Silicon Valley and the San Jose Sharks

A fresh and exciting franchise, the San Jose Sharks represent the state of sunny California. Get San Jose Sharks tickets to be a part of history as the club forms its identity and shoots for championship success. If you have San Jose Sharks tickets and won't be able to attend a match, sell them on StubHub to give someone else the opportunity to go.

Cow Palace to Shark Tank

The team was founded in 1991 when the NHL approved a team to enter from the Bay Area, originally playing their home games in the Cow Palace. Named after the creatures dwelling in the adjacent Pacific Ocean, the team adopted a kit of deep teal, burnt orange and black. Suffering the performance struggles that are common with expansion teams, the Sharks set a new NHL record with 71 losses during the 1992-93 season. Despite this, the team grew popular throughout the Bay Area and their stylish team colours and logo resulted in the most merchandise sales of any NHL franchise. In 1993, however, it was time for a move and the team changed their home arena to the newly constructed SAP Center. The stadium was coined the Shark Tank and the move saw a turnaround in the team's results. Qualifying for the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Sharks went on to cause an unpredicted upset in the first round against the highly fancied Detroit Red Wings. The team unfortunately couldn't continue their magical run, losing in the second round to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shooting for success

The growth of Silicon Valley, a region within the city of San Jose, as a global leader for technology development helped to grow the Sharks' fan base and the team's economic stability. The development of young players became a focus for the team and this was rewarded in 2001 with Kazakhstani-Russian goalkeeper Evgeni Nabokov being awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy in recognition as the league's best rookie. The Sharks reached their first Western Conference finals in 2004, however, they suffered a 4-2 series defeat against the Calgary Flames. One of the club's most famous traditions is for the members of the team to enter the rink via the mouth of a gigantic inflatable shark head. The team has also long been associated with the notorious Steven Spielberg movie Jaws, and the theme song from the film is played as stadium music during home games. Purchase your San Jose Sharks tickets on StubHub to be a part of the crowd and witness these famous traditions.