The San Jose Sharks have become the latest NHL organization to add a team dog to the roster.
The 2019 NHL Draft was held Friday night in Las Vegas, but San Jose Sharks made a splash before things started with the announcement that they’re becoming the newest National Hockey League team to have a team dog.
The yellow Labrador‘s name is Finn, and he will be working with Canine Companions for Independence to learn how to be a service dog.
CCI provides assistance dogs free of charge for children and adults with disabilities
Finn was born on May 10, 2019, and currently weighs eight pounds and stands 16 inches at the withers (shoulders).
He will live with a volunteer puppy raiser for the next 16-18 months before attending the CCI Northwest Regional Training Center for another six to nine months of training from a professional, at which point he will be a fully-certified assistance dog.
Some of the tasks he might be asked to accomplish include opening and closing doors, retrieving items and turning light switches on and off.
According to the Sharks website, Finn’s best goal celebration is the Roll Over, and his favorite player is defenseman (and devoted dog dad) Marc-Eduard Vlasic (whose pups made him a nominee for Best Dog during the NHL Fan Choice Awards).
His name works doubly well as both a reference to the team’s nickname (and sharks have fins, of course), and the team’s original name at the time of their founding, which would have been the Blades. A fin could be seen as a type of inverted blade as it slices through or above the water.
He can be followed via social media on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @SharksPup, and he’ll be in good paws learning online etiquette from the hockey dogs and CCI Golden Retriever London, who often attends Washington Capitals and Nationals games.
Hi I’m Finn! Follow along for pupdates while I train to be an assistance dog! 🐾https://t.co/d8WcO4OSbG pic.twitter.com/0XlCM1qrLv
— Gill (@SharksPup) June 21, 2019
Finn joins of Ranger the New York Rangers, Radar of the New York Islanders, Barclay of the St Louis Blues and Rookie of the Ottawa Senators as service dogs in training, while Nashville Predators have a team dog in Smash, for morale purposes.
We are very glad to see Finn join the very good hockey dogs of the NHL, and wish him all the best of luck in his schooling.
For more information about the Sharks, see Blades of Teal, the FanSided Network’s top stop for all things happening in the San Jose hockey scene.