WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.220 The Apple podcast title, The Deep Dive, decoding 00:00:03.220 --> 00:00:06.839 the San Jose Sharks from 71 losses to merch kings 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:09.199 and the long road back. What does it take to 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.640 build a sports franchise from scratch, endure 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.880 the worst record in NHL history, and still outsell 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:17.399 almost everyone in merchandise? In this deep 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:19.719 dive, we plunge into the turbulent, fascinating 00:00:19.719 --> 00:00:22.359 history of the San Jose Sharks, from their humble 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:24.739 beginnings at the Cow Palace and the iconic red 00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:27.739 triangle branding, to the heart -stopping 2016 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:31.379 Stanley Cup final run and the dramatic Mike Greer 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:34.500 -led rebuild of 2026. Whether you're a diehard 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:37.219 hockey fan, a Bay Area sports enthusiast, or 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:39.380 just love a story of wild turnarounds and epic 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.039 playoff comebacks, this deep dive extracts the 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:44.460 most surprising facts and aha moments from the 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:47.060 Sharks' Wikipedia archives. Join us. Welcome 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:49.399 to another custom -tailored deep dive designed 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:51.619 completely for you. Glad to be here. Yeah, today 00:00:51.619 --> 00:00:53.799 we have a massive stack of source material in 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:55.640 front of us. Oh, massive is an understatement. 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:58.039 Right. We are looking at the comprehensive Wikipedia 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:00.859 history of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. A truly 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:03.179 wild ride. It is. And whether you're catching 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:05.579 up on Bay Area sports history, prepping for a 00:01:05.579 --> 00:01:08.799 trivia night, or you're just insanely curious 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.019 about how a professional sports team becomes 00:01:11.019 --> 00:01:14.879 a massive cultural phenomenon while simultaneously 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:17.599 driving its fan base absolutely crazy. Which 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:19.819 they definitely do. Exactly. You are in the right 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:22.359 place. Yeah, because our mission today isn't 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.560 just to read off a boring sports timeline. We 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.599 are looking at a fascinating case study. A roller 00:01:28.599 --> 00:01:31.439 coaster, really? Yeah. This is a story. about 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.359 extreme highs crushing lows some truly brilliant 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.739 marketing and a franchise that is currently navigating 00:01:38.739 --> 00:01:41.400 one of the most brutal modern day rebuilds in 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:43.870 sports history for sure We're extracting the 00:01:43.870 --> 00:01:46.150 ultimate highlights to respect your time and 00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:48.049 give you the most memorable nuggets from this 00:01:48.049 --> 00:01:50.109 team's history. I honestly cannot wait to get 00:01:50.109 --> 00:01:51.810 into this because when you look at the origins 00:01:51.810 --> 00:01:53.930 of this team, it reads like a Hollywood script. 00:01:54.150 --> 00:01:56.250 It really does. Okay, let's unpack this. Let's 00:01:56.250 --> 00:01:59.329 rewind to the late 1980s. Setting the scene. 00:01:59.489 --> 00:02:02.349 Right. So the Bay Area had not had a professional 00:02:02.349 --> 00:02:04.969 hockey team since the Golden Seals packed up 00:02:04.969 --> 00:02:08.000 and left town in 1976. So it was basically a 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.759 hockey desert. A total hockey desert. Enter the 00:02:10.759 --> 00:02:14.020 Gunn brothers. Ah, the Gunns. Yeah, they owned 00:02:14.020 --> 00:02:16.439 the Minnesota North Stars at the time, but they 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:18.419 wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay. They 00:02:18.419 --> 00:02:21.159 saw the potential. They did. So they struck this 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:23.819 massive compromise with the NHL. They agreed 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:26.520 to sell their share of the Minnesota team in 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:29.259 exchange for the rights to a brand new expansion 00:02:29.259 --> 00:02:31.900 team in San Jose. Which was slated to begin in 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:35.740 the 1991 to 1992 season. Exactly. And the price 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:40.860 tag for this new franchise, $45 million. Which 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:43.580 is, I mean... 45 million. Bucket change today. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:45.919 Exactly. When you look at the multi -billion 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.680 dollar valuations of sports franchises today, 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.460 it's nothing. Oh, absolutely. But the real story 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:53.419 of this era is how they built the brand from 00:02:53.419 --> 00:02:56.740 absolute scratch. Yes. The naming contest. This 00:02:56.740 --> 00:02:59.180 part is so funny to me. It's like a classic 90s 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:01.520 move. They opened it up to the public and over 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.199 5 ,000 names were submitted. And the winning 00:03:04.199 --> 00:03:07.780 name was actually The Blades. The San Jose Blades. 00:03:07.780 --> 00:03:10.460 But the owners immediately vetoed it. Good call 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:12.740 on their part. Yeah, they felt it had way too 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.099 many negative associations with weapons and gang 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:18.479 violence. So they went with the runner -up, the 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:21.099 San Jose Sharks. What's fascinating here is the 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:23.319 sheer brilliance of that branding pivot. How 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:26.300 so? Well, the owners didn't just pick a sea creature 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:29.680 at random from a hat. They tied it deeply to 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.300 the region's geography. Right. Off the coast 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:34.939 of Northern California, there's a specific area 00:03:34.939 --> 00:03:37.780 in the Pacific Ocean known as the Red Triangle. 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.819 The Red Triangle. Yeah. It is globally famous 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:43.599 for its massive population of great white sharks. 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:48.139 By tapping into that local lore, they weren't 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:50.479 just a new corporate entity being helicoptered 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:51.939 in. It actually meant something to the area. 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:55.219 Exactly. They felt deeply rooted in the Bay Area's 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:57.900 environment. And that inspired what would become 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:00.740 an absolute cultural obsession. The colors. Yes. 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:03.819 The teal, black, white, and orange color scheme. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:06.280 You literally cannot talk about the 90s without 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:08.479 talking about San Jose Sharks teal. It was everywhere. 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:10.879 Starter jackets, hats, everything. But here's 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.159 the incredible contradiction of those early years. 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.160 Their first two seasons, they played at the Cow 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:19.139 Palace in Daly City. Which is, let's be honest, 00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:22.269 basically an agricultural arena. Right. And on 00:04:22.269 --> 00:04:25.509 the ice. They were atrocious. I mean, historically 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:29.069 brutal. Unwatchable at times. In the 1992 to 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:33.689 1993 season, they set an NHL record with 71 losses. 00:04:34.449 --> 00:04:37.290 71. It's hard to even fathom losing that much. 00:04:37.449 --> 00:04:39.449 Imagine you were a fan showing up to the arena 00:04:39.449 --> 00:04:41.949 that year. It was a guaranteed rough night. And 00:04:41.949 --> 00:04:44.470 yet, despite being historically terrible on the 00:04:44.470 --> 00:04:47.319 ice. They were an absolute juggernaut at the 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:50.199 cash register. It makes no sense. I know. During 00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:52.759 that 71 loss season, the Sharks accounted for 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:56.680 27 % of the entire NHL's merchandise sales. Over 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:58.839 a quarter of the league sales. Think about that 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:02.740 market share. They generated $150 million in 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:05.839 merch. Wow. Among all North American sports leagues 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.639 at that exact time, the only team selling more 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:10.899 merchandise than the San Jose Sharks. Let me 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.660 guess. Go ahead. The Michael Jordan era Chicago 00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:16.110 Bulls. The Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls. 00:05:16.110 --> 00:05:18.930 That is just staggering. It really proves the 00:05:18.930 --> 00:05:21.730 power of a good logo. It totally does. And speaking 00:05:21.730 --> 00:05:24.550 of marketing wins, we have to mention their mascot, 00:05:24.790 --> 00:05:28.050 S .J. Sharkey. Oh, the debut. Yeah. He made his 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:31.670 debut in a 1992 game. by literally emerging from 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:34.089 inside a Zamboni. Just popping right out of the 00:05:34.089 --> 00:05:36.790 ice resurfacer. It's just so perfectly weird 00:05:36.790 --> 00:05:39.509 and theatrical, which really sets the tone for 00:05:39.509 --> 00:05:42.910 their next big move in 1993. The new building. 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:45.509 Right. That's when the team finally moved into 00:05:45.509 --> 00:05:48.129 their permanent home, the San Jose Arena. What 00:05:48.129 --> 00:05:51.389 locals now lovingly call the SAP Center. Or the 00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:54.350 Shark Tank. And moving into the Shark Tank came 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:56.470 with the birth of one of the greatest entrances 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:58.629 in professional sports. Oh, I get chills just 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:01.100 thinking about it. If you've never seen it, picture 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:03.040 the lights in the arena going completely dark. 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.500 The Jaws theme starts pulsing through the speakers. 00:06:05.699 --> 00:06:08.860 Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Exactly. And then slowly 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:12.459 lowering from the rafters is this massive 17 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:16.639 -foot open shark mouth. It's huge. It has these 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:19.620 glowing red eyes. Heavy fog is pouring out of 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:22.100 it. And the starting goaltender skates out onto 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.920 the ice directly through the mouth, leading the 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:28.189 entire team. It is pure theatrical intimidation. 00:06:28.310 --> 00:06:30.750 Nothing else like it. It's incredible. And moving 00:06:30.750 --> 00:06:33.730 into that new arena actually coincided with an 00:06:33.730 --> 00:06:37.769 absolute miracle on the ice. The 1993 to 94 season. 00:06:37.910 --> 00:06:40.629 The big turnaround. Right. They bring in a new 00:06:40.629 --> 00:06:44.220 coach. Kevin Constantine, and the team pulls 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:47.259 off a 58 point jump in the standings from the 00:06:47.259 --> 00:06:50.519 previous season. 58 points. To this day, that 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:52.860 remains the biggest single season turnaround 00:06:52.860 --> 00:06:54.860 in the history of the National Hockey League. 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:57.519 And that turnaround set the stage for one of 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.699 the greatest upsets you will ever see in sports. 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:03.920 The 1994 playoffs. This is legendary. The Sharks 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:06.879 sneak in as the eighth seed, the absolute bottom 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.019 of the playoff barrel. They are matched up against 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:11.360 the heavily favored, top -seeded Detroit Red 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.139 Wings. A true David versus Goliath scenario. 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:16.839 Nobody gave San Jose a chance, yet they pushed 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:19.000 the series to a decisive Game 7. And then... 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:20.860 And then a player named Jamie Baker scores the 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:23.379 game -winning goal to eliminate Detroit. I get 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:25.759 chills just reading about the crowd reaction 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:28.300 to that Jamie Baker goal. The building practically 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:30.699 shook off its foundation. It was monumental. 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.519 To put that into historical context for you, 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:36.540 when the Sharks beat the Red Wings, they became 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:40.000 the very first eighth seed in North American 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:43.399 professional sports history to defeat a first 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.699 seed in a playoff series. Across any sport. Anywhere. 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.500 They shattered a glass ceiling that existed across 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:54.410 the NHL, the NBA. A true Cinderella story. But 00:07:54.410 --> 00:07:57.269 just to show you how completely bizarre the 90s 00:07:57.269 --> 00:07:59.490 were for this franchise, I have to throw in this 00:07:59.490 --> 00:08:01.610 wild anecdote from the sources. Oh, the flood. 00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:05.029 Yes. In 1995, the Sharks experienced the only 00:08:05.029 --> 00:08:07.529 rainout in the history of the NHL. A rainout 00:08:07.529 --> 00:08:09.930 for an indoor sport. Right. The Guadalupe River, 00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:12.769 which runs right by the arena, completely flooded 00:08:12.769 --> 00:08:15.910 its banks. The water levels were so high that 00:08:15.910 --> 00:08:17.589 nobody... Even the players. Not the players, 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:20.069 not the fans, not the referees. Nobody could 00:08:20.069 --> 00:08:22.529 actually physically get into the building. They 00:08:22.529 --> 00:08:24.860 had to cancel an... indoor ice hockey game because 00:08:24.860 --> 00:08:27.000 of rain. The perfect metaphor for the franchise, 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:31.120 really. Totally. Unpredictable, dramatic, and 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.419 totally unique to their environment. But as we 00:08:33.419 --> 00:08:36.659 move forward in the timeline, the narrative shifts 00:08:36.659 --> 00:08:40.480 from quirky expansion team to absolute juggernaut. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.860 Things get serious. Very. We enter the era of 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:46.419 general manager Doug Wilson starting around 2003. 00:08:47.389 --> 00:08:50.090 This is when the Sharks transform into a perennial 00:08:50.090 --> 00:08:53.070 powerhouse. Oh, the golden era. They start acquiring 00:08:53.070 --> 00:08:56.330 these legendary larger -than -life players. Huge 00:08:56.330 --> 00:08:59.190 names. You get Jumbo Joe Thornton arriving via 00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:02.389 trade in 2005, and he immediately wins the league 00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:05.230 MVP. Dominant. And then you have Jonathan Chichu, 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:07.889 who completely erupts that same year to win the 00:09:07.889 --> 00:09:10.590 league's goal -scoring title with 56 goals. Just 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:13.450 an offensive machine. Suddenly, the teal is feared 00:09:13.450 --> 00:09:15.370 not just because of a cool logo, but because 00:09:15.370 --> 00:09:17.309 they will physically run you out of the building. 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:20.750 Exactly. The late 2000s and the 2010s were defined 00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:23.149 by their regular season dominance. They were 00:09:23.149 --> 00:09:25.409 the absolute kings of the 82 -game schedule. 00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:28.289 Right. This peaked in the 2008 to 2009 season 00:09:28.289 --> 00:09:30.190 when they won the President's Trophy. Which is 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:32.470 awarded to the team with the best overall record. 00:09:32.769 --> 00:09:36.049 Right. They racked up a franchise record 117 00:09:36.049 --> 00:09:38.750 points. But if we connect this to the bigger 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:42.210 picture, this era... also established the defining, 00:09:42.409 --> 00:09:45.169 agonizing narrative of the San Jose Sharks. The 00:09:45.169 --> 00:09:48.070 heartbreak. Yes. Phenomenal, world -beating regular 00:09:48.070 --> 00:09:51.330 seasons, followed by completely devastating playoff 00:09:51.330 --> 00:09:53.710 heartbreaks. The rollercoaster. If you were a 00:09:53.710 --> 00:09:55.870 fan during this time, you had no fingernails 00:09:55.870 --> 00:09:58.190 left. None. Let's talk about the lows first, 00:09:58.269 --> 00:10:01.049 because they were brutal. The 2014 playoffs against 00:10:01.049 --> 00:10:03.590 the Los Angeles Kings. This one hurts. The Sharks 00:10:03.590 --> 00:10:06.330 go up three games to none in the series. They 00:10:06.330 --> 00:10:09.129 are one win away from moving on. Just one win. 00:10:09.309 --> 00:10:11.830 And then a complete collapse. They lose four 00:10:11.830 --> 00:10:14.309 straight games. It was only the fourth time in 00:10:14.309 --> 00:10:16.409 the long history of the NHL that a team lost 00:10:16.409 --> 00:10:19.490 a series after being up 3 -0. The emotional whiplash 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:21.649 is staggering. But then you have the inverse. 00:10:21.909 --> 00:10:24.230 The incredible highs that keep the fans coming 00:10:24.230 --> 00:10:26.570 back. Right. Because they did it too. Exactly. 00:10:26.870 --> 00:10:29.610 Just a few years prior. In the 2011 playoffs, 00:10:29.750 --> 00:10:32.490 also against the Kings, the Sharks are down 4 00:10:32.490 --> 00:10:34.850 -0 in Game 3. Most teams would just fold right 00:10:34.850 --> 00:10:37.590 there. Instead, they mount an impossible comeback, 00:10:37.889 --> 00:10:40.750 tying the game and eventually winning 6 -5 in 00:10:40.750 --> 00:10:44.210 overtime. It's a franchise that forces you to 00:10:44.210 --> 00:10:46.389 expect the unexpected. And it all culminates 00:10:46.389 --> 00:10:49.779 in the 2015 -2016 season. The big run. Peter 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:52.919 DeBoer comes in as the head coach. And the team 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.120 finally, finally breaks through the Western Conference 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:58.899 ceiling. They reach their first ever Stanley 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:01.580 Cup final. Long overdue. The atmosphere in the 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:04.440 Bay Area was electric. Now, they ultimately fell 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:06.759 short, losing the series to Sidney Crosby and 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.059 the Pittsburgh Penguins. But just reaching the 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:12.080 summit validated a decade of regular season dominance. 00:11:12.139 --> 00:11:15.090 It did. But perhaps the most purely cinematic 00:11:15.090 --> 00:11:18.029 moment of this entire era came a bit later in 00:11:18.029 --> 00:11:20.889 the 2019 playoffs. Oh, man. Game seven against 00:11:20.889 --> 00:11:23.090 the Vegas Golden Knights. This is a sequence 00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:25.149 that will be studied by hockey historians forever. 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:26.990 I was hoping we'd get to this. Imagine being 00:11:26.990 --> 00:11:28.750 in the shark tank for this game. The tension 00:11:28.750 --> 00:11:31.990 must have been unbearable. Game seven. The Sharks 00:11:31.990 --> 00:11:34.230 are down 3 -0 in the third period. There are 00:11:34.230 --> 00:11:36.330 only about 10 minutes left in the entire season. 00:11:36.490 --> 00:11:38.789 It feels completely over. Fans are probably heading 00:11:38.789 --> 00:11:42.309 for the exits. Then, a call. controversial five 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:45.049 -minute major penalty is called against Vegas. 00:11:45.330 --> 00:11:47.529 Right. The Sharks go on the power play and they 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:50.009 proceed to score not one, not two, not three, 00:11:50.049 --> 00:11:53.610 but four goals on that single five -minute advantage 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:57.190 to take the lead. On one penalty. The building 00:11:57.190 --> 00:12:00.389 was absolute bedlam. Incredible. Vegas actually 00:12:00.389 --> 00:12:02.169 tied it up in the final minute to send it to 00:12:02.169 --> 00:12:03.909 overtime, which just adds to the unbelievable 00:12:03.909 --> 00:12:05.889 tension. Of course they did. And then in sudden 00:12:05.889 --> 00:12:08.690 death overtime, Barkley Goodrow scores the series 00:12:08.690 --> 00:12:11.429 winner for San Jose. It is widely considered 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:14.009 one of the wildest, most improbable comebacks 00:12:14.009 --> 00:12:16.470 in the history of the sport. Just reading the 00:12:16.470 --> 00:12:18.389 play -by -play and the source material makes 00:12:18.389 --> 00:12:21.710 my heart rate. Pure adrenaline. But here's where 00:12:21.710 --> 00:12:24.149 it gets really interesting. And by interesting, 00:12:24.230 --> 00:12:26.750 I mean incredibly difficult if you love this 00:12:26.750 --> 00:12:29.929 team. Because after that 2019 Vegas miracle, 00:12:30.230 --> 00:12:32.809 the contention window doesn't just close, it 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:36.809 slams shut, locks, and the glass breaks. We enter 00:12:36.809 --> 00:12:40.470 the modern era from 2019 to 2026. It is the stark 00:12:40.470 --> 00:12:44.179 reality of the salary cap era. In sports. When 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:45.960 you push your chips to the center of the table 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:48.059 for a decade and a half to chase a championship, 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:51.120 eventually the bill comes due. The draft picks 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:53.460 are gone. The prospects are gone. Exactly. The 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.639 team begins missing the playoffs year after year. 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:58.740 The leadership void becomes apparent with the 00:12:58.740 --> 00:13:01.620 captaincy sometimes left completely empty. It 00:13:01.620 --> 00:13:04.700 leads to a massive organizational reset. A totally 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:08.759 clean slate. Right. In July of 2022, they make 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:12.019 a historic front office hire, bringing in Mike 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:15.159 Greer. his general manager. This was a monumental 00:13:15.159 --> 00:13:17.379 moment as Greer became the first black general 00:13:17.379 --> 00:13:19.700 manager in the history of the NHL. And Greer 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:21.879 steps into a situation where he has to do the 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:24.720 most painful thing a GM can do, tear down a beloved 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.240 roster. It's never easy. You are watching a completely 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:30.759 ruthless, necessary deconstruction. Fan favorites 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:32.820 who define the franchise for a generation are 00:13:32.820 --> 00:13:36.539 shipped out. Brent Burns, traded. Timo Mayer, 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.539 traded. And then there is the Eric Carlson situation 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:43.080 in 2023. Oh, this one is crazy. Carlson has an 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:45.120 absolutely historic season for a defenseman. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:48.299 He records 101 points, winning the Norris Trophy 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:50.840 as the league's best at his position. An unbelievable 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:53.940 year. And what does the team do? They trade him 00:13:53.940 --> 00:13:56.120 to the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after. Right 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:58.679 after his best season. It perfectly illustrates 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:02.679 the painful reality of a rebuild. Your best assets 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:05.059 must be liquidated for future draft capital, 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:07.200 regardless of how well they're playing right 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.389 now. is so tough for the fans you also have the 00:14:10.389 --> 00:14:13.570 emotional farewells patrick marleau who holds 00:14:13.570 --> 00:14:16.230 the nhl record for most games ever played has 00:14:16.230 --> 00:14:19.610 his number 12 retired a legend it was a beautiful 00:14:19.610 --> 00:14:22.470 nod to the glorious past but it stood in such 00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:24.769 sharp contrast to the struggles of the current 00:14:24.769 --> 00:14:28.580 team on the ice then Logan Couture, the captain 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:30.600 who spent his entire illustrious career with 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:33.899 the Sharks, officially retires in 2025. The ties 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:36.200 to the golden era are completely severed. Which 00:14:36.200 --> 00:14:38.639 brings us to rock bottom. You cannot discuss 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:40.659 this rebuild without looking at the start of 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:44.440 the 2023 to 2024 season. Oh boy. The on -ice 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:47.519 product was historically bad. They tied an NHL 00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:49.379 record for the longest losing streak to start 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:52.659 a season, going 0 -10 -1. During that stretch, 00:14:52.820 --> 00:14:55.379 they also became the first team since 1965 to 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:57.809 allow 10 goals in consecutive games. Back to 00:14:57.809 --> 00:15:00.909 back games giving up 10 goals. Yes. And the frustration 00:15:00.909 --> 00:15:02.950 behind the scenes really boiled over publicly. 00:15:03.269 --> 00:15:06.110 The sources highlight an incredibly raw moment 00:15:06.110 --> 00:15:09.590 from the start of the 2025 to 2026 season. The 00:15:09.590 --> 00:15:12.289 quote. The quote. The team is on a five game 00:15:12.289 --> 00:15:14.970 losing streak and head coach Ryan Worsoski gave 00:15:14.970 --> 00:15:17.309 a quote to the press that immediately went viral. 00:15:17.529 --> 00:15:19.990 He literally said I'd give up one of my children 00:15:19.990 --> 00:15:23.190 for an effing win. Wow. He later apologized for 00:15:23.190 --> 00:15:25.269 the comment, but talk about a reality check. 00:15:25.470 --> 00:15:28.309 It shows just how intense the pressure cooker 00:15:28.309 --> 00:15:31.169 of losing at the professional level truly is. 00:15:31.309 --> 00:15:33.730 It highlights the extreme human element of a 00:15:33.730 --> 00:15:36.399 rebuild. These are highly competitive professionals 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.179 stripped of the tools to win on a nightly basis. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.179 However, the architecture of professional sports 00:15:42.179 --> 00:15:44.940 is designed to reward this exact kind of pain. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.379 When you hit absolute rock bottom, you get access 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:51.039 to the game's brightest future stars. The light 00:15:51.039 --> 00:15:53.059 at the end of the tunnel. Because all that losing 00:15:53.059 --> 00:15:55.100 finally paid off in the draft lottery. Precisely. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:57.340 For the first time in the history of the franchise, 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.100 the Sharks won the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. Finally 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:03.740 some luck. Right. This allowed them to select 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:06.100 a generational talent, Macklin Celebrini, with 00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:08.120 the first overall pick. And they followed that 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:11.120 up in 2025 by drafting another elite prospect, 00:16:11.460 --> 00:16:14.340 Michael Misa, second overall. So the foundation 00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:16.879 for the next great era of San Jose hockey is 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:19.559 officially being poured. Exactly. So what does 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:21.980 this all mean? When you step back and look at 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:24.200 the entire Wikipedia history we've journeyed 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:26.039 through today, you start with a team playing 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.860 in a rodeo arena, breaking records for losing 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:31.379 while simultaneously selling more teal jackets 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:33.940 than anyone on Earth. That's true. You evolve 00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:36.379 into the shark head entrance, the biggest turnaround 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:39.700 in history, the Jamie Baker upset. You transition 00:16:39.700 --> 00:16:42.740 into a decade of Jumbo Joe, regular season dominance, 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:45.759 agonizing playoff collapses, and the miracle 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:49.200 against Vegas. What a timeline. And now you are 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:57.340 in the grid. It means that you are looking at 00:16:57.340 --> 00:17:00.500 a perfect microcosm of organizational life cycles. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:03.679 Okay, unpack that a bit. Well, sports franchises, 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.099 much like any massive business or even a personal 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:09.400 endeavor, operate in distinct phases. There is 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.859 the scrappy, innovative startup phase. There 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:14.359 is the peak success phase, where the goal is 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:17.160 simply to maintain altitude. And then inevitably, 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:20.160 there must be a period of necessary deconstruction 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:23.039 to make way for the future. A teardown. Right. 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:25.079 The sharks have lived through every single extreme 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.539 of this cycle. It really is a masterclass in 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:29.519 resilience, both for the organization and the 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:32.000 fan base that keeps packing the shark tank. And 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:33.980 as we wrap up our analysis of the source material 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:36.099 today, I want to leave you with this final thought 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:38.640 to mull over. Lay it on us. Consider how the 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:41.220 sharks leaned entirely into a hyper -specific 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:44.740 regional brand identity from day one. The teal, 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:47.059 the physical shark head entrance, the red triangle. 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:50.279 Does anchoring a team so deeply to an aesthetic 00:17:50.279 --> 00:17:53.059 and local lore make it easier for a fan base 00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:56.019 to endure decades of extreme emotional whiplash? 00:17:56.079 --> 00:17:58.339 That is a brilliant question to end on. Thank 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:00.039 you so much for joining us in this deep dive 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.339 into the history of the San Jose Sharks. Keep 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:05.059 asking questions, keep exploring, and as always, 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:06.180 stay curious.