50 Fun Facts About San Jose Sharks

The Gund brothers sold which team and received an expansion franchise, creating the Sharks?

They were even allowed to take a set number of North Stars players to San Jose.

Which name finished first in the fan mail-in vote but was rejected over its association with weapons?

Runner-up 'Sharks' nodded to the seven species in the nearby Pacific.

Which Bay Area team, later moved to Cleveland, was the region's last NHL club before the Sharks?

They played from 1967 to 1976; a Seals-inspired Reverse Retro jersey appeared in 2022.

Where did the Sharks play their first two seasons before the San Jose Arena opened?

It sits in Daly City, just outside San Francisco.

Which former Norris Trophy defenseman was the Sharks' first captain and later their general manager?

He arrived from Chicago days before the first season and ran the front office from 2003 to 2022.

How many games did the Sharks lose in 1992-93, still an NHL record?

They also endured a then-record 17-game losing streak and won just 11 times.

Despite finishing last, the early Sharks led the NHL in what off the ice?

Their $150 million was 27% of the league total, trailing only the Chicago Bulls in North America.

How did mascot S. J. Sharkie make his unnamed debut in January 1992?

A 'Name the Mascot' contest started that night.

By how many points did the Sharks improve in 1993-94, an NHL record?

Kevin Constantine coached them to 82 points and a first playoff berth.

Who scored the Game 7 winner at Joe Louis Arena in 1994 as the eighth-seeded Sharks stunned Detroit?

It was the first time an eighth seed beat a first seed in North American pro sports.

Which defenseman was traded to Colorado for Owen Nolan in 1995-96?

Nolan later captained the club until his 2003 trade to Toronto.

Whom did the Sharks select second overall in the 1997 draft?

His No. 12 became the first number retired by the franchise in 2023.

Which Kazakh goalie won the Calder Trophy for San Jose in 2000-01?

He had been drafted in 1994 and stayed ten seasons.

Which three players went to Boston in the 2005 blockbuster that brought Jumbo Joe to San Jose?

Thornton won the Hart and Art Ross that same season, split between two teams.

Which Shark won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 56 goals in 2005-06?

Most of them came on Thornton's wing.

Which eighth seed knocked out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Sharks in the 2009 first round?

San Jose had set franchise records with 53 wins and 117 points.

Which veteran rejoined the NHL with San Jose in 2008-09 after a five-year absence?

He retired again after that season.

Whom did the Sharks name captain in 2009 after stripping the 'C' from their 1997 second-overall pick?

Heatley arrived that summer for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo.

Which Cup-winning Blackhawks goalie signed with San Jose in September 2010?

Nabokov was not re-signed after ten seasons.

Whose overtime goal capped the 2011 Game 3 comeback from 4-0 down against Los Angeles?

Five second-period goals tied the second-biggest comeback in playoff history; Thornton won the series in OT.

Which All-Star defenseman came from Minnesota in 2011 for Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and a first-rounder?

Dany Heatley went to the Wild for Martin Havlat in a second deal that summer.

In 2014 the Sharks became only the fourth NHL team to lose a series after leading 3-0, to whom?

LA won Game 7 5-1 and went on to win the Cup.

Which 49ers home hosted the Sharks' 2015 outdoor game, a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles?

They missed the playoffs that year for the first time in a decade.

Which coach, hired in 2015, took San Jose to its first Stanley Cup Final the next spring?

Joe Pavelski was named captain the same summer.

Which goalie, flipped from Boston via the Kings, backstopped the 2016 run to the Final?

Pittsburgh won the Final in six.

Which team beat the Sharks in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final?

San Jose beat the Kings, Predators and Blues to get there.

Which team did the Sharks' longtime No. 12 leave for in 2017 before being reacquired in 2019?

Erik Karlsson arrived from Ottawa in 2018.

Who scored the 2019 Game 7 overtime winner against Vegas after a controversial power play?

San Jose scored four goals on the major with eight minutes left.

Which forward's contract was terminated in 2022 after he violated AHL COVID-19 protocol?

He was later signed by Edmonton and settled a grievance with the Sharks.

Mike Grier, hired in July 2022, made history as the NHL's first what?

He is the fifth general manager in franchise history.

Which city hosted the Sharks' 2022 season-opening games against Nashville?

They played an exhibition against Eisbaren Berlin first.

Which team acquired Timo Meier from San Jose in an 11-piece trade in February 2023?

Two conditional first-round picks and Fabian Zetterlund came back.

Erik Karlsson's 101 points in 2022-23 made him the first defenseman to hit 100 since whom?

He won his third Norris and was traded to Pittsburgh that August.

Which dubious first since the 1965-66 Bruins did the 2023-24 Sharks record?

Their 0-10-1 start tied the record for the longest losing streak to open a season.

Whom did the Sharks select first overall in 2024 after winning their first draft lottery?

He came from Boston University; Michael Misa followed at second overall in 2025.

Whose franchise single-season points record did Celebrini break with 115 in April 2026?

Thornton's mark had been 114.

Which captain retired after 2024-25 having spent his entire career with the Sharks?

Coach Ryan Warsofsky later apologised for a crude 'give up one of my children for a win' remark.

The three-sided shape in the Sharks logo references what?

The shark has chomped a hockey stick since 1991.

Which colour was added as trim when the Sharks moved to Reebok Edge jerseys in 2007?

It replaced gray and was toned down again in 2013.

Which slogan was stitched inside the neckline of the Sharks' Adidas-era jerseys?

The 2018 black 'Stealth' jersey added circuit-board striping.

Which local citizens' group pushed for the building that became SAP Center?

A tax measure squeaked through a public vote on June 7, 1988.

Under what original name did SAP Center open in 1993?

Fans still call it the Shark Tank.

Which OHL team did the future Sharks star play for before going first overall to Boston in 1997?

He was OHL and CHL rookie of the year and grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario.

During the 2004-05 lockout, the future Sharks captain won a title and the Spengler Cup with which Swiss club?

He played on a line with Rick Nash and Niklas Hagman there.

Jumbo Joe is one of only how many NHL players with 1,000 career assists?

He is widely regarded as one of the best passers ever.

Which team beat the Sharks in the 1994 second round after San Jose led the series 3-2?

The Leafs won the final two games at home.

Which AHL team became the Sharks' San Jose-based farm club in 2015?

The Sharks moved their AHL affiliate from Worcester to San Jose in 2015, keeping the top farm team in the same city.

Which team eliminated the Sharks in six games in their first Western Conference Final, in 2004?

San Jose had beaten St. Louis and Colorado to get there, playing much of that season with a rotating captaincy until Patrick Marleau kept the job.

How many points did Joe Thornton record in 2005-06 when he won both the Hart and Art Ross trophies?

Thornton split that season between Boston and San Jose after the midseason trade, yet still led the league in scoring.

Which Sharks radio voice received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2023?

The award, voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Association, recognises outstanding career contributions to hockey broadcasting.