cat has caused chaos during a game. Cats have a long history of interrupting sporting events. Click here to see some examples.
