Shark Tales: Jimmy Paradise October, 1996

by Jean Sawyer

This is the tale of a French-Canadian/Irish left winger from Mound, Minnesota who scored the first goal ever for the Tiger Sharks in their inaugural year. Always a fan favorite, especially to those of us from Minnesota, this is a guy who always gives 200%. No surprises here, it could only be Jimmy Paradise, who looks like the all American boy next door with his big blue eyes and attractive, smiling face. This can be deceptive for opponents because he is tough as nails and as gritty a player as you will find in pro hockey today.

Although he and his sister, Bridget, grew up in Minnesota, his parents live in Marco Island, Florida now. He attended Colorado College, majoring in Political Science and playing hockey (he served as team captain of the team for two years!) His intentions were to continue with law school after graduation but hockey became a larger passion and luckily for us, he landed in Tallahassee. He says he may go back to law school after his hockey days, or into a career in sales. He is very sure that he will always want to coach youth teams in the future. For the past two summers, he has coached kids at hockey school at Notre Dame.

You've heard by this time that he is a country /westem fan with Garth Brooks as his favorite singer and Alabama as a favorite group. Maybe we'll hear of him someday as a famous C/W guitar player because we know that whatever he does, he does it well.

He likes the Colorado Avalanche as a team and thinks that Pat LaFontaine is a great NHLer. He has to laugh when he is asked by well-meaning fans if he "would like to play pro hockey some day?" He also chuckles when asked that old question, "Are the fights real?" I would guess that he has some first-rate scars to attest to the reality of the fights. I remember the old days of the "lunchbucket line" and how he won the admiration and love of the fans for his determination and courage.

He really like Tallahassee and its people, calling it a classy place. He says a long season of hockey is more bearable here because of the beautiful weather and the warmhearted fans. He lists steak as his favorite food, and his idea of heaven is playing golf. He has recently been doing some horseback riding and enjoys that also. Popular with teammates and fans alike, he remains a modest and unassuming person, so far unspoiled by his celebrity.