Northern California had been home to the California Golden Seals from 1967 to 1976, but the next two and a half decades left the Bay Area without a NHL franchise to call their own.  With the help of Howard Baldwin, the 1990s would bring a new team to San Jose.  After an extensive voting process, the team was named the Sharks, in part for the Pacific Ocean’s large shark population.

On this day, October 4th, in 1991, the San Jose Sharks played their first NHL hockey game in franchise history. The team’s early games were played at the Cow Palace in Daly City and featured a roster of NHL journeymen, rookies and minor leaguers. The Shark’s 1991-1992 season only witnessed 17 wins with 58 loses.

In recent years, the San Jose Sharks have been a more formidable force in the NHL.  The Sharks appeared in the Conference Finals in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons.