In 1991, the expansion San Jose Sharks brought professional hockey back to the San Francisco Bay area. Since then, the Sharks have won five Division Championships and made it to the playoffs eight other times. They play their home games in the HP Pavilion at San Jose and despite their short time in the league have developed some well known traditions.
The HP Pavilion at San Jose has seating for more than 17,500 for hockey including 66 executive suites. Costing 162.5 million to build, the arena was originally designed to be a multi- purpose arena for the community. In order to host a professional hockey team, the arena had to be completely redesigned, adding things like the executive suites. This caused a delay in construction, moving the opening date back from 1992 to 1993 and forcing the Sharks to play an extra season in the much smaller Cow Palace in Daly City.
The San Jose Sharks pregame traditions started the year they moved into their current home. They lower a 17-foot shark mouth from the rafters of the arena while a live shot of the tunnel outside the team’s locker room is shown and the goalie leads the rest of the team from the locker room, through the shark’s mouth, and onto the ice.
Out in the community, the San Jose Sharks do not spend much time running through giant shark mouths, choosing instead to do their part to give the less fortunate in their community a hand up and a better chance at a successful life. They are active in green initiatives, helping to clean up the area as well as doing their part to recycle and encourage recycling throughout the community.
The team also encourages area children through educational programs such as “Reading is Cool.” Aside from the time and efforts donated, the Sharks also make monetary and memorabilia donations to local charities and events.
The official mascot of the San Jose Sharks is S.J. Sharkie. Sharkie is an anthropomorphic shark who is present at every home, helping to cheer the team on and keep the crowd excited. Although his stunts do not always work as hoped, such as one during the opening festivities in which he got stuck rappelling from the rafter of the arena, he is always a welcome sight and adds an extra element to an already exciting game.
The San Jose Sharks seem to be going places. They have a loyal fan base and work hard both on the ice and off to keep giving back to their fans. Between the exciting games, and important initiatives they are involved in, the Sharks are one team that works hard to keep their area residents happy.
2009-10 San Jose Sharks
The defending Presidents Cup Winners look to get back into the NHL Playoffs this season and Season Ticket Holders are excited at the prospects. The team made Todd McLellan their new Head Coach, signed Rob Blake and traded for defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich away from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the draft, the team signed Justin Daniels with the 62nd overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft.
The team is currently sitting in first place in the Western Conference with a 39-11-9 record.
Previous Seasons
San Jose Sharks tickets are in better shape than they've ever been. The San Jose Sharks, sometimes referred to as Los Tiburones, rose from embarrassing status as a weak expansion team during their first two seasons to conference finalists in just thirteen seasons. The Sharks, so named because of their home in the shark-laden Bay Area of Northern California, played their first two seasons at Cow Palace in Daly City, California. During these two years, the Sharks set an NHL record for most single-season losses. The Sharks moved to San Jose for the 1993-1994 season, playing in the San Jose Pavilion, which became the HP Pavilion in 2001.
The Sharks' new home, known to fans as The Tank, is one of the noisiest and most intimate arenas in the NHL. In their new, spectacular home, under the direction of coach Kevin Constantine, the Sharks pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds in league history, finishing the season with a 33-35-16 record and making it to the second round of the playoffs.
Sales for San Jose Sharks hockey tickets improved further during the 1994-1995 season, when the Sharks again made it to the second round of the playoffs. Led by goalie Artus Irbe, forwards Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov, and defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, the Sharks seemed poised to become an NHL powerhouse. The next season proved disappointing, however, and the Sharks finished last in their division. The team traded Larionov and Ozolinsh and lost Irbe to injury. Coach Constantine was fired, and the Sharks began rebuilding under coach Daryll Sutter. They acquired goalie Mike Vernon from the Detroit Red Wings and returned to the playoffs in 1998. They enjoyed a winning record during the 1999-2000 season for the first time in franchise history.
By 2001, the Sharks had established themselves as a team to be reckoned with. Rookie goalie Evgeni Nabokov earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as best rookie in 2001. The following season, the Sharks won their first Pacific Division Title and once again earned a playoff berth, only to be defeated once again in the second round. The 2003-2004 season was the best yet for the Sharks, who once again won the Pacific Division Title and made it all the way to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the Calgary Flames.
San Jose Sharks ticket buyers had high expectations for the 2005-2006 season, but the team quickly dropped to last in their division after losing Mike Rathje, Vincent Damphousse, Mike Ricci and Todd Harvey. After losing ten games in a row, the Sharks acquired Joe Thornton, who helped the team snap their losing streak with a 5-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Thornton has proven to been a huge asset so far, and Sharks fans hope for a turnaround in the second half of the season. Known as one of the league's best power forwards, Thornton has played in the NHL All-Star game every year since 2002, and had 101 points during 2002-2003 while playing for the Boston Bruins. Can Thornton keep the Sharks on the winning track? Get your Sharks tickets, head to "The Tank" and find out in person.
