San Jose Sharks

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1991
• Home arena: SAP Center, San Jose, California
• Owner: San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises
• Team colors: Deep Pacific teal, burnt orange, and black

Overview

The San Jose Sharks is a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Western Conference. The Sharks came into existence in 1991, but are loosely connected to a Northern California team that came into existence during the NHL’s first modern-era expansion. In 1967, the league added six new teams, including the California Seals. The Seals never found success in the Bay Area and headed east to Cleveland, eventually folding and merging with the Minnesota North Stars. Two of the part owners of the North Stars wanted to bring back hockey to Northern California and petitioned the NHL for a team. The San Jose Sharks began play during the 1991–1992 season and began to truly forge their identity in the NHL. In the franchise’s first three decades, the team won six division championships, the 2008–2009 President’s Trophy for best record in the NHL, and a Western Conference Championship in 2015–2016.

History

Professional hockey in Northern California began in 1961 with the San Francisco Seals of the World Hockey League (WHL). When the WHL folded in 1967, the Seals and three other teams were absorbed by the NHL. The team moved from San Francisco to Oakland, changing its name to the Oakland Seals in the process. Over the next few years, the team would change its name again to the California Golden Seals, but continued to struggle to draw fans. After nine seasons of mediocrity both on the ice and off, the franchise moved to Cleveland in 1976 and became known as the Barons. The team’s fortunes did not improve in Ohio, and in 1978, the franchise ceased operations and merged with the Minnesota North Stars.

Brothers George and Gordon Gund had been part owners of the Seals and held that same capacity with the North Stars. They wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area in California and petitioned the NHL to move the struggling North Stars west. The request was denied, but the Gunds persisted and eventually struck a deal with the league. Under the terms of the agreement, the brothers would be granted a franchise in California if they sold their shares in the North Stars.

The original deal allowed the Gunds to take players and prospects from Minnesota to California. This did not sit well with the North Stars’ new owner, Norm Green. After much discussion, a new deal was reached that allowed Green to protect fourteen skaters and two goalies on the North Stars. The Gunds could choose players from the remainder of the roster for the new California team. Both teams would then be allowed to compete in an expansion draft in which new teams selected unprotected players from other NHL rosters.

NHL policy had long been that new expansion teams also got the first overall pick in the next year’s entry draft. However, the existing NHL teams complained about the Sharks being allowed that pick. Their complaints were based on the fact that Eric Lindros—a highly-touted junior player who went on to have a Hall of Fame career—was expected to be the first pick. The league struck an agreement with the Sharks that they would instead have the second pick. Lindros was selected first by the Quebec Nordiques, but refused to sign with the team. The Sharks picked second and chose Pat Falloon, another highly regarded prospect. Falloon had a decent rookie season but never lived up to the Sharks’ expectations.

All the maneuvering for expansion choices and draft picks ended up being a moot point for both Minnesota and San Jose. The North Stars folded within two years, and the Sharks struggled over that same period. In 1992–1993, San Jose set an NHL record for most losses in a season with 71. Although the team still finished below .500 the next season, it was somewhat of a breakthrough for the franchise.

The 1993–1994 season was noteworthy in several ways. It was the first year the Sharks played in their home arena in San Jose after spending two seasons in the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The team was also moved into the Pacific Division of the Western Conference when the NHL realigned its divisions and conferences. The biggest change occurred on the ice as the Sharks finished with a record of 33 wins, 35 losses, and 16 ties. That was good enough for 82 points—a 58-point increase over their previous record—and landed them in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time. The Sharks faced off against the Western Conference leader Detroit Red Wings, a team many expected to win the Cup that year. The Sharks surprised the Red Wings and the hockey world by winning the series in seven games and ousting Detroit from the playoffs. The next playoff series was won by the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending the Sharks first Stanley Cup run.

The team made the playoffs again in 1994–1995 and got past the first round before being eliminated. That season was the last bright spot for the Sharks for a few years as the team entered a rebuilding period. San Jose missed the playoffs in 1996 and 1997 and was eliminated in the opening round in 1998 and 1999. The Sharks gained momentum by posting their first winning season in 1999–2000 and making it into the second round before being eliminated.

During this time, the team was slowly building its roster, drafting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and trading for eventual Hall of Famer forward Teemu Selanne in 2000–2001. The following season, the Sharks won their first division championship and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Through trades and changes to the coaching staff, the team continued to improve. In 2003–2004, the Sharks ended the season with more than 100 points for the first time, and made their first appearance in the Western Conference finals.

In 2005–2006, the team was led by two of the league’s leading scorers. Joe Thornton, acquired in a trade from the Boston Bruins, was the league’s leading point getter and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player. The Maurice “Rocket” Richard award for most goals scored went to another member of the Sharks, Jonathan Cheechoo.

The Sharks finished first in the Pacific Division each season between 2007 and 2011. From 2004–2019, San Jose made the playoffs in all but one season—2014–2015—and advanced to the conference finals twice. In 2015–2016, the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Finals, only to fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4–2.

The Sharks nickname came as the result of a contest, but it was not the fan’s top choice. Team management felt the number one vote-getter, Blades, had too many negative connotations, so they went with the second choice. The franchise’s costumed mascot is S.J. Sharkie, also named in a contest. Shark merchandise is very popular in the Bay Area; in the team’s second year, $150 million in merchandise was sold, tops among all NHL teams. The Sharks play in the SAP Center, an arena commonly referred to by fans as the “Shark Tank.”

Notable players

Five former Sharks are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, though most played the majority of their careers in cities other than San Jose. Teemu Selanne recorded 131 points during his three seasons with the Sharks between 2000 and 2003. Igor Larionov was with the team between 1993 and 1996, where he was part of the team’s record-setting 58-point improvement.

Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov won the Calder Cup as the league’s best rookie in 2000–2001, and was named to the All-Star team in 2007–2008. He played for the Sharks until 2010 and holds the franchise record for most wins with 293. The team’s all-time points leader is center Patrick Marleau, who recorded 1,082 points as a Shark. He also leads the franchise in goals with 508 and playoff goals with 68. The team’s all-time assist leader is Joe Thornton. Thornton, who was traded from the Bruins to the Sharks early in the 2005–2006 season, set an NHL record that season for points scored by one player with two teams with 125. Thornton made three All-Star appearances with San Jose and is second on the franchise list in points scored with 1,055.

Brent Burns won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2016–2017 as the league’s best defenseman. As of 2020, Burns stands fifth on the Sharks’ list of career points with 466 and eighth in goals with 143. He is fourth in assists behind Thornton, Marleau, and Joe Pavelski. Pavelski spent thirteen years with the Sharks and ranks third in career points with 761, second in goals with 355, and third in assists with 406. He was the team’s captain from 2015 to 2019, when he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars.

Bibliography

Custance, Craig. “California Golden Seals Left a Short-Lived but Colorful Legacy in the Bay Area.” ESPN, 31 Jan. 2017, www.espn.com/nhl/story/‗/id/18592122/nhl-short-lived-expansion-california-seals-left-colorful-chaotic-legacy-bay-area. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

McGrath, Justine. “A Brief History of the San Jose Sharks.” Culture Trip, 3 May 2017, theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-san-jose-sharks/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

McIndoe, Sean. “Down Goes Brown: Five Weird Facts About the Expansion San Jose Sharks.” Hockey News, 1 June 2016, thehockeynews.com/news/article/down-goes-brown-five-weird-facts-about-the-expansion-san-jose-sharks. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“An Oral History of the San Jose Sharks as They Celebrate Their 25th Anniversary.” Hockey News, 6 Dec. 2015, thehockeynews.com/news/article/an-oral-history-of-the-san-jose-sharks-as-they-celebrate-their-25th-anniversary. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“San Jose Sharks.” Athletic, 2020, theathletic.com/team/sharks/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“San Jose Sharks.” Hockey Reference, 2020, www.hockey-reference.com/teams/SJS/history.html. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“San Jose Sharks: A Brief History.” Hockey Writers, 31 Jan. 2020, thehockeywriters.com/san-jose-sharks-a-brief-history/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

“San Jose Sharks Team History.” Sports Team History, 2020, sportsteamhistory.com/san-jose-sharks. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.