Golfer Ernie Els enjoys fast pace of Game 1
Winner of four PGA major championships finds speed of Stanley Cup Final opener to his liking
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
PGA Tour golfer Ernie Els took to Twitter during the first intermission of Game 1 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks at Consol Energy Center on Monday to provide some analysis.
Rookies Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary scored for the Penguins 1:02 apart in the first period on plays that started in transition. The Penguins outshot the Sharks 15-4 in the first period, continuing the trend from their Eastern Conference Final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tomas Hertl put San Jose on the board 3:02 into the second period with a power-play goal to make it 2-1.
Former Blackhawks goalie and TV analyst Darren Pang chimed in to point out why Els decided to share his insight into Game 1.
Els is sponsored by SAP, which is also what the Sharks' arena is named after.
The 46-year-old won his first major, the 1994 US Open, at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Plum and Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
Els voicing his opinion on hockey also may have stemmed from one of his caddies playing professional hockey. Former forward Dan Quinn, who has caddied for Els in the past, played 14 seasons in the NHL and five with the Penguins.