Historical Moments:
1976-1991: After 9 failed seasons the Bay Area's first NHL Team the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland. In Cleveland the rechristened Barons would not do much better
as they were merged with Minnesota North Stars after just 2 seasons. After 13
years former Barons owner George Gund wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area
as fan interest in the NHL had begun to pick up in California with the trade
of Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. However, the NHL would not
allow him to move the North Stars to San Jose who had a lucrative Arena deal sitting
on the table. Instead the NHL decided to give Gund an expansion team that
would begin play in 1991, in an ironic way reviving the former Golden Seals franchise,
as he would be allowed to take several North Stars players and prospects
with him to San Jose.
1991/92: The Sharks play their first game on October 4th as they face the Canucks in Vancouver,
the expansion Sharks would fall behind early. However with California native
Craig Coxe scoring the first goal in franchise history would rally to tie the
game before losing 4-3 on a late goal. A day later the Canucks and Sharks battled
again this time at the old Cow Palace in San Francisco as the NHL returned
to the Bay Area. However, a sold out crowd of 10,888 would go home disappointed
as the Canucks beat the Sharks 5-2. On October 8th the Sharks would finally
get their first win by beating the Calgary Flames 4-3 as Kelly Kisio scores the
game winning goal with 3 minutes to play in regulation. The Sharks would not win
many more games the rest of the season, posting a typical expansion like 17-58-5
record while finishing in last place in the Smythe Division.
1992/93: The Sharks would get off to a good start in their second season as Kelly Kisio scored
the game winner on opening night as the Sharks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3
on Opening Night at the Cow Palace. However, the Sharks would continue to struggle
as they played even worse then their inaugural season tying a NHL record 17-game
losing streak on the way to finishing in last place again with a 11-71-2
record, with 24 points tying the first year Ottawa Senators for the fewest points
in the league at 24, whish was 29 points worse the Tampa Bay Lightning who were
also playing in their inaugural season. In addition their 71 losses set a new
NHL record.
1993/94: After playing their first 2 seasons at the Cow Palace in San Francisco the Sharks
finally found their way to San Jose as they opened the San Jose Arena with a 2-1
loss to the Calgary Flames on October 14th. The Sharks would continue to struggle
as they posted an awful 0-8-1 record thought their first 9 games. However,
the Sharks would begin to put it together as the season went on as they were
fighting for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. In late March the
Sharks would embark on a 9-game unbeaten streak that vaulted the Sharks into the
playoffs with a 33-35-16 record as the Sharks posted 82 points 58-point improvement
from the previous season setting a new NHL record. In the playoff the Sharks
would get off to a solid start as they beat the top seeded Detroit Red Wings
on the road in Game 1 5-4. After the Wings came back to win the next 2 games
the Sharks overcame a 3-1 deficit in Game 4 to even the series at 2 games apiece.
The Sharks would grab a 3-1 series lead with a 6-4 win in Game. However with
series going back to Detroit the Sharks looked to be crashing to earth as they
lost Game 6 by a score of 7-1. However, the Sharks would rebound taking a 3-2
lead in Game 7 on late goal by Jamie Baker as Arturs Irbe held off a late Red
Wings charge to complete the upset. In the 2nd round the Sharks repeated the same
pattern as they needed just 1 win in their final 2 games against the Toronto
Maple Leafs on the road to reach the Conference Finals. However the Leafs would
win Game 6 in overtime and end the Sharks run with a 4-2 win in Game 7.
1994/95: After their improbable playoff run Sharks had to wait to cease the momentum as a
4-month lockout wiped out half the season. The lockout was an even greater disappointment
for San Jose fans as the All-Star Game scheduled to be played at the
San Jose Arena is cancelled. The Sharks would get off to a good start when the
season finally started on January 20th winning 4 straight after losing the opener.
The Sharks would go on to make the playoffs again despite a less then stellar
record of 19-25-4. In the playoffs the Sharks would get off to a good start
by beating the Calgary Flames in the first 2 games on the road. However, the Sharks
would struggle as the series shifted to San Jose losing the next 2 by a combined
score of 15-6. After being shutout 5-0 in Game 5 the Sharks were reeling
as they needed a 5-3 win at home in Game 6 to force a 7th game. In Game 7 back
in Calgary the Sharks would pull off the upset again 5-4 on Ray Whitney's goal
in double overtime. However, in the 2nd round the Sharks would run out of gas
as they are beaten by the Detroit Red Wings in 4 straight games allowing 6 goals
in all 4 games as the Wings won by a combined 24-6 score.
1995/96: After 2 straight playoff appearances the Sharks comeback to earth finishing last
place in the Pacific Division with a disappointing record of 20-55-7, as Goalie
Arturs Irbe struggles after a long hold out. Along the way the Sharks would undergo
major changes as they trade away Igor Larionov, Sandis Ozolinsh, and Pat
Falloon while picking up Ray Sheppard, Owen Nolan and Doug Bodger in three separate
trades.
1996/97: Tony Granato joins the Sharks making a miraculous comeback after he suffered a severe
brain injury in the previous season with the Los Angeles Kings, requiring
surgery to save his career. In the 2nd game of the season Granato would burn his
former team with hat trick capped by a game-winning goal in overtime. Granato
would go on to make it to the All-Star Game which was held at the San Jose Arena,
2 years after a lockout cancelled the San Jose's initial opportunity to host
the midseason classic. The Sharks other All-Star Owen Nolan would steal the show
with a hat trick capped by a called shot late in the 3rd period as the East
won 11-7. However, it would be just about the only highlight on the Sharks season
as they again finished in last place with a record of 27-47-8, as not even
the midseason acquisition of goalie Ed Belfour could get the Sharks back into playoff
contention.
1997/98: After 2 disappointing seasons in which they missed the playoffs, the Sharks acquire
goalie Mike Vernon who had just won the Conn Smythe Award with the Detroit Red
Wings. Vernon would give the Sharks steady goalie in 2 seasons, as they finally
made it back to the postseason by finishing in 4th place with a 34-38-10 record.
After losing the first 2 games on the road the Sharks come home and dominate
the Dallas Stars winning Game 3 by a score of 4-1 as Stars goalie Ed Belfour
takes punches at Shawn Burr and Marcus Ragnarsson with a minute to go in the
game. The Sharks would even the series in Game 4 when Andrei Zyuzin broke a scoreless
tie in overtime. However, the Stars would go on to win the next 2 games
ending the Sharks season with an overtime win in Game 6.
1998/99: The late season acquisition of Vincent Damphousse from the Montreal Canadiens helps
put the Sharks over the top as they make it into the playoffs for the second
straight season with a record of 31-33-18. However, it would be another first
round exit as the Sharks are buried by the Colorado Avalanche in 6 games.
1999/00: Led by Owen Nolan who scores 44 goals the Sharks make it into the playoffs for the
3rd year in a row by finishing in 4th place with a record of 35-37-10-7. In the
playoffs the Sharks were heavy underdogs as they faced the St. Louis Blues who
had posted the top record in the NHL during the regular season. Surprisingly
the Sharks would get off to a quick start establishing a 3-1 series lead. However,
it appeared as if they let an opportunity pass them by as they failed to close
out the series in Game 5 and 6 as the series went to a 7th game in St. Louis.
However, the Sharks would bounce back jumping out to a 3-0 lead after 2 periods
as they became the first team in 9 years to beat a President's Trophy Winner
in the first round by a score of 3-1. However, in the 2nd round the Sharks would
lose Owen Nolan to an injury as they are beaten by the Dallas Stars in 5 games.
2000/01: Evgeni Nabokov takes over in goal in his first full season in the NHL winning the
Calder Trophy with a solid 2.19 GAA which included 6 shutouts as the Sharks put
together their first winning season in franchise history while finishing in 2nd
place at 40-27-12-3. However, in the playoffs the Sharks would make a quick
exit as they are beaten by the revenge minded St. Louis Blues in 6 games.
2001/02: Evgeni Nabokov continues to establish himself as one of the best young goalies in
the NHL with a solid 2.29 GAA including 7 shutouts as the Sharks won their first
division title with a terrific record of 44-27-8-3. In the playoffs the Sharks
would make quick work of the Phoenix Coyotes advancing to the 2nd round in 5
games to set up a match up with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.
After alternating wins through the first 4 games the Sharks grabbed the
upper hand by stunning the Avalanche on the road with a 5-3 win in Game 5 on
the road. With a chance to close the series out at home the Sharks to a 1-0 lead
late in the 2nd period. However, fans would not have much time to celebrate as
the Avalanche tied the game just 24 seconds later. After both teams were held
scoreless in the 3rd the Avalanche forced a decisive 7th game on a Peter Forsberg
goal in overtime. In Game 7 at Colorado the Sharks could not get anything past
Patrick Roy as their season came to end with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss as their
late flurry could not force overtime.
2002/03: After winning their first division championships hopes were high that the Sharks
could take the next step. However, with goalie Evgeni Nabokov holding out to start
the season the Sharks got off to a slow start winning just 1 of their first
5 games before Nabokov finally signed a contract. When Nabokov returned the Sharks
did not play much better as they continued to struggle through November posting
an 8-12-2- record when Coach Darryl Sutter is fired on December 1st. Under
his replacement Ron Wilson the Sharks would get back to .500 heading into January,
but as the New Year rolled around the Sharks continued to struggling winning
just 1 of their first 10 games as their playoff hopes faded. As the season
wound the down the Sharks began to retool for the future as Captain Owen Nolan
is traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a first
round draft pick. The Sharks would go on to finish in last place with a disappointing
record of 28-37-9-8. Following the season the house cleaning would continue,
as Teemu Selanne declined to pick up his option to return to San Jose for
another season, becoming a free agent.
2003/04: Coming off their disappointing season the Sharks again got off to a shaky start as
they won just 1 game in October. However, in November they would turn things
around as back up goalie Vesa Toskala played strong between the pipes while Evgeni
Nabokov was out with an injury. Toskala had won the back up job in the preseason,
leading to the trade of Miika Kiprusoff to the Calgary Flames. The Sharks
continued their strong play in December as Nabokov returned, leading the Sharks
to a 15-9-10-3 record at the end of December. In the second half of the season
the Sharks would continue to play well as they climbed to the top of the Pacific
Division winning their 2nd division title in 3 years as they topped the 100-point
mark for the first time in franchise history with a record of 43-21-12-6.
Leading the resurgent Sharks was Captain Patrick Marleau and Nils Ekman, who
each topped 50 points while Jonathan Cheechoo had a break out season with a team-high
28 goals. In the playoffs the Sharks got off to a dramatic start as Niko
Dimitrakos scored the only goal in a 1-0 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues;
as the Sharks went on to win the series in 5 games. The Sharks continued to
stay hot in the second round as they jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Colorado
Avalanche. In Game 4 Evgeni Nabokov shut down the Avalanche again as the
game went scoreless into overtime. However on the 36th shot Nabokov allowed a
goal keeping the Avalanche alive. Sakic would strike again in overtime in Game
5 as the Sharks once comfortable lead began to slip away. However Nabokov and
the Sharks would come through in Game 6 with a solid 3-1 win in Colorado to send
the Sharks into the Western Conference Finals. The Western Conference Finals
were uncharted waters for the Sharks but their opponent the Calgary Flames had
a few familiar faces as they were led by former Sharks Coach Darryl Sutter, while
in the net was Miika Kiprusoff whom the Sharks traded in November. Kiprusoff
would get the best of his former teammates in Game 1 as he turned away 49 of 52
shots as the Flames won in overtime 4-3. The Sharks frustrated by their loss
in Game 1 showed up flat in Game 2 and were soundly beaten 4-1. In danger of falling
apart the Sharks rebounded as the series shifted to Calgary as Evgeni Nabokov
stopped 34 shots in a 3-0 shutout win in Game 3. The Sharks would go on to
even the series with a 4-2 win in Game 4. However as the series shifted back to
the Shark Tank sloppy play would once again doom the Sharks as the Flames retook
control of the series with a 3-0 win. With the Sharks needing another road
win to force Game 7, would fall 3-1 as the Flames went on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
2004/05: Season Cancelled Due to Lock Out
2005/06: Before the Lock Out the Sharks were just two games away from the Western Conference
Finals, when the NHL resumed many expected them to be just as strong. However,
after a mediocre October, the Sharks went into a tailspin in November losing
10 in a row. Needing a jump start the Sharks made a blockbuster deal on November
30th sending Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, and Wayne Primeau to the Boston Bruins
for star Center Joe Thornton. The deal would provide immediate dividends as Thornton
had two assists as the Sharks beat the Buffalo Sabres on the road 5-0,
as they won their first six games after the deal. However, every time it appeared
the Sharks turned the corner they would encounter a three or four game losing
streak. Following another 3-game losing streak at the beginning of March Goalie
Evgeni Nabokov was benched in favor of Vesa Toskala. The move seemed to pay
off as the Sharks finished the season strong, posting a 16-4-2 record in their
final 22 games as they finished with a solid 44-27-11 record. During the strong
finish playing the key role was Joe Thornton who won the league's scoring title
with 125 points led by a tremendous 96 assists, many of which set up Jonathan
Cheecho for goals as his 56 were the most in the NHL. Thanks to his scoring title
and the Sharks turnaround after the deal Joe Thornton would go on to win the
Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. In the playoffs against the Nashville Predators, the
Sharks had a bump in the road losing the opener 4-3. The Sharks would rebound in
Game 2 as Toskala stopped all 25 shots in a 3-0 win. The Sharks offense would
get it cranked up when they returned home as they exploded for 9 goals in the
next two games on the way to taking a 3-1 series lead. The Sharks would go on to
win the series in five games taking Game 5 on the road 2-1 as Vesa Toskala turned
away 34 of 35 shots from a desperate Predators team. The Sharks would stay
hot in the second winning two straight 2-1 games at home to take a 2-0 series
lead. However, with a chance to take a 3-0 lead the Sharks would lose a heartbreaker
in triple overtime. The Sharks would never recover as the Oilers would come
roaring back to win the next 3 games to win the series in 6 games, as the Sharks
defense failed losing allowing 6 goals each in Games 4 and 5.
2006/07: With Joe Thornton in San Jose for a full season, great things were expected for the
Sharks, and they would not disappoint at the start, as they won 20 of their
first 27 games. However, as the long season stretched into February, injuries would
slow the Sharks down, as the ended the month on a season long four game losing
streak. To help get back on track and stronger for the playoffs the Sharks
acquired Craig Rivet for the Montreal Canadiens and Bill Guerin from the St. Louis
Blues at the trade deadline. The deals would help the Sharks finish the season
strong as they posted a 13-1-3 record over their final 17 games, finishing
with a franchise best record of 51-26-5, as Joe Thornton led the NHL in assists
with 92. However, in a competitive Western Conference it was only good enough
to earn them the 5th seed. In the playoffs the Sharks faced the Nashville Predators
for the second straight season, winning Game 1 on the road in overtime on
a goal by Patrick Rissmiller. After a 5-2 loss in Game 2, the series shifted to
San Jose, where the Sharks defense took over allowing just 20 shots in Game 3
as the Sharks overcame a first period goal to win 3-1. Game 4 was more of the
same as the Sharks held a 3-1 lead until the Predators in desperation mode cut
the score to 3-2 with just under three minutes left. However, the Sharks defense
would let the score hold up as they took an overwhelming 3-1 series advantage.
Trailing 2-1 late in the second period of Game 5 in Nashville Captain Patrick
Marleau scored a power play goal to grab control of the game. Marleau would add
the game winner in the 3rd period as the Sharks knocked off the Predators in
five games for the second straight year. Against the Detroit Red Wings in the second
round it was all Evgeni Nabokov, who stopped all 34 shots as the Sharks took
Game 1 on the road 2-0. In Game 2 the Sharks would jump out to an early 2-0
lead, scoring twice in the first five minutes. However, the Sharks would manage
just 10 shots over the last two periods as the Red Wings rallied to even the
series 3-2. The Sharks would rebound as the series shifted to the Hewlett Packard
Pavilion, winning 2-1 on a 3rd period goal by Jonathan Cheechoo. The Sharks
appeared to be cruising to a 3-1 series lead as they held a 2-0 late in the 2nd
Period. However, with five seconds left in the 2nd the Wings finally got one past
Nabokov as Tomas Holmstrom netted a power play goal. The Sharks held that 2-1
for most of the 3rd Period, before the Wings tied the game with 34 seconds left.
In Overtime the Sharks would be stunned again as the Wings evened the series
on a goal by Mathieu Schnieder. The Sharks would not recover from their wasted
opportunities as the Red Wings went on to win the next two games, and eliminate
the Sharks in six.
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