It seems like old news by now.
But the San Jose Sharks have officially re-signed 32-year-old center Bracken Kearns to a one-year contract, the club announced Friday.
The Sharks have also re-signed Marek Viedensky to a one-year deal, as per CSN Bay Area.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Sharks had agreed with Kearns to a one-year, two-way deal worth $550,000 at the NHL level.
This past season with the Sharks, the journeyman forward played in one regular season game and seven games during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Originally from Vancouver, Kearns’ atypical but remarkable journey to the NHL has been well-documented.
He was never drafted and never played a game of major junior hockey.
Instead, he played at the University of Calgary in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, before entering the world of pro hockey in 2005-06. He spent most of that season with the Toledo Storm in the ECHL.
He’s come a long way.
“I can honestly say (quitting) never really crossed my mind,” Kearns told George Johnson of the Calgary Herald and Postmedia News in May, during the Sharks playoff run.
“I’ve never gotten to that point. Some people might find that crazy . . . But I’ve honestly felt I’ve gotten better every year. And that’s been a sign that I should stick with it.
“People always ask me ‘Are you going to Europe to play?’ Well, I’ve never considered it. I’ve always dreamed of playing in the NHL. So I’ve always strived for that.”