San Jose Sharks

Despite the Sharks futility in the standings, several team "firsts" happened in the 1992-93 season. The first ever shutout by a Sharks goaltender occurred on November 17, 1992, recorded by Arturs Irbe in a 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The first ever hat trick for the Sharks was scored on December 3, 1992 vs. the Hartford Whalers at the Cow Palace by right wing Rob Gaudreau, who would also score the team's second ever hat trick 9 days later on December 12, 1992 vs. the Quebec Nordiques. Rob 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.

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. [cite book | author = | title = Decade of Teal: 10 Years With the San Jose Sharks| publisher = Woodford Publishing, Inc. | page = 105 | date = 2001 | accessdate = ]

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 8th 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 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. [ [http://sharks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=340282 San Jose Sharks - Seagate Technology's "In the Crease": The Weird Factor - 10/16/2007 ] ]

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 2nd 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, what was widely recognized as one of the biggest trades in NHL history took place.Lopsided|date=September 2008 The Sharks traded Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm to the Boston Bruins for 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 5th 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. [ [http://sharks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=337572 San Jose Sharks - News: Sharks Unveil New Home and Road Sweaters - 09/17/2007 ] ] 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 5th 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. [ [http://sharks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=363248 San Jose Sharks - News: Wilson Relieved of Head Coaching Duties - 05/12/08] ] 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 2008-2009 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 acquisition Jody Shelley, Brian Boucher along with free agents Jeremy Roenick, Christian Ehrhoff, Marcel Goc, Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe, Lukas Kaspar and Douglas Murray.

eason-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. [Hockeydb.com, [http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=44 San Jose Sharks season statistics and records.] ]

: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

*Igor Larionov, C, 1993-95, inducted 2008

First-round draft picks

*1991: Pat Falloon (2nd overall)
*1992: Mike Rathje (3rd overall) & Andrei Nazarov (10th overall)
*1993: Viktor Kozlov (6th overall)
*1994: Jeff Friesen (11th overall)
*1995: Teemu Riihijarvi (12th overall)
*1996: Andrei Zyuzin (2nd overall) & Marco Sturm (21st overall)
*1997: Patrick Marleau (2nd overall) & Scott Hannan (23rd overall)
*1998: Brad Stuart (3rd overall)
*1999: Jeff Jillson (14th overall)
*2000: None
*2001: Marcel Goc (20th overall)
*2002: Mike Morris (27th overall)
*2003: Milan Michalek (6th overall) & Steve Bernier (16th overall)
*2004: Lukas Kaspar (22nd overall)
*2005: Devin Setoguchi (8th overall)
*2006: Ty Wishart (16th overall)
*2007: Logan Couture (9th overall) & Nick Petrecki (28th overall)
*2008: None

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
*Joe Thornton*: 2005-06

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
*Tony Granato: 1996-97

Calder Memorial Trophy
*Evgeni Nabokov: 2000-01

Hart Memorial Trophy
*Joe Thornton*: 2005-06 Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy
*Jonathan Cheechoo: 2005-06

(* - 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
*Randy Hahn, Play-by-play
*Drew Remenda, Color commentator
*Scott Reiss, Intermission host
*Kate Longworth, Ice-side reporter

;Radio
*Dan Rusanowsky, Play-by-play
*Jamie Baker, Color commentator
*David Maley, Color commentator

References

* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=379867 "San Jose strengthens ties to China Sharks"] nhl.com, Aug 20, 2008
* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=379187 "New-look Anyang Halla adds western flavor"] nhl.com, July 31, 2008
* [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=358172&page=NewsPage&service=page "Former NHLers find hockey adventure in Japan"] nhl.com, March 26, 2008

ee also

*List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*1991 NHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts

External links

* [http://sharks.nhl.com/index.html Official website of the San Jose Sharks]

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