A couple weeks ago the Sharks went to Lake Tahoe to do bonding exercises and due to having limited sources in Lake Tahoe, it took me a bit to get the scoop on what they did. After contacting every spa, campsite and Dave & Buster's in the Tahoe area, I was finally able to track down the whereabouts and activities that ensued on the trip.

The Sharks worked with a company called Adventure Associates. Adventure Associates is a company who designs team building exercises and workshops to bring out the best from your best! Here's a bit more on what the company does:

These aren’t your father’s Team Building Events, but the unique combination of interactive adventures with time-tested best practices. The result is an unforgettable experience that drives genuine teambuilding success and will galvanize your organization.

Wow. This is exciting. Anyway, here's a couple things that the Sharks did on their trip.

Sharks explore Lake Tahoe with Geotrek

The boys broke off in teams of 4-5, except for John Scott who apparently said "teams are for pussies, I could run circles around you motherfuckers" and explored the trails of the Tallac historical site. They are given maps, clues and GPS units to help guide them (which John Scott refused because once again, he emphasized that it is for pussies) but essentially they worked together to find hidden caches along the trails and work together to solve mind puzzles! Patrick Marleau was disappointed that they weren't doing actual puzzles, but he helped his teammates, anyway.

The purpose of the activity is to promote out of the box thinking and to show that different types of intelligence can come together and be utilized. This was true of almost everyone except Adam Burish, who stayed behind and ate paste. Oh yeah, and John Scott finished exploring the trails first because he punched the guide until he was given all the answers.

Sharks make extraordinary happen with a Breakthrough Trek

A breakthrough trek is a physically challenging hike that takes place where, without the distractions of tv, the internet or Doug Wilson, coworkers can come together to problem solve the issues that they are having at work. Demers and Couture were hesitant about the activity because you were not allowed to bring cellular devices and mentioned that their dick pics usually look really great in nature. They opt'd out of the trip and took dick pics instead.

Anyway, the purpose was to establish stronger relationships with a unique shared experience, and to build trust, share ideas, and spur creativity to tackle the toughest issues. Essentially, teammates rehearsed locker room interviews and gave one another critique until "being good in the room" was essentially achieved. Scott Hannan, due to his veteran presence, led the activity but was exhausted after 3 minutes and caused the rest of the team to have a poor performance.

Team Sailing

The boys then set sail on Lake Tahoe to examine communication patterns, leadership styles, decision-making processes, and overall team effectiveness. A real sea captain helps the team learn how to sail and takes them to the middle of the lake, and the objective is to take the skills that the teammates learn to get the boats back to shore without the help of the sea captain. Once again, there were issues with Patrick Marleau because he often becomes seasick. It has gotten so bad over the past few years that he can't even take baths anymore. He was given scopolamine (motion sickness patches) and was good to go. Mike Brown and John Scott could not stop fighting over who gets to steer the boat. Not agruing, they actually got into a fist fight. Demers could not stop singing that awful "I'm on a boat" song. Joe Thornton insisted on seeing the activity through. Burns ended up swimming 2 miles back to shore.

With this trip, the Sharks' coaches and management all feel like these 23 captains are ready to have a successful season and more importantly, they have all become the best of friends.

John Scott's thoughts on trip: