SJ Sharks

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 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. 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 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 was the team's first general manager.

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.

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 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 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 forward Sandis Ozolinsh to the Colorado Avalanche for Owen Nolan. Grillo was also fired with Lombardi holding the sole responsibility of general manager.

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.

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.

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.

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 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. Going the entire month without a regulation loss, 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 citing San Jose's disappointing second-round losses in the previous three seasons.

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. At the trade deadline, San Jose acquired winger Travis Moen and the injured defenseman Kent Huskins from the Anaheim Ducks.

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. General manager Doug Wilson promised the team would undergo significant changes in the off-season.

In the 2009 offseason, San Jose moved Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Vancouver Canucks. 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 retirements 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. One reason for the move was that Marleau was named captain by Wilson and McLellan wanted to name his own. On February 7, 2010, San Jose acquired Niclas Wallin from the Carolina Hurricanes. On February 12, 2010, San Jose traded Jody Shelley to the New York Rangers for a draft pick. 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.

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. Due to the cap issue, the Sharks had to choose between former captain Patrick Marleau and Nabokov. On July 1, 2010, the Sharks signed goalie Antero Niittymaki from the Tampa Bay Lightning. 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 intra-state 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, whom they had defeated in five games during the previous postseason's second round. Just like the year prior, the Sharks won the first three games of the series and lost the fourth but instead of replicating the previous year's success in game five, the Sharks dropped two more games as the Red Wings became the eighth team in NHL history to force a game seven after losing the first three games of a series. However, they would not become the fourth team in history to pull off the comeback as the Sharks prevailed, 3–2. The Sharks advanced to their third conference finals series against the Vancouver Canucks, but lost in six games.

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 second-round pick in the 2012 NHL entry draft. This came after Setoguchi had signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the Sharks. The Sharks continued their off-season retool by orchestrating a second transaction with the Wild, shipping Dany Heatley to Minnesota in exchange for Martin Havlat, both to relieve cap space as Heatley was slated to carry a cap hit $2.5 million greater than Havlat's for the duration of their respective contracts. 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, marking the second time they lost in the conference quarterfinals under Todd McLellan. It was later announced that McLellan would remain on the bench for a fifth season.

Prior to the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, veteran defenseman Brad Stuart was re-acquired in order to bolster the Sharks' blue line. 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 4–3 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the playoffs.

Prior to the 2013–14 season, the Sharks unveiled new uniforms, which included less orange, along with adding a lace-up collar. The Sharks started the 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). After the loss, general manager Doug Wilson described the Sharks' playoff failures "like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football".

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. No captain was named during the season. The Sharks hosted the 2015 Stadium Series against the Kings at Levi's Stadium in February 2015, losing 2–1. Earlier in the season, the Sharks were in playoff contention, but they lost games to Western Conference opponents as the season went on. 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.

On May 28, 2015, the team named Peter DeBoer as their head coach. During the off-season, the Sharks let John Scott and Scott Hannan leave as free agents. They traded goalie Antti Niemi to the Dallas Stars for a seventh-round draft pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft. Then, they acquired forward Joel Ward, goaltender Martin Jones, and defenseman Paul Martin. They also named forward Joe Pavelski the team's captain.

Nearly one year after Peter DeBoer's arrival and a shaky start, the Sharks surged in the second half of the season to return to the playoffs, finishing with 98 points and third in the Pacific Division. 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 play in 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, long-time stalwart Patrick Marleau left the team to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, ending his 20-year tenure with the team. He left holding almost every offensive record in team history, such as power-play goals, goals, short-handed goals and games played.

In the 2017–18 season, 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.

The 2018–19 season saw another playoff berth for the Sharks, overcoming a 3–1 series lead, once again by the Vegas Golden Knights, and in a dramatic comeback in the third period of game seven in the first round. The Sharks would go on to defeat the Colorado Avalanche in the second round in seven games to make it into the conference finals, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in six games. On October 8, 2019, after two seasons in Toronto, Patrick Marleau was re-acquired by the Sharks.

On December 11, 2019, with the Sharks at 15–16–2 and failing to win a game during their five-game away game 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 June 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 2020–21 season were realigned. The Sharks played in the West Division. The Sharks missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. In the 2021 NHL entry draft, the Sharks selected top-ranked European skater William Eklund seventh overall.

General manager Doug Wilson took medical leave beginning November 26, 2021, and resigned while away from the team on April 7, 2022. Assistant general manager Joe Will was elevated to interim general manager while the team sought a permanent candidate for the role.

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.

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. Grier, who played in 221 games with the Sharks from 2006 to 2009 and was a member of the Sharks 2008–09 Presidents' Trophy-winning team, immediately began reshaping the team.

On July 13, the Sharks traded longtime defenseman Brent Burns to the Carolina Hurricanes and signed forwards Oskar Lindblom, Nico Sturm, and defenseman Matt Benning. On July 26, Grier named former Rangers head coach David Quinn as the team's new head coach before later hiring Scott Gordon and Ryan Warsofsky as assistants. San Jose opened its season in Europe as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series, with an exhibition match against Eisbaren Berlin in Berlin, Germany on October 4, 2022, and a two-game series against Nashville in Prague, Czech Republic to kick off the 2022–23 regular season on October 7 and 8.

On February 25, 2023, the Sharks retired Patrick Marleau's number 12 in a pre-game ceremony prior to San Jose's game against Chicago. Marleau's number was the first to be retired in franchise history. The speedy forward retired with 1,607 regular season appearances for San Jose and held almost all franchise offensive records. Following a series of smaller trades in January and early February, San Jose and New Jersey Devils executed a blockbuster 11-piece trade on February 26, in which the Sharks sent star 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. In their first season under Grier and Quinn, 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. On May 4, Karlsson was named a Norris Trophy finalist. On May 10, he was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, given to "the most outstanding player in the NHL" as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players' Association. He was awarded the Norris Trophy on June 26, the third of his career and second won by a Sharks defenseman.

On May 8, 2023, San Jose was awarded the fourth overall selection in the 2023 NHL entry draft through the NHL's draft lottery process, their highest-held selection since the 1998 NHL entry draft. With the pick, San Jose selected center Will Smith out of the U.S. National Team Development Program. The Sharks also picked forward Quentin Musty at 26th overall. 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.

On November 4, 2023, the Sharks became the first team since the 1965–66 Boston Bruins to allow 10 goals in consecutive games. 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 1 pick for the 2024 NHL entry draft, and went on to pick Macklin Celebrini from Boston University. San Jose also selected defenseman Sam Dickinson at 11th overall. 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 from the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In the 2025 draft the Sharks also selected goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen from the WHL's Prince George Cougars at 30th overall in the first round, and defenseman Simon Wang at 33rd overall, making Wang the highest-ever drafted Chinese-born player.