The beginnings of the San Jose Sharks historical past might be traced again virtually fifty years in the past to the 1967 NHL growth. On the time, the NHL needed to broaden the league to new markets and in addition squash competitors from different leagues such because the WHL. The San Francisco Seals, a minor league group from the WHL, was bought by Barry Van Gerbig in 1967. After buying the group, Van Gerbig determined to maneuver the Seals from the Cow Palace in San Francisco to the Oracle Enviornment in Oakland. He then renamed the group the California Seals.
Sadly, the transfer to Oakland led to much less attendance however they remained in Oakland and shortly modified their identify once more to the Oakland Seals. The Seals by no means discovered success after transferring and lasted solely 9 seasons within the NHL. Throughout that point that they had eight totally different coaches and 4 totally different house owners, together with being owned by the NHL in 1974. Their efficiency on the ice was even worse as they completed lifeless final of their division six instances in 9 seasons. They even modified their identify once more to the California Golden Seals.
Finally, the group was moved from the Bay Space and have become the Cleveland Barons. The Barons would carry out no higher and solely lasted two seasons within the NHL earlier than merging with the Minnesota North Stars. They completed lifeless final of their division throughout each seasons and are nonetheless the latest group to fold within the NHL.
San Jose Sharks Historical past: George Gund III
In 1974, George Gund III grew to become a minority proprietor of the California Golden Seals and was a part of the transfer to Cleveland and the merger with Minnesota. Over time Gund needed to deliver again hockey to the Bay Space however the NHL wouldn’t permit him to maneuver the North Stars.
Finally, a deal was made permitting Gund to promote his shares of the North Stars for an growth group within the Bay Space. Gund additionally was allowed to deliver gamers and prospects from the North Stars to San Jose.
San Jose Sharks Historical past: Return to Cow Palace
Gund lastly had his group and hockey was again within the Bay Space for the primary time since 1976. The Sharks entered the NHL within the 1991-92 season and the group even managed to amass former Norris trophy winner Doug Wilson. Regardless of the positives, the Enviornment in San Jose would take one other two years to finish so the group performed on the Cow Palace in San Francisco for the primary two seasons.
Whereas enjoying in the identical Enviornment that the San Francisco Seals performed in they managed to reside as much as the Seals status because the Sharks didn’t carry out nicely on the ice, setting an NHL report for losses in 1993 with 71. This led to the firing of the group’s first coach, George Kingston.
San Jose Sharks Historical past: Transfer to San Jose, Playoff Success
In 1994, the Sharks lastly made the transfer to San Jose however started the season 0-8-1 trying each bit as dangerous as they did the earlier two seasons. Regardless of their horrible begin, the group would enhance by an NHL-record 58 factors from the season prior and in some way make the playoffs. Their reward was a match-up in opposition to the top-seeded Detroit Purple Wings within the first spherical who had been favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Amazingly, in what shall be remembered as one of many greatest upsets in Stanley Cup playoff historical past, the Sharks defeated the Purple Wings in seven video games. The group ultimately misplaced within the second spherical to the Maple Leafs in seven video games, together with Sport 6 in additional time. Nonetheless, in solely three seasons within the NHL, the Sharks had already completed greater than the California Seals.
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The lockout-delayed season in 1995 canceled the All-Star Sport in San Jose however didn’t cease the group from one other magical season as they knocked off the quantity two-seeded Flames in seven video games. The Sharks would ultimately lose to the identical Purple Wings that that they had overwhelmed a 12 months earlier within the second spherical. Kevin Constantine who was the coach behind each upsets was fired throughout the 1996 season and the Sharks didn’t make the playoffs for one more two years. In 1996 the group introduced on Dean Lombardi as their new GM who started to herald new faces. Gamers together with Tony Granato, Vincent Damphousse, Mike Ricci and Owen Nolan guided the Sharks’ way forward for success and gave the followers loads of memorable moments beginning with the 1997 All-Star recreation.
Hockey within the Bay Space
The San Jose Sharks have solely missed the playoffs as soon as between 1998 and 2014, and have created some of the profitable modern-day growth franchises within the NHL. That’s fairly spectacular provided that the Bay Space was as soon as essentially the most unsuccessful and poorly run NHL market in historical past. None of this might have been potential with out George Gund III who lives on in spirit with the Sharks. (from ‘George Gund III, unique San Jose Sharks proprietor, dies,’ Mercury Information, 01/15/2013) San Jose should still be searching for that elusive Stanley Cup nevertheless it has already constructed a big fan base, a group of younger hockey gamers and a assortment of recollections from San Jose Sharks historical past that we are going to always remember.
This text was initially printed in June 2014.
