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San Jose Sharks
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The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at the HP Pavilion at San Jose.
ough Northern California was not considered a particularly fertile hockey market, the NHL's 1967 expansion included a Bay Area team, primarily because the terms of a new television agreement with CBS called for two of the new teams to be located in California.
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Encyclopedia
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their home games at the HP Pavilion at San Jose.
Franchise History
Bringing hockey back to the Bay Area
Although Northern California was not considered a particularly fertile hockey market, the NHL's 1967 expansion included a Bay Area team, primarily because the terms of a new television agreement with CBS called for two of the new teams to be located in California. Thus, the Oakland Seals were one of the six expansion teams added, but were a failure both on the ice and at the gate. In 1976, after nine money-losing seasons and continued low attendance, the Seals (renamed the California Golden Seals in 1970), partly owned by Cleveland businessmen George and Gordon Gund, were moved to Cleveland, where they became the Barons. After two more years of losses, the Gunds were permitted to merge the Barons with the financially struggling Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas Stars). The Gunds emerged as the owners of the North Stars as part of the deal.
The Gunds had long wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area and asked the NHL for permission to move the North Stars there in the late 1980s, but the league vetoed them. Meanwhile, a group led by former Hartford Whalers owner Howard Baldwin was pushing the NHL to bring a team to San Jose, where a new arena was being built. Eventually the league struck a compromise: the Gunds would sell their share of the North Stars to Baldwin's group, with the Gunds receiving an expansion team in the Bay Area to begin play in the 1991–92 season and being allowed to take a certain number of players from the North Stars to their new club. In return, the North Stars would be allowed to participate as an equal partner in an expansion draft with the new Bay Area team.
On May 5, 1990, the Gunds officially sold their share of the North Stars to Baldwin and were awarded a new team for the Bay Area, based in San Jose. Over 5,000 potential names were submitted by mail for the new team. While the first-place finisher was "Blades," the Gunds were concerned about the name's potentially negative association with weapons, and went with the runner-up, "Sharks." The name was said to have been inspired by the large number of sharks living in the Pacific Ocean. Seven different varieties live there, and one area of water near the Bay Area is known as the "red triangle" because of its shark population. The team's first marketing head, Matt Levine, said of the new name, "Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless. We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities."
Cow Palace years (1991-93)
For their first two seasons, the Sharks played at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco, a facility that the NHL and the Seals had rejected in 1967. Pat Falloon was their first draft choice, and led the team in points during their first season. George Kingston was their first coach during their first two seasons. Though the 1991-92 roster was primarily comprised of NHL journeymen, minor leaguers, and rookies, the Sharks had at least one notable player when they acquired 14-year veteran and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Doug Wilson from the Chicago Blackhawks on September 6, 1991. Wilson was named the team's first captain and All-Star representative in the inaugural season. The Sharks, however, were one of the worst teams in the NHL their first two seasons, as often happens to expansion teams — the 71 losses in 1992-93 is an NHL record, and they also suffered a 17-game losing streak, while winning just 11 games and earning a mere 24 points in the standings. Kingston was fired following the end of the 1992-93 season.
Despite the Sharks futility in the standings, several team "firsts" happened in the 1992-93 season. On November 17, 1992, San Jose goaltender Arturs Irbe recorded the first shutout in team history, stoning the Los Angeles Kings 6-0. On December 3 against the Hartford Whalers at the Cow Palace, right winger Rob Gaudreau scored the first hat trick in franchise history; he also scored the team's second ever hat trick nine days later against the Quebec Nordiques. Gaudreau's prolific scoring earned the Sharks their first ever league-wide award as the NHL's Rookie of the Month for having scored 14 goals and 5 assists for 19 points during the month of December, 1992.
The early era also saw the birth of the San Jose Sharks long-time mascot, . On January 28, 1992 at a game vs. the New York Rangers, the then-unnamed mascot emerged from a Zamboni during an intermission. A "Name the Mascot" contest began that night, with the winning name of "S. J. Sharkie" being announced on April 15, 1992.
Early success and rebuilding (1993-97)
For their third season, 1993–94, the Sharks moved to their current home, the San Jose Arena (now the HP Pavilion at San Jose). Under head coach Kevin Constantine, the Sharks pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds in NHL history, finishing with a 33-35-16 record, making the playoffs with 82 points — a 58-point jump from the previous season. They were seeded eighth in the Western Conference playoffs and faced the Detroit Red Wings, one of the favorites in the Western Conference to win the Stanley Cup. However, in one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup playoff history, the underdog Sharks shocked the Red Wings in seven games. In the second round, the Sharks had a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs but lost the final two games in Toronto, including an overtime loss in Game 6 where, moments before Toronto's decisive goal, Johan Garpenlov's shot rang off the Toronto crossbar.
In 1994-95, the Sharks returned to the playoffs and again reached the second round. Ray Whitney scored a goal in double overtime of Game 7 of the Conference Quarterfinals against the Calgary Flames, continuing the Flames' streak of not winning a playoff series after they won the 1989 Stanley Cup (which would not be broken until 2004). Key Sharks players were goalie Arturs Irbe, defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh and forwards Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov. The 1995 season also saw the only rainout in the history of the NHL, when the Guadalupe River flooded its banks in March 1995, making it impossible for anyone to get into the San Jose Arena for a game between the Sharks and the Red Wings.
In 1995-96, the Sharks finished last in the Pacific Division and failed to make the playoffs. The team also underwent major changes: during the season they traded Ozolinsh and Larionov; Irbe, who had suffered an off-ice injury, was released at the end of the season. The team began rebuilding, acquiring forward Owen Nolan from the Colorado Avalanche, as well as several other players. Constantine was fired midway through the season and replaced by interim coach Jim Wiley. The next season was no better under Al Sims, with the Sharks again finishing last and winning only 27 games. Their standing would help them draft Patrick Marleau (no.2 overall) in the 1997 NHL entry draft.
Darryl Sutter years (1997-2002)
The Sharks returned to the playoffs in 1997-98, with goalie Mike Vernon, whom they acquired from the Red Wings (the season after Vernon won the Conn Smythe Trophy), and new head coach Darryl Sutter. For the next two years, the Sharks made the playoffs, yet never advanced past the first round. This changed in the 1999-2000 season, when the Sharks finished with their first-ever winning record, but earned a match-up against the Presidents' Trophy champion St. Louis Blues in the first round. However, in an upset on par with the one they had pulled on Detroit six years earlier, the Sharks managed to eliminate the Blues in the full seven games. San Jose, however, managed to last only five more games before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars that year.
In 2000-01, Kazakh goalie Evgeni Nabokov won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie. The team also acquired Finnish star forward Teemu Selanne from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Jeff Friesen and Steve Shields. In the 2001 playoffs, the Blues downed the Sharks in six games in the first round, avenging the 2000 defeat to San Jose. The team's breakout year was 2001-02. Veteran Adam Graves was acquired for Mikael Samuelsson. The Sharks won their first Pacific Division title, and defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, but fell to the Colorado Avalanche in second.
Following the 2001-02 season, the Gunds sold the Sharks to a group of local investors headed by team president Greg Jamison. Kyle McLaren was acquired in a three-way trade with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins for checking-line winger Niklas Sundstrom and promising prospect Jeff Jillson, and Dan McGillis was acquired for Marcus Ragnarsson, but the team could not turn itself around. Sutter was fired and replaced by Ron Wilson midway through that season.
Ron Wilson years (2003-2008)
In 2003, Owen Nolan was traded to Toronto, and the newly-acquired McGillis, Bryan Marchment, AHL star Shawn Heins, and forward Matt Bradley were moved. Selanne left to sign with the Colorado Avalanche. Centers Alyn McCauley (from the Maple Leafs) and Wayne Primeau (from the Pittsburgh Penguins) were brought in to stabilize the locker room. Jim Fahey led all rookie defensemen in points despite playing in only 43 games.
2003-04 saw another turnaround for the team, resulting in the team's best season ever. An injection of youth, with players like Christian Ehrhoff and Tom Preissing, and the influx of energy with Alexander Korolyuk jump-started San Jose. They posted the third-best record in the league with a team-record 104 points (31 more than the previous season, and the first time the team had earned 100 points), won the Pacific Division championship, and were seeded second in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 1 in the conference quarterfinals and stopped the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in the conference semifinals. The San Jose Sharks, for the first time, went to the conference finals. However, they fell to the Calgary Flames and ex-coach Sutter 4-2 in the conference finals with former Sharks goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff in net for the Flames. Kiprusoff was traded early in the season to the Flames for a second round pick (Marc-Edouard Vlasic was drafted for that second pick).
The Sharks started the 2005-06 season slowly, dropping to last place in the Pacific Division. In the previous off-season, they didn't add any players from outside their own organization — the only team out of 30 not to do so. After a 10-game losing streak, the Sharks traded Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm to the Boston Bruins for star player Joe Thornton. The trade re-energized the team, and with excellent play by backup goaltender Vesa Toskala, the Sharks rallied back from their early season slump to clinch the fifth seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 in the conference quarterfinals before falling to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the conference semifinals. Joe Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, as well as the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points, with a total of 125. Jonathan Cheechoo was awarded the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals during the regular season, with a total of 56.
The Sharks entered the 2006-07 season as the youngest team in average age, as well as the biggest team in average weight, and they raced out to a 20-7-0 start, the best in franchise history. Ron Wilson chose the uncommon strategy of alternating both Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov every other game. Two significant trades were made at the trade deadline for defenseman Craig Rivet and winger Bill Guerin. The trades coincided with Nabokov, playing full time while Toskala recovered from an injury, putting together a string of outstanding performances and earning the number one job. The Sharks finished the regular season with the best record in franchise history at 51-26-5. In the conference quarterfinals, the Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators for the second year in a row with the same 4-1 result. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Sharks faced the Detroit Red Wings. After taking a 2-1 series lead, they lost a pivotal game 4 when the Red Wings scored the tying goal with 33 seconds left and went on to win in overtime. The Sharks would go on to lose the next two games in a row, losing the series to Detroit 4-2.
In that offseason, San Jose lost defenseman Scott Hannan to the Colorado Avalanche but managed to re-sign pending free agent Craig Rivet.
In advance of the 2007-08 season, the Sharks updated their logos and jerseys to adjust to the new Rbk EDGE jersey.
The Sharks rode on a very hot streak in the month of March. They were aided by the trade-deadline acquisition of Brian Campbell, who they gave up Steve Bernier and a first-round-pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Going the entire month without a regulation loss, they captured their third division title with a franchise-record 108 points, second in the league to the Detroit Red Wings. San Jose started the 2007-2008 playoffs beating the Calgary Flames 4 games to 3 in San Jose's first ever home Game 7, advancing to play the fifth seeded Dallas Stars in the second round. On Monday April 21st, goalie Evgeni Nabokov was named one of the three finalists for the Vezina trophy for the NHL's most valuable goaltender. San Jose eventually lost to Dallas 4-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Game 6 required four overtime periods, and was the longest game in the team's history.
The Ron Wilson era officially came to an end on Monday, May 12th when the Sharks fired Wilson, citing the Sharks' disappointing second round losses in the past three seasons. Wilson ended his tenure in San Jose with a overall record of 206-134-45 in 385 regular-season games and a 28-24 record in 52 postseason games.
Todd McLellan years (2008-present)
On June 11, 2008, the San Jose Sharks named former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach, Todd McLellan, as their new head coach for the 2008-09 season.
During the offseason, San Jose's major headlines included signing defenseman Rob Blake, acquiring defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich for defenseman Matt Carle, defensive prospect Ty Wishart, a first round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, as well as trading defenseman Craig Rivet to the Buffalo Sabres for a second round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and a second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
San Jose also re-signed trade-deadline acquisitions Jody Shelley and Brian Boucher as well as free agents Jeremy Roenick, Christian Ehrhoff, Marcel Goc, Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe, Lukas Kaspar and Douglas Murray.
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Sharks. For the full season-by-season history, see San Jose Sharks seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Records as of May 5, 2008.
| Season | GP | W | L | T1 | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs | | 2003-04 | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 104 | 219 | 183 | 1091 | 1st, Pacific | Lost in Conference Finals, 2-4 (Flames) | | 2004-05 | Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | | 2005-061 | 82 | 44 | 27 | — | 11 | 99 | 266 | 242 | 1058 | 2nd, Pacific | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Oilers) | | 2006-07 | 82 | 51 | 26 | — | 5 | 107 | 258 | 199 | 939 | 2nd, Pacific | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Red Wings) | | 2007–08 | 82 | 49 | 23 | - | 10 | 108 | 222 | 193 | 1061 | 1st, Pacific | Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Stars) |
- 1 As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).
Notable players
Current roster
Team captains
Hall of Famers
First-round draft picks
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
* = Current San Jose Sharks Player
NHL awards and trophies
Art Ross Trophy
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Calder Memorial Trophy
Hart Memorial Trophy
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy
All-Star Game Head Coach
(* - traded from the Boston Bruins during the 2005-06 season)
Miscellaneous
Since 2007, the team sponsors Beijing's Asia League Ice Hockey team, known as the China Sharks.
Broadcasters
Television
Radio
See also
External links
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