San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks
File:San Jose Sharks.gif
ConferenceWestern
DivisionPacific
Founded1991
HistorySan Jose Sharks
1991- present
Home arenaHP Pavilion
CitySan Jose, California
Team colorsPacific Teal, Gray, Black
MediaFSN Bay Area
KFOX (98.5 FM)
Owner(s)San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises
General managerCanada Doug Wilson
Head coachUnited States Ron Wilson
CaptainCanada Patrick Marleau
Minor league affiliatesWorcester Sharks (AHL)
Fresno Falcons (ECHL)
Stanley CupsNone
Conference championshipsNone
Division championships2001-02, 2003-04

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Sharks, along with the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, the Florida Marlins of the National League, and the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, are often credited with popularizing teal as a color for American sports teams.

Franchise history

Bringing hockey to the Bay Area

Although Northern California was not considered a particularly fertile hockey market, the NHL's 1967-68 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. After nine money-losing seasons and continued low attendance, in 1976 the Seals were sold to Cleveland businessmen George and Gordon Gund and 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. 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 1980's, but were vetoed by the league. 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 a compromise was struck by the league, where 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 NHL season.[1] 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 in the Bay Area, based in San Jose. Over 5000 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 negative connotations (weapons, etc) and went with the runner-up, "Sharks."[citation needed] 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."

George Kingston years (1991-93)

For their first two seasons, the Sharks played at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco. During this time, under coach George Kingston, they were one of the worst teams in the NHL, as often happens to expansion teams — 71 losses and a 17-game losing streak, while earning a mere 24 points in the standings. Unsuprsingly, Kingston was fired following the end of the 1992-93 season.

Kevin Constantine years (1993-97)

For their third season, 1993-94, the Sharks moved to their current home, the San Jose Arena (now the HP Pavilion). 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 8th in the Western Conference playoffs and faced the Detroit Red Wings, the near-unanimous pick 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 made it to the second round. Ray Whitney scored a goal in double overtime of Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals against the Calgary Flames, adding to Calgary's streak of not winning a playoff series after they won the 1989 Stanley Cup (a streak they wouldn't break 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.

The HP Pavilion, known as "the Shark Tank"

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 (who scored two goals eight seconds apart at the 1997 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose and completed the hat trick very late after on a beat of then-Buffalo Sabres superstar Dominik Hasek on a shot to the top right corner which he pointed to as he came down the ice [as if to call his shot]) 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.

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 Selänne 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. The transition, coupled with other problems caused the team to miss the playoffs in 2002-03. “Cancers” in the locker room, a lack of veterans, ineptitude from rookies, lack of effort, the holdouts of Nabokov and Brad Stuart, and overconfidence were all cited as reasons for the Sharks' fall. There were also questions about the relationship between Sutter and the team's star, Selänne. Even when Nabokov and Stuart were signed, the team continued to struggle. 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.

Meanwhile, across the continent, another problem was developing, that the Sharks would have to get into. Young New Jersey Devil Scott Gomez was struggling under Pat Burns' iron rule. Gomez almost was sent to San Jose, had Selänne not vetoed being sent to the Devils.

Ron Wilson years (2003-present)

The team underwent a huge change. Face-of-the-franchise Owen Nolan was traded to Toronto, and the newly-acquired McGillis, fan favorite Bryan Marchment, AHL star Shawn Heins, and forward Matt Bradley were moved. Selänne left to sign with the Colorado Avalanche. Character centers Alyn McCauley (from the Maple Leafs) and Wayne Primeau (from the Pittsburgh Penguins) were brought in to stabilize the locker room. The one bright spot for the Sharks that season was Jim Fahey, who lead 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 Niko Dimitrakos, 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, all thanks to Primeau in OT on March 28 against Dallas), won the Pacific Division championship, and were seeded second in the Western Conference. They charged through the playoffs, taking down the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 1 in the conference quarterfinals and stopping the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in the conference semis—before falling to the Calgary Flames 4-2 in the conference finals.

2005-06 season

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 The Sharks started the 2005-06 season slowly. Veterans like Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse, Mike Rathje and Todd Harvey were no longer on the team. Inconsistent goaltending and an inability to score goals dropped the team to last place in the Pacific Division.

File:San jose-alternate.gif
The Sharks' alternate logo, showing a shark fin emerging from water

On November 30, 2005, the Sharks traded winger Marco Sturm, defenseman Brad Stuart, and center Wayne Primeau to the Boston Bruins for star center Joe Thornton. The line of Nils Ekman, Thornton and Cheechoo soon became one of the best lines in the NHL. Lead by the line's scoring ability, a re-energized defensive corps, and excellent play from backup goalie Vesa Toskala, the Sharks rallied back from their early season slump to clinch a spot for the playoffs and eventually the 5th seed in the Western Conference.

New acquisition Ville Nieminen played a huge role for San Jose in the playoffs. The Sharks' opponent in the first round was the Nashville Predators. Nashville easily dominated San Jose in the first game, beating the Sharks 4-3. However, San Jose regrouped, and won the next four games to eliminate the Predators. In the second round, the Sharks met the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose won the first two games by identical 2-1 scores, but Edmonton's physical play soon changed the tide of the series. The Oilers would rally back, winning 4 straight games to put an end to the Sharks' season.

The season was not a complete disappointment, however. Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP, as well as the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points, with a total of 125. Thornton became the third player in three seasons to win both the Hart and the Art Ross Awards in the same year. Jonathan Cheechoo was awarded the Richard Trophy for netting the most goals during the regular season, with a total of 56. Matt Carle was awarded the Hobey Baker Award.

2006 Offseason

During the 2006 offseason, the San Jose Sharks made significant changes in order to bolster their defense and team grit. The Sharks signed Mike Grier from the Buffalo Sabres and former Shark Curtis Brown from the Chicago Blackhawks, two forwards noted for their defense prowess on both sides of the ice. After signing the two veterans, Doug Wilson traded their top offensive defenseman in 2005-2006, Tom Preissing, to the Ottawa Senators for centerman Mark Bell of the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-way trade involving Martin Havlat going from Ottawa to the Blackhawks. Wilson then traded underachieving winger Ekman to Pittsburgh. In August, to round off their flurry of trades, the Sharks signed veterans Mathieu Biron and Patrick Traverse. The Sharks also signed many players such as Graham Mink and Scott Ferguson for their AHL affiliate. On October 2, 2006, the Sharks acquired Vladimir Malakhov and a first-round conditional draft pick in exchange for Jim Fahey and Alexander Korolyuk, who is playing in Russia.

Season-by-season record

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 February 6, 2007. [2]

Season GP W L T OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs
1991-92 80 17 58 5 — 39 219 351 1894 6th, Smythe Did not qualify
1992-93 84 11 71 2 — 24 218 414 2134 6th, Smythe Did not qualify
1993-94 84 33 35 16 — 82 252 265 1343 3rd, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Red Wings)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Maple Leafs)
1994-951 48 19 25 4 — 42 129 161 840 3rd, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Flames)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 0-4 (Red Wings)
1995-96 82 20 55 7 — 47 252 357 1480 7th, Pacific Did not qualify
1996-97 82 27 47 8 — 62 211 278 1085 7th, Pacific Did not qualify
1997-98 82 34 38 10 — 78 210 216 1417 4th, Pacific Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Stars)
1998-99 82 31 33 18 — 80 196 191 1423 4th, Pacific Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Avalanche)
1999-00 82 35 30 10 7 87 225 214 1292 4th, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-3 (Blues)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1-4 (Stars)
2000-01 82 40 27 12 3 95 217 192 1364 2nd, Pacific Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Blues)
2001-02 82 44 27 8 3 99 248 189 1249 1st, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Coyotes)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 3-4 (Avalanche)
2002-03 82 28 37 9 8 73 214 239 1112 5th, Pacific Did not qualify
2003-04 82 43 21 12 6 104 219 183 1091 1st, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Blues)
Won in Conference Semifinals, 4-2 (Avalanche)
Lost in Conference Finals, 2-4 (Flames)
2004-052 — — — — — — — — — — —
2005-063 82 44 27 — 11 99 266 242 1058 2nd, Pacific Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Predators)
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2-4 (Oilers)
2006-07 54 34 19 — 1 69 167 130 651 — —
Totals 1116 426 531 121 38 1011 3076 3492 18782 — —
1 Season was shortened due to the 1994-95 NHL lockout.
2 Season was cancelled due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
3 As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

Notable players

Current roster

As of February 16, 2007. [1]

Goaltenders
# Player Catches Acquired Place of Birth
20 Russia Evgeni Nabokov L 1994 Ust-Kamenogorsk, U.S.S.R.
35 Finland Vesa Toskala L 1995 Tampere, Finland
Defensemen
# Player Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
3 Sweden Douglas Murray L 1999 Bromma, Sweden
4 Canada Kyle McLaren L 2003 Humboldt, Saskatchewan
5 Canada Rob Davison L 1998 St. Catharines, Ontario
6 Canada Josh Gorges L 2003 Kelowna, British Columbia
10 Germany Christian Ehrhoff L 2001 Moers, Germany
18 United States Matt Carle L 2003 Anchorage, Alaska
22 Canada Scott Hannan - A L 1997 Richmond, British Columbia
44 Canada Marc-Edouard Vlasic L 2005 Montreal, Quebec
Forwards
# Player Position Shoots Acquired Place of Birth
-- Russia Alexander Korolyuk RW L 2007 Moscow, Russia
7 Canada Mark Bell LW L 2006 St. Paul's, Ontario
8 United States Joe Pavelski C R 2003 Plover, Wisconsin
9 Czech Republic Milan Michalek LW L 2003 Jindrichuv Hradec, Czechoslovakia
11 Germany Marcel Goc C L 2001 Calw, Germany
12 Canada Patrick Marleau - C C L 1997 Aneroid, Saskatchewan
14 Canada Jonathan Cheechoo RW R 1998 Moose Factory, Ontario
15 Finland Ville Nieminen LW L 2006 Tampere, Finland
16 Canada Mark Smith C L 1997 Edmonton, Alberta
19 Canada Joe Thornton - A C L 2005 London, Ontario
25 United States Mike Grier RW R 2006 Detroit, Michigan
27 United States Scott Parker RW R 2003 Hanford, California
29 Canada Ryane Clowe LW L 2001 St. John's, Newfoundland
34 United States Patrick Rissmiller C L 2003 Belmont, Massachusetts
37 Canada Curtis Brown C L 2006 Unity, Saskatchewan
39 Czech Republic Tomas Plihal LW L 2001 Frydlant v Cechach, Czechoslovakia
49 Canada Mathieu Darche LW L 2006 Montreal, Quebec -bgcolor"#eeeeee" 29 {{flagicon|USA Steven Tulley C R [[1995 NHL Entry Draft|1995] Piedmont, California

Team captains


Hall of Famers

  • None

Retired numbers

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 Sharks player

Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Owen Nolan RW 568 206 245 451 .79
Patrick Marleau* C 640 187 226 413 .65
Jeff Friesen LW 512 149 201 350 .68
Vincent Damphousse C 385 92 197 289 .75
Marco Sturm LW 553 128 145 273 .49
Mike Ricci C 529 101 162 263 .50
Pat Falloon RW 258 76 86 162 .63
Jonathan Cheechoo* RW 229 93 63 156 .68
Mike Rathje D 671 27 128 155 .23
Brad Stuart D 377 36 117 153 .41

Note: During the 2006-07 season, currently still in progress, Patrick Marleau surpassed Owen Nolan in total scoring points for the Sharks.

NHL awards and trophies

Art Ross Trophy

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Calder Memorial Trophy

Hart Memorial Trophy

Rocket Richard Trophy

(* - traded from the Boston Bruins during the 2005-06 season)

Franchise individual records

Miscellaneous

Broadcasters

Television
Radio

References

  1. ^ Cameron, Steve (1994). Feeding Frenzy! The Wild New World of the San Jose Sharks. Taylor Publishing Co. pp. 29–38.
  2. ^ Hockeydb.com, San Jose Sharks season statistics and records.

See also

External links
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