Global InformationList of San Jose Sharks players information
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). Founded in 1991 as an expansion team, the Sharks have won the Pacific Division six times: in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and have made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 18 of their 24 years in the League. San Jose has not won a Stanley Cup championship to date; the Sharks' longest run in the playoffs came in 2016, when they defeated the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals to reach the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals.
Since their inception, 283 different players have played at least one regular season or playoff game for the Sharks. The team has had nine captains. Doug Wilson was the first, serving in the team's expansion years between 1991 and 1993. Igor Larionov was another early player for the team, who along with Ed Belfour are the only Sharks to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[1] Goaltender Arturs Irbe, who was instrumental in leading the Sharks to their first playoff appearance in 1993–94 with 74 appearances in 84 games, and Jeff Friesen, who was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for 1994–95, were among the team's early players.[2]
The Sharks grew into a perennial Pacific Division contender in the 2000s following the drafting of several players, among them including forward Patrick Marleau, taken second overall in 1997, who holds the franchise records for the most goals (404) and points (861).[2] Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, selected in 1994, established himself as an NHL regular in 2000–01 when he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. He went on to win 293 games in San Jose.[3] Jonathan Cheechoo is the only Sharks player to score 50 goals in a season; his total of 56 in 2005–06 earned him the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the League's top goal scorer.[4]
Joe Thornton, future Hall of Famer, was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins in 2005, Thornton won the Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophies as the NHL's top scorer and most valuable player, respectively in his first season in San Jose. He has appeared in three NHL All-Star Games while a member of the Sharks, and won a gold medal competing for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics.[5]
- ^ "Honoured Players – San Jose Sharks". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ^ a b Rusanowsky, Dan (2010). Two decades of teal. San Jose Sharks Hockey Club. pp. 5–12.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "Evgeni Nabokov profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
- ^ "Jonathan Cheechoo profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
- ^ "Joe Thornton profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-03-02.