San Jose Sharks 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 known locally as the Shark Tank . History . Bringing hockey back to the Bay Area . The Oakland Coliseum Arena was home to the California Golden Seals of the NHL from 1967 to 1976 . Gordon and George Gund became minority owners of the Seals in 1974 , and were instrumental in their move to Cleveland in 1976 and a 1978 merger with the Minnesota North Stars , which they purchased that year . They 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 the proposed move . 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 consisted primarily 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 – 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 , S . J . Sharkie . 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 SAP Center in 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 . Detroit coach Scotty Bowman had " Spinal Tap " - like troubles in the tunnels of the San Jose Arena , being stumped by the tangled maze , and having twice locked himself into rooms beneath the Arena from which he had to be rescued . In Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena , Jamie Baker scored the game - winning goal in the 3rd period and the Sharks won 3 - 2 . 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 earned their second straight playoff berth 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 . 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 . In 1998 they lost to the Stars in six games . In 1999 the Sharks fell to the Avalanche in six games . That year , San Jose acquired former Toronto and Montreal star Vincent Damphousse in exchange for draft picks with future considerations . When Damphousse , a pending free agent , re - signed with San Jose in the offseason , the considerations were triggered and picks became a fifth - round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and a first - round pick in the 2000 NHL entry draft . San Jose ' s luck changed in the 1999 – 2000 season , when the Sharks finished with their first - ever winning record . Unfortunately , they 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 . During the series , Blues ' s star Chris Pronger became a target of Sharks fans ' booes , starting a mutually antagonistical relationship that results in boos and shouts of his name whenever Pronger visits the San Jose arena . Despite the victory , San Jose 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 . With starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and shutdown defenseman Mike Rathje in contract disputes with the team and general manager Dean Lombardi , combined with the loss of Gary Suter by his retirement , the team got off to a terrible start . Kyle McLaren was acquired in a three - way trade with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins , with checking - line winger Niklas Sundstrom and a third - round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft going to Montreal , goaltender Jeff Hackett and promising prospect Jeff Jillson going to Boston , and McLaren and a fourth - round pick going to San Jose . Dan McGillis was acquired in exchange for long - time Shark 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 – 08 ) . Near the 2003 NHL trade deadline , captain and " face - of - the - franchise " Owen Nolan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brad Boyes , Alyn McCauley , and a first round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft , signaling a new era in Sharks history . In addition , the newly - acquired McGillis was traded to Boston for a second - round pick , Bryan Marchment went to Colorado for third - and fifth - round picks , and AHL star Shawn Heins , and forward Matt Bradley were moved to Pittsburgh for a conditional draft choice ( 9th round ) and Wayne Primeau respectively . Reportedly , due to having just acquired the team as well as the team ' s bad start , the ownership group wanted Lombardi to move high - priced players on the roster , including Selanne . Lombardi failed to do so ( Selanne reportedly used his no - trade clause to negate a trade that would have sent him to New Jersey for Scott Gomez ) , and as a result , lost his job . During that debacle year for San Jose , there were some bright spots . Jim Fahey led all rookie defensemen in points despite playing in only 43 games . 2003 – 04 , under new general manager Doug Wilson and head coach Ron Wilson saw another turnaround for the team , resulting in the team ' s best season ever . An injection of youth , with players like Christian Ehrhoff and out - of - college signing Tom Preissing , and the influx of energy from Alexander Korolyuk jump - started San Jose . Wilson acquired Nils Ekman for AHL forward Chad Wiseman , and a line of Ekman , McCauley , and Korolyuk provided strong play for San Jose , with all three players enjoying career years . Midway through the season , key forward Marco Sturm suffered a broken leg / ankle injury . In response , San Jose acquired Curtis Brown in exchange for Jeff Jillson , re - acquired from Boston in exchange for the recently - acquired Brad Boyes . 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 . The Sharks lost all three games played in San Jose in that series . Kiprusoff was traded early in the season to the Flames for a second round pick ( Marc - Edouard Vlasic was drafted for that second pick ) . During that season , San Jose , without a captain following Nolan ' s trade , utilized a rotating captaincy . When the job eventually fell to Patrick Marleau , Mike Ricci urged both Wilsons to allow Marleau to keep the captaincy . They did just that , and Marleau became the team ' s new captain . During the offseason forward Vincent Damphousse was lost to the Colorado Avalanche via to free agency , but never played a game for them as he announced his retirement during the 2004 - 2005 lockout . 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 . The team also lost Alexander Korolyuk , who decided to play in Russia in the RSL instead of accepting his arbitrator - decided contract . 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 - turned starter 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 red - hot Edmonton Oilers 4 - 2 in the conference semifinals . The Sharks led the series against Edmonton 2 - 0 before losing four straight . 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 Toskala and Nabokov every other game . In the beginning of the season , San Jose made an unusual trade with the New Jersey Devils , acquiring Vladimir Malakhov and a first - round draft pick for Jim Fahey and the rights to Korolyuk . Since Malakhov had essentially retired from the NHL , this trade essentially was San Jose getting a first - round pick in exchange for taking on Malakhov ' s cap hit . A concern made by fans and members of the media was the lack of a left winger to play on a line with the duo of Thornton and Cheechoo . Wilson seemingly addressed this issue by acquiring 25 - year - old 20 - goal - scorer Mark Bell from the Chicago in exchange for Tom Preissing and Josh Hennessy . Despite scoring a goal in his first two games with San Jose , Bell was widely considered a flop in San Jose . Off - ice issues , including being cited for drunk driving and an alleged hit - and - run contributed to his on - ice play . By the end of the season , Bell was consistently either a healthy scratch or a fourth - liner . Two significant trades were made at the trade deadline for defenseman Craig Rivet and winger Bill Guerin , with a first - round pick departing San Jose in both cases . 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 Rivet . They also added former USA star Jeremy Roenick to the roster . Roenick had considered retirement but decided to give it one last try with San Jose . San Jose effectively made Nabokov their number one goaltender by trading Toskala and Bell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first - , second - , and fourth - round pick in the 2007 draft . 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 , for whom they gave up Steve Bernier and a first - round - pick in the 2008 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 playoffs beating the Calgary Flames 4 games to 3 in San Jose ' s first ever home Game 7 ( with Roenick getting 2 goals and 2 assists in the final game ) , advancing to play the fifth seeded Dallas Stars in the second round . On Monday , April 21 , goalie Evgeni Nabokov was named one of the three finalists for the Vezina trophy for the NHL ' s most valuable goaltender , losing to Martin Brodeur . 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 12 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 . Wilson moved on to be hired as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs along with assistant coaches Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler , to make up the Toronto coaching staff . 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 . Todd Richards , Trent Yawney , and Jay Woodcroft were named assistant coaches . During the off season , 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 . Midway through the season , San Jose added playoff warrior Claude Lemieux to their roster . Lemieux , 43 years old , was rejoining the NHL after a 5 - year absence . At the trade deadline , San Jose acquired checking - line winger Travis Moen and the injured defenseman Kent Huskins from Anaheim in exchange for goal tending prospect Timo Pielmeier , forward prospect Nick Bonino , and a conditional draft pick . The pick conditions were based on the advancement of the San Jose team and on the possibly of Moen and Huskins , both pending unrestricted free agents , signing with either Anaheim or San Jose . With Moen departing for the Montreal Canadiens during the off season and Huskins signing in San Jose , Anaheim will receive a fourth - round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft . The Sharks finished the regular season as President ' s Trophy champions with 53 wins and 117 points , both franchise records . Despite their successful regular season , the Sharks were eliminated by the eighth - seeded Anaheim Ducks in six games in the first round of the playoffs . The team was heavily criticized for once again failing to succeed in the postseason . General Manager Doug Wilson promised the team would undergo significant changes in the off season . In the 2009 off season , Wilson held to his word with many major moves . The first was Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Vancouver Canucks for prospects Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi . It was widely believed that San Jose made this trade so it could free up salary cap space to make a second trade : long - tenured Shark Milan Michalek , fan favorite Jonathan Cheechoo , and a second round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft were sent to the Ottawa Senators for the unhappy Dany Heatley and a fifth round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft . Also , assistant coach Todd Richards left to become the head coach of the Minnesota Wild . Richards was replaced by Matt Shaw . Aside from the trades , several contracts were not renewed , including Mike Grier , Marcel Goc , Tomas Plihal , and Alexei Semenov . San Jose also signed energetic forward Scott Nichol , and added grit to the team by signing Joe Callahan , Jed Ortmeyer , and Manny Malhotra . San Jose also signed Benn Ferriero , an unsigned 2007 draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes . Jeremy Roenick and Claude Lemieux both announced their retirements . Another major move by San Jose was removing Marleau of the captaincy and giving it to the newly re - signed Rob Blake . A reason for the move was that Marleau was Wilson ' s Captain and McLellan wanted to name his own . Boyle and Thornton were named the assistants , though Marleau has worn an " A " when Blake , Thornton , and / or Boyle has been out . On February 7th , 2010 , San Jose traded to the Carolina Hurricanes a 2010 2nd round draft pick ( acquired from the Buffalo Sabres ) for Niclas Wallin and a 2010 5th round draft pick . On February 12th , 2010 , San Jose traded to the New York Rangers Jody Shelley for a 2011 6th round draft pick . The Sharks finished the regular season leading the Western Conference with 113 points and being the second team in the league after the Washington Capitals . In the Western Conference quarterfinals , the Sharks eliminated the Colorado Avalanche in six games . In the conference semifinals , they met the Detroit Red Wings , a series in which many considered the top seeded Sharks to be the underdogs to the two time defending conference champion . However , the Sharks managed to move past their previous postseason failures , defeating the Red Wings 4 games to 1 to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 , and for only the second time in franchise history . The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Sharks in the conference finals with a four game sweep , ending the 2009 - 2010 season . On June 23 , 2010 general manager Doug Wilson anounced that they will not offer a UFA contract to long time goaltender Evgeni Nabokov after playing ten seasons with the team . Due to the cap issue the Sharks had to chose between former captain Patrick Marleau and Nabokov . On July 1 , 2010 the Sharks signed goalie Antero Niittymaki from the Tampa Bay Lightning to a two - year contract at a reported $ 2 million each season . The San Jose Sharks won a 7th - seed placement in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 7 , 2012 . They play against the St . Louis Blues on April 12 , 2012 . Traditions . The Sharks have kept the same pre - game celebration since they moved to HP Pavilion in 1993 . At the beginning of each Sharks home game , a 17 - foot open shark mouth is lowered from the rafters . As the mouth is lowered the eyes flash red and fog pours out . Then , a live view of the locker room tunnel with Sharks players is shown on the scoreboard and the goalie leads the team out of the locker room , through the mouth , and onto the ice . The Sharks use the songs Seek and Destroy by Metallica or Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N ' Roses as their entrance song . Anytime the Sharks are on the powerplay , the " Jaws " theme song is played while the fans move their hands to form a jaw moving up and down . When the Sharks score , a fog horn is blasted , which was installed in 1993 and is located over section 208 . 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 List of 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 " Players . 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 . Presidents ' Trophy Art Ross Trophy Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Calder Memorial Trophy Hart Memorial Trophy Maurice ' Rocket ' Richard Trophy All - Star Game head coach