While he began his hockey career as a defender, once he joined the Blackhawks in 2005, he moved to the wing.
"I got moved [over to the wing] at some point and then realized, hey, I don't have to worry too much about what's going on in the D-zone," Sharp said. "I got Jonathan [Toews] and I got [Marian Hossa] and some other good defenseman out there, I can, maybe, take a few more chances and score goals."
Two of his most memorable goals were game winners -- but that's not why they were memorable. These two goals marked the births of each of his daughers, Madelyn and Sadie the following days agianst the San Jose Sharks and Carolina Hurricanes.
"I just thought it was unbelievable that the day after my daughter was born, I scored the overtime winning goal," Sharp recalled. "Two years later..., I scored on a breakaway and I was like oh my god, I scored again after my daughter was born. Maybe that's gonna hold up as the game winner it didn't. But we went into overtime and then a shoot out. So for both daughters, two goals."
Following his retirement in 2018, Sharp joined NBC Sports as a studio analyst and later joined NBC Sports Chicago to provide color commentary. Now on the other side of the game in the broadcast booth, he notes that he looks at the game in a different way.
"It's a little bit different than on the other side, but I'm not trying to bury any players or really dive too deep into what's going on," he said. "I just want to tell the story of the game and make it as fun as possible I suppose."
Earlier in the season, he was able to return onto the ice to celebrate his teammate Marian Hossa's jersey retirement alongside his former teammates including Kane, Toews and other Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks.
"I think more than anything, all the guys that came in for [the ceremony] was just so happy," Sharp said. "Everyone was smiling and laughing and having a great time. And I think it reminded me how much that group, and all the other great teams that I was on how much those guys really meant to me and were a big part of my life."
Still with the organization that meant so much to him, although in a differenct capacity, Sharp is just grateful to be reminded of these special moments every day he's at the United Center.
"When you stop playing [hockey], it's over. It's over quick and a lot of players are left searching what to do, and what's next," he said. "I was up given a pretty good opportunity to do some [studio work earlier with the team] but I'm really enjoying being back with the with the Hawks on a more frequent level and being on the road trips. It's fun to be around the guys again, and some familiar faces feels like we're a team again."
