San Jose Sharks are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sharks compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays in the SAP Center in San Jose.
San Jose entered the NHL for the 1991-1992 season. In their second season, the Sharks set an NHL record by losing 71 games. However, the team made the playoffs for the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons, led by right winger Sergei Makarov, center Igor Larionov, defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, and goalie Arturs Irbe.
The Sharks did not make the playoffs again until the 1997-1998 season. In 2016, the Sharks played in the team’s first Stanley Cup final, but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Recent stars of the Sharks have included defensemen Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic; right winger Jonathan Cheechoo; goalie Evgeni Nabokov; left winger Patrick Marleau; and centers Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, and Joe Thornton.
