Darnell Nurse's Oilers Reunion Offered Glimpse Of Fresh Start With Sharks, Old Feud Reignited

Darnell Nurse insisted Saturday's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers was just another game, but the days leading up and the on-ice results suggest it was anything but.

The 11-season Oilers veteran, now with the San Jose Sharks, hinted that it wouldn't be a big deal even if it would feel a little different to face his former teammates.

From the time the Oilers landed in San Jose to the time they left after a 3-1 victory, it was clear emotions still ran high from their time together as teammates. 

Asked beforehand whether he was emotional about facing his old team for the first time, Nurse played it down.

"I woke up this morning, I haven't been home in like six days, so I had to pick up the dog poop in the backyard and play a little bit of hockey with the kids," he said. "It was just a normal day."

But a normal day doesn't usually involve a run-in with a member of the Oilers media, or a few altercations on the ice with players like Trent Frederic and his best friend Connor McDavid. Nurse made clear the bonds from that time still matter. "Those friendships, those are lifelong," he said.

Once the puck dropped, his plan was straightforward.

Nurse said the key to playing against McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is to be aggressive. The Sharks hoped he had enough intel from his 11 seasons in Edmonton to slow them down. To some degree, it worked. The big guns for the Oilers didn't run the show: Mattias Ekholm, Vasily Podkolzin, and Alex Formenton scored. 

San Jose clearly trusted Nurse in the matchup, giving him nearly 22 minutes. The Sharks couldn't find an answer for the Oilers, though, and the minus-1 reflects a day that didn't go his way.

He'll have plenty of chances to get on the other side of the ledger, and the Oilers understand his value.

Zach Hyman called Nurse "an unbelievable friend and teammate, first and foremost, great leader, always led by example." He said Nurse "always stuck up for his teammates" and gave 100 percent every night, "no matter how he was feeling."

Hyman also described the voice Nurse brought to the room. Whether the team was struggling or a teammate needed someone in his corner, Nurse was "often the first guy" to speak up.

Even Mike Babcock noted that he'd hoped Nurse would be on his team when he took the job in Edmonton. It didn’t work out that way. 

The game wasn't without a little friction, mostly Nurse's pointed exchange with Sportsnet's Mark Spector earlier in the week. That said, the issues were with the personalities covering the team, not those who played on it.

For Nurse, the bigger story is what comes next. His Edmonton years were largely defined by the hefty contract he carried, and he has said he often felt blamed for the organization's shortcomings because of it. In San Jose, with less noise and a fresh start, he gets a chance to reset.

One game won't define that. If the Sharks keep leaning on him for big minutes, Nurse has a chance to show what he can be away from the Edmonton spotlight.

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