|
In 2003, Owen Nolan was traded to Toronto, and the newly-acquired McGillis, Bryan Marchment, AHL star Shawn Heins, and forward Matt Bradley were moved. Selanne left to sign with the Colorado Avalanche. Centers Alyn McCauley (from the Maple Leafs) and Wayne Primeau (from the Pittsburgh Penguins) were brought in to stabilize the locker room. Jim Fahey, who led all rookie defensemen in points despite playing in only 43 games.
2003-04 saw another turnaround for the team, resulting in the team's best season ever. An injection of youth, with players like Christian Ehrhoff and Tom Preissing, and the influx of energy with Alexander Korolyuk jump-started San Jose. They posted the third-best record in the league with a team-record 104 points (31 more than the previous season, and the first time the team had earned 100 points), won the Pacific Division championship, and were seeded second in the Western Conference. They charged through the playoffs, taking down the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 1 in the conference quarterfinals and stopping the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in the conference semis—before falling to the Calgary Flames 4-2 in the conference finals.
The Sharks started the 2005-06 season slowly, with inconsistent goaltending and an inability to score goals dropping the team to last place in the Pacific Division. In response, the Sharks traded Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau and Marco Sturm to the Boston Bruins for Joe Thornton. The trade re-energised the team, and with excellent play by backup goaltender Vesa Toskala, the Sharks rallied back from their early season slump to clinch the 5th seeding in the Western Conference for the playoffs. The Sharks defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 in the conference quarterfinals before falling to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the conference semifinals. Joe Thornton was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP, as well as the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points, with a total of 125. Jonathan Cheechoo was awarded the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals during the regular season, with a total of 56.
The Sharks celebrate a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on December 11, 2006The Sharks entered the 2006-07 season as the youngest team in average age, as well as the biggest team in average weight, and they raced out to a 20-7-0 start, the best in franchise history. Ron Wilson chose the uncommon strategy of alternating both Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov every other game. However, injuries, inexperience, and inconsistency dogged the team until making two significant trades at the trade deadline for defenseman Craig Rivet and winger Bill Guerin. The trades coincided with Nabokov, playing full time while Toskala recovered from an injury, putting together a string of outstanding performances and earning the number one job. The Sharks finished the regular season with the best record in franchise history at 51-26-5, and defeated the Nashville Predators in a 1st round rematch of last year's playoffs with the same 4-1 result. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Sharks faced the Detroit Red Wings. After taking a 2-1 series lead, they lost a pivotal game 4 when the Red Wings scored the tying goal with 33 seconds left and went on to win in overtime. The Sharks never recovered from the disappointment of this loss, losing the next two games in a row giving the series to Detroit 4-2.
See also 2006-07 San Jose Sharks season.
The Sharks goal horn is a fog horn that reflects on the many fog horns heard in the Bay Area.
Current Sharks alternate fin logoFor the Sharks 2007-2008 campaign, the Sharks have updated their logos and jerseys to adjust to the new Rbk EDGE jersey. The team unveiled their new logos on July 24, 2007, and introduced their new jerseys on September 17.
Buy San Jose Sharks Tickets Now!
|
|