About the San Jose Sharks | The Sharks entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1991-92 season

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About the San Jose Sharks By Steve Silverman, eHow Editor

The Sharks entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1991-92 season. While they are not a venerable franchise, the Sharks have enjoyed a rich history filled with playoff upsets that have pleased their loud and boisterous fans.

The Sharks were ready to play in the NHL before their home building was ready in San Jose. As a result, their first two years were played in the venerable Cow Palace, an arena that had been used by the NBA's Warriors in their early years in the Bay Area. The Sharks were woefully poor in their first two seasons, setting an NHL record with 71 losses in 1992-93. The Sharks moved into the brand-new San Jose Arena in 1993-94 and immediately became a competitive team. They made the playoffs as the eighth seed, winning 33 games in the process. The Sharks were supposed to go out in four straight games against the powerful Detroit Red Wings, but they registered a seven-game upset and then pushed Toronto to six games before losing the next series.

The Sharks made it back to the playoffs the following year and upset the Calgary Flames in seven games, when Ray Whitney scored the winning goal in the second overtime session. The Sharks played uneven hockey the next few years but pulled another memorable upset when they beat the top-seeded St. Louis Blues in the 1999-2000 playoffs in a seven-game series before losing in the second round to the Dallas Stars in five games. The 2003-04 season saw the team reach new heights. They won the Pacific Division with a team-record 104 points. They beat the Blues in the first round and the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. They advanced to the Western Conference championship where they pushed the Flames to six games before bowing out.

The Sharks remade their team by acquiring star center Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins in a huge trade early in the 2005-06 season. At the time of the deal, the Sharks were mired in a 10-game losing streak and the addition of Thornton was a huge energy boost for the team. Great players Joe Thornton is one of the most gifted passers and scorers in the NHL, but as of 2009 he has yet to dominate in the postseason. Patrick Marleau has become one of the team's best clutch players. Owen Nolan had one of the hardest and most accurate shots in the league. Evgeni Nabakov is considered one of the top goalies in the league because of his outstanding reactions. Marco Sturm was an outstanding all-around player before being traded to the Boston Bruins. Mike Ricci had a knack for scoring clutch goals. Jonathan Cheechoo has an outstanding shot and can get it off quickly.

The Thornton trade Many NHL observers thought the Sharks made an outstanding deal when they acquired Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins early in the 2005-06 season. The Sharks traded center Marco Sturm, winger Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston for the former No. 1 overall pick. Thornton had been a good-to-excellent player with the Bruins but had not quite fulfilled his potential. He suffered through a dreadful string of playoff performances, and the Bruins decided to trade him. Thornton came into his own in San Jose and he is considered one of the top players in the NHL in 2009. Sturm is the only one of the three players traded by the Sharks in the deal who remained with the Bruins three years after the trade.

Leadership Former Chicago Blackhawks all-star defenseman Doug Wilson has done an outstanding job as the Sharks general manager. In addition to looking for talented players, he has done an outstanding job of getting players with great size. The Sharks are among the biggest teams in the NHL and their size advantage, coupled with their outstanding skills, gives them a big advantage in the third period when opponents tend to tire. Potential

There's no such thing as a sure thing in the NHL, but the Sharks have an outstanding scouting system that has allowed them to build one of the most talented rosters in the league. They should be a contender for the Cup for years to come and are a solid organization from top to bottom. Their passionate fans have given them one of the most powerful home ice advantages in the NHL.
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