32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: San Jose Sharks

Alexis Bazydola
May 24, 2020
5 min read

The Location: San Jose, California

Informally known as “The Shark Tank,” the San Jose Sharks reside in San Jose, California at the SAP Center which was originally known as the San Jose Arena. The Sharks’ minor league affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, also play the SAP Center. Opening in 1993, the arena can seat just over 17,500 for a home hockey game. The Center has also hosted entertainers including Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, Kanye West, Rihanna and many more throughout its history.

Team History

The Bay Area had been long awaiting an NHL franchise when they were awarded their expansion bid in 1990. Play for the new franchise was set to begin in 1991-92. For their first two seasons, the San Jose Sharks began play at the Cow Palace in Daly City outside of San Francisco. In September 1991, the team acquired Doug Wilson from the Chicago Blackhawks. He was named the team’s first captain. For the first couple of seasons, they team struggled competitively.

The team moved to their new home at San Jose Arena for the 1993-94 season. For the first time in team history, they clinched a playoff spot. They eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the first round and went on to face the Toronto Maple Leafs. Although they were able to hold a 3-2 series lead, they were eventually eliminated from the playoffs in seven games

They were able to return to the playoffs the next season but were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round. They did not return during the 1995-96 season. The team began to rebuild. They acquired Owen Nolan from the Colorado Avalanche. Their record was about the same during the 96-97 season but allowed the team to draft Patrick Marleau in 1997.

In 1998 and 1999, the Sharks returned to the playoffs but never made it past the first round. For the first time in their history, the Sharks finished with a winning record during the 1999-2000 season. They eliminated the St. Louis Blues in seven games in the first round but were then eliminated themselves by the Dallas Stars.

The 2000-01 season was highlighted with the acquisition of Teemu Selanne from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and rookie goaltender Evgeni Nabokov winning the Calder Memorial Trophy. They made another early exit from the playoffs that year. With the addition of Adam Graves in the 2001-02 season, the Sharks won their first division title. However, they did not make it past the second round of the playoffs.

In 2002, the team was sold to Greg Jamison. Nabokov and Mike Rathje were in contract disputes causing the Sharks to start their season on a rough note. At the 2003 trade deadline Owen Nolan was traded causing the Sharks to enter a new era. The 2003-04 season saw the Sharks reach the 100-point threshold for the first time in their history. They also won the Pacific Division title. Another first for the team was their first trip to the Western Conference Finals after eliminating the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. They were eliminated by the Calgary Flames, however.

2005-06 saw an abysmal year for the Sharks causing them to trade for Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins. They were able to clinch a playoff spot, but eventually lost in the second round to the Edmonton Oilers. Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy. Jonathan Cheechoo was awarded the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Award.

The next season started off hot for the Sharks with a 20-7-0 record. Concerns began to rise when fans noticed the lack of a winger to play with the Thornton and Cheechoo line. To fill this gap, Mark Bell was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks. Off ice issues with Bell caused him to become a healthy scratch towards the end of the season. Despite this, the Sharks still finished the regular season with their best record yet at 51-26-5. They once again were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

The 2007-08 season saw the Sharks add another division title and 100-point to their record books. They again were knocked out of the second round of the playoffs despite their regular season success. A new coach, Todd McLellan, was named in the offseason. With other roster additions, the team secured the Presidents’ Trophy in 2009. They again were eliminated in the playoffs in the first round.

General Manager Doug Wilson began to change up the roster during the offseason signaling another rebuilding period. In 2010, they were able to return to the Western Conference finals behind wins over the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, they were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Sharks continued their regular season success by capturing the 2011 Pacific Division title. They would again be able to advance to the Western Conference Finals and face the Vancouver Canucks. They were eliminated in game 5 of the series. Offseason moves brought Charlie Coyle, Martin Havlat and Brent Burns to the roster. The next few seasons saw more early playoff exits for the Sharks in 2013, 2014, and 2015. In 2016, the team would miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Peter DeBoer was named head coach in May 2015. With new names on the roster and a new coach, the team was able to return to the playoffs in 2016. They defeated the LA Kings, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues to win their first Western Conference Championship. They faced the Pittsburgh Penguins but lost the Cup in six games.

The Sharks repeated history in 2017 when they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs causing Patrick Marleau to end his 20-year tenure with the team and sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the offseason. While 2018 saw the Sharks eliminated in the first round again, they would return to the Western Conference Finals in 2019 before being eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in six games.

Patrick Marleau was reacquired in October 2019. Along with another less than stellar start to the 2019-20 season, DeBoer was let go and Bob Boughner was named interim coach. At the season’s pause, the Sharks sit at 29th in the league with 63 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

The Sharks have an iconic pre-game entrance ritual. It features the use of a Shark head which lowers to the ice and the players enter through it. “Seek & Destroy” by Metallica is their current entrance song. Another tradition the Sharks use is playing the Jaws theme song every time the team goes on the power play as fans make a chomping motion with their arms.

Like many other NHL teams, the Sharks have long standing rivalries with the LA Kings, Anaheim Ducks and most recently with the Vegas Golden Knights due to their close proximity to each other.

S.J. Sharkie is currently the mascot of the Sharks. He was debuted in January 1992. His talents include rappelling from the ceiling before games and driving on the ice in his all-terrain vehicle.