Formation The Sharks origins 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, to former
Vancouver Canucks owner Coleman (Coley) Hall. The Seals won two WHL championships and were renamed to the California Seals in 1966, playing their games at the
Oakland Coliseum Arena. The following season, the
California Golden Seals joined the NHL, played their seasons from 1967 to 1976, who 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, 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 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." In 1990,
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 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. 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. They also suffered a 17-game losing streak, while winning just 11 games and 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) ) in 1993. 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, the Sharks pulled off the biggest turnaround in NHL history, finishing with a 33–35–16 record and making 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 underdog Sharks shocked 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. However, the 1994–95 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 Detroit Red Wings. 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 Ozolinsh 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 an upset on par with the one they had pulled on Detroit six years earlier, the Sharks managed to eliminate 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. was awarded the
Calder Memorial Trophy in the
2000–01 season. 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 Selanne 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) Resurgence and arrival of Joe Thornton (2003–2008) 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 off-season, forward Vincent Damphousse was left in free agency to the Colorado Avalanche. was named the Sharks' team captain in the second half of the
2003–04 season, maintaining the position until 2009. 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. 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. playoffs, the Sharks acquired
Brian Campbell prior to the League's trade deadline. 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.
Todd McLellan as head coach (2008–2015) 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. was acquired by the Sharks during the 2009 off-season. The Sharks sent
Milan Michalek and
Jonathan Cheechoo to the
Ottawa Senators in return for Heatley. In the 2009 offseason,
Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo were sent to the
Ottawa Senators in exchange for
Dany Heatley and a draft pick. Claude Lemieux also announced his retirement from the NHL. Another move by San Jose was stripping Patrick Marleau of the captaincy and assigning it to the newly re-signed Rob Blake. On February 7, 2010, San Jose acquired
Niclas Wallin from the
Carolina Hurricanes. The Sharks finished the
2009–10 regular season leading the Western Conference with 113 points. In the conference quarterfinals, the Sharks eliminated the Colorado Avalanche. In the conference semifinals, the Sharks defeated the Detroit Red Wings. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Sharks in the conference finals with a four-game sweep. in the
2011 conference finals, losing the series 4–1. On June 23, 2010, Wilson announced they would not offer an unrestricted free agent contract to long-time goaltender Evgeni Nabokov after playing ten seasons with the team. On September 2, 2010, the Sharks signed former member of the Chicago Blackhawks and Stanley Cup-winning goaltender
Antti Niemi to a one-year contract. On March 1, 2011, Niemi signed a four-year contract extension with San Jose worth $15.2 million. On March 31, 2011, the Sharks clinched their seventh consecutive playoff berth with a 6–0 victory over the Dallas Stars. Five days later, they clinched their sixth Pacific Division championship. Entering the
2011 playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference, the Sharks opened their playoff run with the franchise's first playoff series against
intrastate rival, the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings took a 4–0 lead in game three but five-second-period goals by the Sharks capped with a
Devin Setoguchi overtime winner gave the Sharks a 6–5 victory and tied them for the second-biggest comeback in Stanley Cup playoff history. They would win the series in six games, with captain Joe Thornton scoring the series-winning overtime goal. The Sharks advanced to the conference semifinals to face the third-seed Detroit Red Wings. Although went out to a 3–0 series lead like the previous season, the Sharks dropped three more games as the Red Wings became the eighth team in NHL history to force a game seven after being down 3–0 in the series. However, they would not become the fourth team in history to pull off the comeback as the Sharks prevailed, 3–2 in game seven. The Sharks advanced to their third conference finals series against the
Vancouver Canucks, but lost in six games. the Sharks acquired
Brent Burns through a trade with the
Minnesota Wild. The first major move made by San Jose in the 2011 off-season was to trade winger Devin Setoguchi, the Sharks' 2010 first-round pick
Charlie Coyle and a first-round pick in the
2011 NHL entry draft to the
Minnesota Wild for All-Star defenseman
Brent Burns and a
2012 second-round pick. This came after Setoguchi had signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the Sharks. The Sharks continued their offseason retool by orchestrating a second transaction with the Wild, shipping Dany Heatley to Minnesota in exchange for
Martin Havlat. The Sharks finished the
2011–12 season with a 43–29–10 record, good for 96 points and the seventh seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, after winning game one of their first-round series with the St. Louis Blues in overtime, they lost the final four games of the series. It was later announced that McLellan would remain on the bench for a fifth season. During the
lockout-shortened
2012–13 season,
Raffi Torres was acquired. In the first round of the
2013 playoffs, the Sharks swept the Vancouver Canucks, their first series-sweep in franchise history. The Sharks would subsequently fall in seven games to the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the playoffs. The Sharks started the
2013–14 season 8–0–1, and were the last team in the NHL to stay undefeated in regulation until October 25, when the Sharks lost to the Boston Bruins. In the first round of the
2014 playoffs, the Sharks were matched with rivals and eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. Although the Sharks took a 3–0 series lead, the Kings came back to tie the series before advancing with a 5–1 win in game seven (only the fourth time in NHL history where a team lost a best-of-seven series after winning their first three games). On August 20, 2014, head coach Todd McLellan announced the team would go into training camp for the
2014–15 season without a captain, and that all players would have the opportunity to compete for the captaincy. The Sharks hosted the
2015 Stadium Series against the Kings at
Levi's Stadium in February 2015, losing 2–1. Despite posting a record of 40–33–9, the Sharks finished fifth in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs for the first time in ten years. On April 20, 2015, the team announced that they had agreed to part ways with McLellan.
First Stanley Cup Final and continued contention (2015–2019) led the Sharks in scoring during their run to the
2016 Stanley Cup Final. On May 28, 2015, the team named
Peter DeBoer as their head coach. During the offseason, they traded goalie Antti Niemi to the Dallas Stars for a seventh-round draft pick in the
2015 NHL entry draft. They also acquired forward
Joel Ward and goaltender
Martin Jones, the latter of which was flipped from the
Boston Bruins via the Los Angeles Kings. They also named forward Joe Pavelski the team's captain. The Sharks finished third in the Pacific Division with 98 points. They defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Nashville Predators in seven games, and the St. Louis Blues in six games to win the
Western Conference championship. This marked the first time in franchise history that the Sharks advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks ultimately lost the
Stanley Cup Final in the best-of-seven series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. In the
following season, the Sharks finished in third place in the Pacific Division, but were defeated by the
Edmonton Oilers in six games in the first round of the
2017 playoffs. Following the season, Patrick Marleau left the team to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the
2017–18 season, the Sharks acquired
Evander Kane in a trade with the
Buffalo Sabres. The Sharks once again finished in third place in the Pacific Division. They swept the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the
2018 playoffs, but lost to the expansion
Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the second round. Prior to the
2018–19 season, the Sharks traded
Mikkel Boedker,
Julius Bergman, and a draft pick for
Mike Hoffman, a prospect, and a draft pick, but immediately flipped Hoffman to the
Florida Panthers for three draft picks. Later that summer, the Sharks acquired
Erik Karlsson and
Francis Perron from the Senators for
Rudolf Balcers,
Dylan DeMelo,
Josh Norris,
Chris Tierney, and two draft picks. The Sharks saw another playoff berth and overcame a 3–1 series deficit over the Vegas Golden Knights. Game seven of the series featured a dramatic comeback over the Golden Knights; the Sharks scored four goals on a controversial five-minute power play with eight minutes remaining in the game, then
Barclay Goodrow scored the overtime goal. The Sharks would go on to defeat the
Colorado Avalanche in the second round before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in six games. Captain
Joe Pavelski left the team in free agency following the season.
Missing the playoffs (2019–2022) On October 8, 2019, after two seasons in Toronto, Patrick Marleau was re-acquired by the Sharks. During the
2019–20 season, with the Sharks at 15–16–2 and failing to win a game during their five-game road stretch, DeBoer and his staff were fired. After DeBoer's firing, assistant coach
Bob Boughner was named interim head coach. In March 2020, four months after Boughner became interim coach, the league was forced to suspend operations as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. When the 2019–20 season resumed in August with the playoffs, the Sharks were not included, finishing in last place in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Boughner's interim label was removed on September 22, 2020. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the divisions for the
2019–20 season were realigned. The Sharks played in the
West Division. The Sharks missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. In the
2021 NHL entry draft, the Sharks selected top-ranked European skater
William Eklund seventh overall. In the
2021–22 season, general manager
Doug Wilson took medical leave on November 26, 2021, and resigned while away from the team on April 7, 2022. The team missed the playoffs for the third straight season, and head coach Bob Boughner and other members of the coaching staff were relieved of duties in the summer in advance of the Sharks naming a new general manager.
Mike Grier era (2022–present) Rebuilding (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
Eisbaren 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, 14th place in the Western Conference, 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
Tomas 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 in franchise history, 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. At the start of the
2025–26 season, amidst the team losing their first five games of the season, Warsofsky said "I'd give up one of my children for a f-----g win." He later apologized for the comments. ==Team information==