Sharks’ Bordeleau carries special message from NHL dad he’ll have forever
Thomas Bordeleau is expected to play Tuesday when the San Jose Sharks face his dad's team, the Nashville Predators, at Bridgestone Arena.
When he was younger, San Jose Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau was given a bracelet by his father, former NHL forward Sébastien Bordeleau, that had on it an engraved message of encouragement — and accountability.
“You’re the master of your own fate,” it said. “Daily decisions determine destiny.”
Thomas Bordeleau unfortunately lost the bracelet, so he had the saying tattooed on the top of his hand.
“I’m not going to lose that again,” he said.
Sébastien probably wishes his son still had the bracelet.
“He wasn’t a fan of the hand tattoo,” Bordeleau said with a smile of his dad. “He wasn’t a fan of the tattoo that shows like that. But at this point, he’s kind of given up. He’s used to my tats by now.”
Bordeleau on Tuesday night is expected to play his first game against the Nashville Predators, with whom Sébastien is in his fifth season as one of the team’s development coaches. The game comes at the end of a five-game road trip in which the Sharks have gone 0-4-0 with losses to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Chicago.
Bordeleau was recalled by the Sharks on March 6 and has three goals in six games, averaging 15:33 of ice time as a middle-six forward.
This figures to be an important time for Bordeleau, 22, who is in the final year of his entry-level contract he signed in April 2022. It would be shocking if the Sharks did not bring Bordeleau back next season, but he’s still in the midst of trying to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.
His dad’s advice to him?
“Go get it,” Bordeleau said of Sébastien, who had a 17-year career as a pro player that included 251 NHL games. “He lives it, too, being a part of the Nashville organization. The ins and outs.
“He sees it from a player’s perspective because the players talk to him a lot. But he also sees it from the boardroom perspective. So it’s good to have his input, his emotional intelligence on everything, every situation that happens. For sure, a huge help.”
Bordeleau said he’s had the hand tattoo for over a year now.
“It was just kind of a little reminder,” Bordeleau said. “Growing up, just to get to this point, you’ve got to dial it in and be dedicated. So, it was kind of a little phrase that stuck with me for a little longer than the other ones.”
Bordeleau has other tattoos on his back, his arm or “the sleeve,” and other parts of his upper body. He has an artist in Montreal that he sees to get the work done.
“I thought I was only going get one and then after that, I had three new tattoos within two weeks,” Bordeleau said. “So, it’s definitely addicting.”
LINEUP CHANGES: Magnus Chrona is expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Predators for the Sharks and defenseman Jan Rutta will return to the lineup.
With Mackenzie Blackwood still on injured reserve with a groin issue, Chrona will start for the seventh time in eight Sharks games. In his six most recent games, Chrona is 1-4-1 with a .891 save percentage.
Rutta has missed five straight games with a lower-body injury.
Blackwood appears to be nearing a return. The Sharks start a three-game homestand against Anthony Duclair and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
SCOUT FIRED: Igor Eronko, who the Sharks hired last summer to be their Russian scout, has been fired, general manager Mike Grier confirmed to San Jose Hockey Now over the weekend.
Eronko had been assistant general manager for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League for three seasons before the Sharks hired him. Eronko also worked as a hockey writer, sideline reporter, and NHL commentator in Russia.
Grier said Eronko was not fulfilling his duties when it came to watching games and filing timely reports.
Right now, Nikolai Ladygin is listed as the Sharks’ KHL scout. Other members of the team’s European scouting staff are supervisor Shin Larsson, Niklas Sundstrom (Sweden), Ales Vladyka (Czechia), Tomi Kallio (Finland) and Martin Uhnak (Czechia, Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland).