The hatred will come, eventually.
Probably in 55-gallon drums.
And perhaps before too much longer.
“Probably when you see those guys in warm-ups,” Penguins right winger Patric Hornqvist said Saturday.
Hornqvist was smiling — and likely joking — but the animus that figures to help fuel the Stanley Cup final between the Penguins and San Jose should kick in the instant someone tries to clean an opponent’s ear with a butt end, or splinters a composite stick on his shins.
If not sooner.
But for now, as the Penguins prepare for Game 1 Monday night at Consol Energy Center, they speak of the Sharks with respect for San Jose’s strong all-around game and appreciation for what that team accomplished en route to winning the Western Conference.