The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. The franchise is owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises. The Sharks were founded on May 9, 1990, after the owners of the Minnesota North Stars sold that team and purchased an expansion team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Beginning play in the 1991–92 season, the team initially played its home games at the Cow Palace, before moving to its present home, now named SAP Center at San Jose, in 1993; the SAP Center is known locally as "the Shark Tank". They were the first team to be based in the region since the California Golden Seals relocated to Cleveland in 1976. The Sharks have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final once, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. They have won the Presidents' Trophy once, as the team with the league's best regular season record in the 2008–09 season. They have also won six division titles as a member of the Pacific Division since 1993.
The Sharks are affiliated with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL.
Contents
History
San Francisco Bay Area hockey
Ice hockey in the San Francisco Bay Area began with the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League (WHL) when they were awarded an expansion franchise for San Francisco on April 23, 1961. The Seals won two WHL championships and were renamed to the California Seals in 1966.
In 1967, the California Golden Seals joined the NHL as part of the 1967 NHL expansion. They played their seasons from 1967 to 1976, but were neither successful on the ice nor at the box office. Gordon and George Gund III became minority owners of the Golden 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.
In 1988, 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.
San Jose Sharks birth
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. The owners paid to the league an expansion fee of US$45 million and the new franchise was approved on May 9.
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 inspired by the large number of sharks living in the Pacific Ocean. Seven varieties live there, and one area of water near the Bay Area is known as the "red triangle" because of its shark population. Matt Levine—the team's first marketing head—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." Jack Ferreira was hired as the team's first general manager.
Cow Palace years (1991–1993)
For their first two seasons, the Sharks played at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco. Pat Falloon was their first draft choice and led the team in points during their first season. The team was placed in the Campbell Conference's Smythe Division. George Kingston was their first head coach. 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. However, the team struggled in its first two seasons. Between their first and second seasons, they fired Ferreira, promoting Kingston, director of player personnel Chuck Grillo, and assistant GM Dean Lombardi as the shared general manager. Their 71 losses in the 1992–93 season is an NHL record. During this season, they suffered a 17-game losing streak (a then-NHL record), and won only 11 games while earning 24 points in the standings. Kingston was fired following the end of the 1992–93 season.
Despite the Sharks' futility in the standings, the team led the NHL's merchandise sales with $150 million, accounting for 27% of the NHL's total and behind only National Basketball Association champions Chicago Bulls among all North American leagues.
The inaugural year also saw the introduction of the San Jose Sharks mascot, "S. J. Sharkie". On January 28, 1992, at a game against 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 (1993–1996)
For their third season, 1993–94, the Sharks moved to their new and current home, the San Jose Arena, and were placed in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. Under new head coach Kevin Constantine, they finished with a 33–35–16 record and made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in team history with 82 points, an NHL record 58-point jump from the previous season. They were seeded eighth in the Western Conference playoffs and faced the Detroit Red Wings, the top-seeded Western Conference team and a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. In one of the biggest upsets in Stanley Cup playoff history, the Sharks defeated the Red Wings in seven games. In game seven at Joe Louis Arena, Jamie Baker scored the game-winning goal in the third period after goaltender Chris Osgood was out of position and the Sharks won 3–2, becoming the first eighth-seed in the history of North American professional sports to defeat the first seed in a playoff series. In the second round, the Sharks had a 3–2 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but lost the final two games in Toronto.
In 1994–95, the Sharks earned their second-straight playoff berth and again reached the second round. Ray Whitney scored the double-overtime game-winning goal of game seven of the conference quarterfinals against the Calgary Flames. Despite their success against Calgary, they lost in a four-game sweep to Detroit. Constantine was given a three-year deal prior to the 1995–96 season.
In the regular season, Constantine was fired after a 3–18–4 start to the season and replaced by Jim Wiley. The Sharks finished last in the Pacific Division and failed to make the playoffs. The team also traded out defenseman Sandis Ozoliņš to the Colorado Avalanche for Owen Nolan. Grillo was also fired with Lombardi holding the sole responsibility of general manager.
Dean Lombardi era (1996–2003)
The 1996–97 season was no better under Al Sims, with the Sharks again finishing last and winning only 27 games. Sims was fired after his one season of play. Their standing would help them draft Patrick Marleau second overall in the 1997 NHL entry draft. The Sharks returned to the playoffs in 1997–98 with goaltender Mike Vernon, whom they acquired from the Red Wings, and new head coach Darryl Sutter. They were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the conference quarterfinals. Over the summer, they acquired goaltender Steve Shields, and during the 1998–99 season, San Jose acquired Montreal Canadiens forward Vincent Damphousse. However, the Colorado Avalanche defeated them in the conference quarterfinals. In the playoffs, the Sharks eliminated the Presidents' Trophy-winning St. Louis Blues by coming back from a 3–1 series deficit to win in seven games. However, the Sharks were defeated in the second round of the playoffs by the Stars.
In 2000–01, Kazakh goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who was originally drafted in 1994, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. The team also acquired Finnish star forward Teemu Selänne from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In the 2001 playoffs, the St. Louis Blues eliminated the Sharks in six games in the first round. In 2001–02, the Sharks won their first Pacific Division title, but they fell to the Avalanche in the second round in seven games.
Following the 2001–02 season, the Gunds sold the Sharks to a group of local investors headed by team president Greg Jamison. The 2002–03 season did not start well for the Sharks as they began 8–12–2–2 and fired Sutter as head coach. Ron Wilson was hired as head coach a few days later. Near the 2003 NHL trade deadline, captain Owen Nolan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lombardi's tenure with the team ended with his dismissal on March 18, 2003. Doug Wilson was named to the role on May 13.
Doug Wilson era (2003–2022)
The 2003–04 season saw the team turn around their record from the previous season, finishing atop the Pacific Division. In the 2004 playoffs, the Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues in the conference quarterfinals and the Colorado Avalanche in the conference semifinals, advancing to the conference finals. However, they fell to the Calgary Flames in six games. During that season, without a captain following Nolan's trade, San Jose utilized a rotating captaincy. When the job eventually fell to Patrick Marleau, he kept the captaincy. During the offseason, forward Vincent Damphousse was left in free agency to the Colorado Avalanche.
During the 2005–06 season the Sharks traded Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau, and Marco Sturm to the Boston Bruins in exchange for star player Joe Thornton. In the 2006 playoffs, the Sharks fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the conference semifinals. Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player, as well as the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points, with 125. Jonathan Cheechoo was awarded the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals during the regular season with 56.
During the 2006–07 season they traded for defenseman Craig Rivet and winger Bill Guerin at the trade deadline. The Sharks finished the regular season second in the Pacific Division with a 51–26–5 record. In the conference quarterfinals, the Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators for the second consecutive year. In the conference semifinals, the Sharks were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings.
In the 2007–08 season, the Sharks picked up Brian Campbell at the trade deadline, giving up Steve Bernier. The Sharks captured their third Pacific Division title with a franchise-record 108 points. San Jose started the 2008 playoffs beating the Calgary Flames four games to three. San Jose eventually lost to the Dallas Stars in the conference semifinals. Game six required four overtime periods, and was the longest game in the team's history. Following the playoff loss, the Sharks fired Ron Wilson as head coach.
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. During the offseason, the Sharks signed defenseman Rob Blake and acquired defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich. Midway through the season, San Jose added Claude Lemieux to their roster. Lemieux was rejoining the NHL after a five-year absence. The Sharks finished the regular season as Presidents' 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.
Mike Grier era (2022–present)
On July 5, 2022, the Sharks hired former player Mike Grier to serve as their new general manager, becoming the first black general manager in NHL history and fifth general manager in franchise history. On July 13, the Sharks traded defenseman Brent Burns along with a prospect to the Carolina Hurricanes for Steven Lorentz and a draft pick. On July 26, Grier named former Rangers head coach David Quinn as the team's new head coach. San Jose opened its season in Europe as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series, with an exhibition match against Eisbären Berlin and a two-game series against Nashville in Prague, Czech Republic to kick off the 2022–23 regular season. On February 25, 2023, the Sharks retired Patrick Marleau's number 12 in a pre-game ceremony. Marleau's number was the first to be retired in franchise history. Prior to the trade deadline, the Sharks and New Jersey Devils executed an 11-piece trade on February 26, in which the Sharks sent forward Timo Meier to New Jersey in exchange for multiple future assets, including two conditional first-round draft selections, 2020 first-round pick Shakir Mukhamadullin and winger Fabian Zetterlund. The Sharks finished in seventh place in the Pacific Division, and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. The Sharks were led in scoring by defenseman Erik Karlsson, who finished with 101 points and 67 assists, both of which are records by a Sharks defenseman. He scored a pair of goals on April 10, in Winnipeg to become the sixth defenseman in NHL history to record 100 points and first since Brian Leetch in 1991–92. His goal, assist and point totals at the end of the season led all NHL defensemen, and he was named to his seventh NHL All-Star game. He was awarded the Norris Trophy on June 26, the third of his career and second won by a Sharks defenseman.
On August 6, San Jose traded Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a three-team trade also featuring the Montreal Canadiens. San Jose received a conditional first-round selection from Pittsburgh in the 2024 NHL entry draft, along with forwards Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman and defenseman Jan Rutta. During the 2023–24 season, the Sharks became the first team since the 1965–66 Boston Bruins to allow 10 goals in consecutive games. Their 0–10–1 record tied the record for longest losing streak to start the season. They traded Tomáš Hertl at the trade deadline, receiving David Edstrom and a 2025 first round pick in return. After the 2023–24 season, head coach David Quinn was fired.
On May 7, 2024, the Sharks won the NHL draft lottery for the first time, securing the number one pick for the 2024 NHL entry draft, picking Macklin Celebrini from Boston University. Assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky was announced as Quinn's replacement as head coach on June 13, 2024. The Sharks finished the 2024–25 season last but fell to picking second overall in the 2025 NHL entry draft, with which they selected Michael Misa. Following the season, captain Logan Couture retired, spending his entire NHL career with the Sharks.
Team information
Logo and jerseys
The Sharks' logo of a shark chomping on a hockey stick has been in use since their inaugural 1991–92 season, with slight modifications prior to the 2007–08 season. The triangle on the logo references the Bay Area's Red Triangle near the Pacific Ocean. The Sharks also use various partial and alternate logos based on the primary logo.
The original Sharks' road jerseys were teal with white, gray and black striping and featured white block lettering with black trim. Home uniforms were white with teal, gray and black striping and featured teal block lettering with black trim. Both jerseys included the team's "fin" logo on either shoulder and were used until the 1997–98 season.
The Sharks introduced their future road (later home) jersey as an alternate during the 1997–98 season, featuring a darker teal base, wide gray sleeve and shoulder striping and modernized lettering. A white home (later road) counterpart was introduced the following season and featured teal and gray shoulder and sleeve stripes. In the 2001–02 season, the Sharks began wearing a black third jersey, featuring the return of the fin logo on the shoulders and minimalist teal and white sleeve stripes.
Upon switching to the Reebok Edge template in 2007, the Sharks introduced new home and away jerseys. The teal home jersey featured a black shoulder yoke while the white road jersey used a teal shoulder yoke. Both jerseys replaced gray with orange trim on the stripes and lettering, added numbers on the right chest, and featured the full-body (or "jumping") shark logo on the shoulders.
Before the 2008–09 season, the Sharks introduced a new black alternate jersey, without the contrasting shoulder yoke, tail stripes or orange trim. It also featured the jumping shark logo in front and the "SJ" alternate logo on the shoulders. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the Sharks unveiled new uniforms, which included less orange, along with adding a lace-up collar. The front numbers were replaced with the Sharks' 25th-anniversary logo prior to the 2015–16 season.
Following the switch to Adidas' AdiZero template in 2017, the Sharks kept much of their basic look save for the replacement of the "jumping shark" logo in favor of the "screaming shark" logo (home jersey) and "SJ" logo (road jersey) on the shoulder. The slogan "This Is Sharks Territory" was added inside the neckline. The black alternates were retired prior to the season, but in 2018, a new black jersey was introduced. Known as the "Stealth" jersey, it featured a slightly different rendition of the primary Sharks logo, an updated version of the original "fin" logo on the shoulders and stylized circuit board sleeve striping.
Broadcasters
Television:
Randy Hahn: play-by-play
Drew Remenda: primary color commentator
Scott Hannan: alternate color commentator
Jason Demers: alternate color commentator
Jamal Mayers: alternate color commentator
Alex Stalock: alternate color commentator
Alan Hoshida: studio host
Mark Smith: studio analyst
Ted Ramey: studio analyst
Nick Nollenberger: studio analyst
Radio:
Dan Rusanowsky: play-by-play
Scott Hannan: color commentator for select games
Drew Remenda: color commentator for select games
Jason Demers: color commentator for select games
Jamal Mayers: color commentator for select games
Alex Stalock: color commentator for select games
Ted Ramey: Sharks Audio Network host and color commentator for select games
Tara Slone: Sharks Audio Network host
On June 1, 2023, Dan Rusanowsky was announced as the recipient of the 2023 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, voted on by the NHL Broadcaster's Association and presented "in recognition of members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting".
Traditions
The Sharks' best-known tradition is their pre-game entrance scene. At the beginning of each Sharks home game, the lights go down and 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.
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
Players and personnel
Current roster
Updated July 14, 2026
Hall of Fame
The San Jose Sharks hold an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame, including nine inductees from the players category of the Hall of Fame.
Players
Retired numbers
The team is unable to issue No. 99 to its players due to the NHL retiring the league-wide number in honor of Wayne Gretzky at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.
In 2015, the team raised a GGIII in honor of George Gund III, the original team owner.
In 2022, the team raised a DW banner to honor the accomplishments of Doug Wilson, who served as both a player and general manager for the team.
Team captains
Reference:
NHL awards and trophies
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
2015–16
Presidents' Trophy
2008–09
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
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Brent Burns: 2016–17
Erik Karlsson: 2022–23
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
Jonathan Cheechoo: 2005–06
NHL Foundation Player Award
Brent Burns: 2014–15
All-Star Game head coach
Todd McLellan: 2009, 2012
Franchise leaders
Scoring leaders
These are the top-ten-point-scorers in franchise regular season history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
* – current Sharks player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
Goaltending leaders
These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
* – current Sharks player
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/O = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts