San Jose Sharks History Timeline

Where were you on the day of May 9, 1990? This was the day that the National Hockey League granted a hockey franchise for the city of San Jose. Before that day though, everyone in San Jose had different sports teams to root for. You were either a Giants, A’s, 49ers, Raiders, Warriors or Kings fan. At the time, hockey was not a major sport that everyone knew or cared about. But once the Sharks came to San Jose, everything changed. No matter if you were a baseball, football, or basketball fan you became a hockey fan instantly. You may not have cared about hockey, but you were proud knowing that a sports team was representing your city. When the Sharks got their first win in franchise history in 1991, every fan at the game gave a standing ovation for the team. No one knew how big the Sharks would have become today, but that was the start of something special.

This upcoming 2015-16 season the Sharks will be celebrating their 25th season playing in the NHL. Below is an interactive timeline of the Sharks’ history. This timeline dates back to 1990 through 2015. Each bullet point marks a major event in the Sharks organization. You will be able to see a photo or watch a video of what happened on that day.

Lion Tales would like to thank Scott Emmert from the Sharks’ Media Relations and Broadcasting department for the information provided to us for the timeline.