The San Jose Sharks return to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60

SANTA CLARA – At least one corner of the San Jose Sharks locker room, not to mention the coach’s room and front office, is very interested in Super Bowl LX.

A number of Sharks players, along with coach Ryan Warsofsky, are from Massachusetts and grew up New England Patriots fans. General manager Mike Grier grew up in the Boston area while his father, Bobby, was the team’s longtime head coach. Bobby Grier passed away in September.

Boston natives on the Sharks roster are forwards Will Smith, Collin Graf and Adam Gaudette.

Smith said he had the opportunity to attend Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium, but decided he wanted to spend time at home watching the game with his family in the Boston area. The NHL is on break, with over 100 players participating in the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

“It’s a lot of travel,” Smith said of the back and forth. “I didn’t want to deal with it.”

Smith, 20, and Graf, 23, were too young (or not yet born) to remember the early years of the Patriots’ dynasty when they won three Super Bowls in four years between 2001 and 2004.

But the Pats followed that up with three Super Bowls in five years, from 2014 to 2018.

“Growing up, obviously, they were really good, so I watched every game, maybe a little bit as you got older,” Graf said. “But I watched every playoff game.”

After three consecutive losing seasons, including two straight 4-13 years, the Patriots, thanks to quarterback Drake Maye and a stellar defense, went 14-3 and earned the No. 1 seed. 2 in the AFC. They defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos to advance to the Super Bowl.

“I remember watching Week 1, and they lost to the Raiders,” Graf said of New England’s 20-13 loss in Las Vegas on Sept. 7. “I was actually talking to (Barracuda center and Massachusetts native) Colin White about it. He had faith in them the whole time. So credit to him. He believed in them from the beginning.”

“I can’t complain,” Smith said when asked about the Patriots’ slump. “I have a lot of competitions from my childhood, more than most people will see.”