Nabby Nostalgia...

  Well, it’s official. Evgeni Nabokov has signed with the KHL and is going back to Russia. After all the hub-bub - negotiations, salary caps, blah-blah, the rumor mill can cease pumping out speculation. I have mixed feelings about seeing him go! I’m sad that we won’t get to watch him play on tv anymore, but it would have been strange to see him in different jersey anyway. He was my favorite Shark and I even stole his jersey # for Ben Price in Home Ice. 
I could tell when Nabby was in goal without even looking at the name on his jersey because I recognized his stance. I’ll miss his cute little shoulder shrug he’d do to adjust his gear in between plays. I’ll miss his candid interviews with the press where he would always answer in earnest, honesty and sometimes slight irritation. I’ll miss what I call the “Nabby Tap“, when all the Sharks lined up to take turns bumping foreheads with him at the end of their games. 
I am happy for him, though. He gets to return to his homeland and continue making the big bucks. As we all know, there is nothing wrong with going back home.
Good luck, Nabby!  Thanks for a decade of memories in San Jose.