San Jose Sharks Individual Scoring Records

The San Jose Sharks entered the National Hockey League as an expansion team for the 1991-92 season. After two dismal seasons to start, the Sharks have become one of the most consistent regular season achievers in the NHL. However, the Stanley Cup finals have still been elusive for the California hockey club.

Along the way, the team has hosted some world class players with two going to the Hockey Hall of Fame and more to come. The individual single season offensive records of the team are pretty impressive for a team that didn’t compete during the high-scoring 1980’s.

 

Jonathan Cheechoo – Most Goals

In 2005-06, Cheechoo scored 56 goals for San Jose. It not only set a team record, it led the NHL, earning Jonathan the Rocket Richard Trophy. Playing all 82 regular season games for the Sharks that year, Cheechoo also assisted on 37 goals for a total of 93 points, good for tenth spot in the race for the Art Ross Trophy.

After just his first of three years in the Ontario Hockey League with the Belleville Bulls, Cheechoo was selected in the second round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by San Jose, 29^th overall. In his final season with Belleville, Jonathan placed fourth in the league with 45 goals.

It took until the 2002-03 NHL season before Cheechoo saw his first action with the Sharks. He placed with the club until 2008-09, scoring 165 goals and assisting on 126 for 291 points over 440 regular season games. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, he played 58 more games, adding 35 points. Jonathan spent the 2014-15 season in the KHL with Dynamo Minsk.

Joe Thornton – Most Assists

In 2006-07, his first full season with the Sharks, Thornton led the league with 92 assists, eight more than Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 22 goals, as well, for 114 points over 82 games. The season before, he assisted on 96 but 24 were with the Boston Bruins before being traded midseason to the Sharks.

Destined for the Hockey Hall of Fame, Thornton started his NHL career in Boston. After two stellar seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL, he was the first overall pick by the Bruins at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

Joe Thornton – Most Points

Joe’s 114 points in 2006-07 stand as a team record. He was second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy that year, six points behind Sidney Crosby. The previous year, his 125 points led the league, earning him the Art Ross. However, 33 points were with the Bruins and just 92 were with the Sharks. He also earned the Hart Trophy that year as the league’s MVP.

Thornton had one other 100+ point season. In 2002-03 with Boston, he totalled 101. In his second year of junior with the Greyhounds, Joe placed second in the race for the Eddie Powers Trophy with 122 points, eight less than leader Marc Savard of the Oshawa Generals. He also placed second with 81 assists, six behind Savard.

Pat Falloon – Most Points Rookie

Falloon came into the National Hockey League expected to be a superstar. After his first season with San Jose in 1991-92, it looked like he might live up to the billing. His 59 points on 25 goals and 34 assists over 79 games in the franchise’s inaugural season remain the most by a rookie.

Unfortunately, that was the best offensive season put in during his NHL career. Pat played 575 regular season games in the league between 1991-92 and 1999-00, scoring 143 goals and assisting on 179 for 322 points. In the playoffs, he playing in 66 more games, adding just 18 points.

Pat was the second overall pick at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by San Jose, behind just Eric Lindros who was selected by the Quebec Nordiques. Therefore, he’s an important part of San Jose Sharks Trivia, being the first player ever drafted by the club. Along with the Sharks, Falloon also played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

Sandis Ozolins – Most Points Defenseman

Ozolins totalled 64 points on 26 goals and 38 assists over 81 games in 1993-94. It was his first full season in the National Hockey League and he remained with the club until a trade seven games into the 1995-96 season sent him to the Colorado Avalanche. Sandis returned to the Sharks for 39 games in 2007-08.

Over his NHL career, Ozolins played 875 regular season games, scoring 167 and assisting on 397 for 564 points. Sandis played another 137 playoff games, adding 90 points. He has been in the Russia based KHL since 2009-10. Ozolins has played for Latvia at the Winter Olympics on three occasions, 2002, 2006 and 2014.

Hockey Trivia TV - Episode 3 - San Jose Sharks

This is the more detailed show notes for the YouTube episode number 3 of Hockey Trivia TV. Featured in this episode is hockey trivia related to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. It’s been a long time between episodes but interest in the first two has spurred us to carry on with the series. In the video, there are ten trivia questions. Here, there is a bonus with eleven. The video can be found at the bottom of this article.

1. Who was the first head coach in San Jose Sharks franchise history?

George Kingston served as head coach of the Sharks for the first two years, 1991-92 and 1992-93. Over that time, San Jose won just 28 games while losing 129 and tying seven for 63 points or a winning percentage of just .192.

Kingston was a long time head coach of the University of Calgary and spent the two years previous to his time with the Sharks as head coach of Norway’s National Team. He was replaced for the 1993-94 season by Kevin Constantine. George was never a head coach again in the NHL. He did have a stint as assistant coach with the Minnesota North Stars before San Jose and stints as assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers after his days with the Sharks.

2. What team did the Sharks beat in their first home win?

On October 8, 1991, San Jose hosted the Calgary Flames and won the game 4-3.

3. What team did the Sharks beat in the first road win?

Ironically, it was once again the Calgary Flames. However, it took until November 30, 1991 before they registered that first win away from home. It was another one goal game as the Sharks took out the Flames 2-1.

4. What team did San Jose face in their first ever regular season game?

In the opening game in franchise history, the Sharks took on the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver came out on top by a score of 4-3.

5. Who is the first player to appear with the Sharks and be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

Igor Larionov entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. Igor played for San Jose from 1993-94 until a trade sent him to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Ray Sheppard four games into the 1995-96 season.

Larionov appeared in 921 regular season games in the NHL between 1989-90 and 2003-04 with the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. Over that time, Igor scored 169 goals and assisted on 475 for 644 points. He appeared in an amazing 150 Stanley Cup playoff games, adding another 97 points. Larionov was a lowly 11^th round pick by the Canucks at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 214^th overall.

6. Who was the first team captain of the San Jose Sharks?

Doug Wilson ended his NHL career with the Sharks, playing 44 games in 1991-92 and 42 in 1992-93. He served as team captain during both those years. Doug played 1,024 regular season games in the NHL from 1977-78 to 1992-93 with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Sharks. The defenseman scored 237 and assisted on 590 for 827 points. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, Wilson played 95 additional games, adding 80 points.

After a stellar junior career in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67’s, Doug was the sixth overall pick by Chicago at the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft. He was awarded the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman with the Blackhawks in 1981-82.

7. Who is San Jose’s only Calder Trophy winner?

Goaltender Evgeni Nabakov played 66 games for the Sharks in 2000-01, posting a 2.19 goals against average and recording six shutouts. His first NHL action came in 1999-00 but his eleven games that year meant he still qualified as a rookie.

Nabakov was a ninth round pick by the Sharks way back at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, 219^th overall. He played with San Jose until the end of the 2009-10 season.

8. Who is San Jose’s only Rocket Richard Trophy winner?

Jonathan Cheechoo led the National Hockey League with 56 goals in 2005-06 and remains the only 50 goal scorer in franchise history. Cheechoo was a second round pick by the Sharks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft after his second of three years in the OHL with the Belleville Bulls. He played with the club through the end of the 2008-09 season.

Cheechoo’s first year with the Sharks came in 2002-03. That year, he had just nine goals over 66 games. On September 12, 2009, Jonathan was traded to the Ottawa Senators, along with Milan Michalek for Dany Heatley.

9. Who has scored the most points in a single season for the Sharks?

Joe Thornton totalled 114 points in 2006-07, his first full season with San Jose. The previous year, Thornton won the Art Ross Trophy with 125 points. However, the first 33 points were with the Boston Bruins with the final 92 with the Sharks. That year, Joe was also honoured with the Hart Trophy.

Thornton was the first overall pick at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, going to the Bruins. At the time, he was a junior with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Joe was traded to San Jose from Boston in exchange for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart and Marco Sturm.

10. How many games did San Jose lose in 1992-93?

The answer is 71. No other team in the history of the National Hockey League has lost as many games. In their defense, the NHL had just moved to a 84 game schedule that season from the 80 the year before.

11. What three teams did San Jose beat on the road in 1992-93?

With losing 71 of 84 games, there wasn’t a whole lot of winning going on. San Jose won just three games on the road and eight at home for eleven total. On the road, the Sharks were only able to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Of their eight home wins, two each were against the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings with a single against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

Check out the video:

NHL Hockey Trivia: Wins and Losses

In the end, most NHL hockey fans remember who won the Stanley Cup and maybe which player won the scoring title. After that, it’s mostly all forgotten unless you’re a true hockey fan. Are you a true hockey fan? Test and expand your knowledge of the wins and losses columns with the following four trivia questions. Well, mostly the losses column.

Q. What team lost 67 of 80 games during the 1974-75 season?

A. A far cry from their current success, the Washington Capitals won just eight games during their first season in the National Hockey League. The Capitals joined the league for 1974-75, along with the Kansas City Scouts.

Washington was led offensively by Tom Williams with 58 points. Williams had spent the past two years in the WHA with the New England Whalers. Previous to that, he played in the NHL from 1961-62 with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and California Golden Seals. Tom played just 34 games with the Capitals in 1975-76 before retiring from the game.

The Capitals went through a trio of head coaches in that inaugural season. Jim Anderson was behind the bench for 54 games, winning just four. Anderson was a long time member of the Springfield Indians and is a member of the AHL Hall of Fame. Next up was Red Sulllivan. The former head coach of the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins lasted just 19 games behind the Washington bench. Hockey legend Milt Schmidt coached the team for the final seven games of the season.

Q. What team was the first to lose 60 games during a single regular season?

A. The New York Islanders entered the NHL for the 1972-73 season along with the Atlanta Flames. The Islanders lost an even 60 games that season. The Flames lost just 38. Just six years later, the Islanders would win the first of four Stanley Cups in a row.

During that first season, the Islanders were coached by two former NHLers. Phil Goyette started the year behind the bench and made it through 50 games before being replaced by Earl Ingarfield. The following year, Al Arbour was brought in.

Billy Harris led the 1972-73 Islanders with just 50 points. Billy Smith backed up Gerry Desjardins in net with both posting a goals against average well over 4.00.

Q. During the 1992-93 season, what two teams became the first to surpass the 70 loss mark?

A. The Ottawa Senators lost 70 games and the San Jose Sharks lost 71 although both finished with 24 points. 1992-93 was one of the few years when the NHL had an 84 game regular season schedule. The 71 losses by San Jose stands today as a single season National Hockey League record. However, it is Ottawa that set the mark with most losses at home with 41.

Q. What was the only NHL team to surpass the 50 win mark during the 1974-75 season?

A. Eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Philadelphia Flyers, won 51 games in 1974-75. This fact is surprising considering there were two new expansion teams, Washington and Kansas City, that lost well over 50 games and the Minnesota North Stars lost exactly 50. You would think there’d be lots of wins to go around but the league was tied up in ties.

The Flyers tied for first overall with the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, all with 113 points. Buffalo won 49 games and Montreal won 47.

Hockey Trivia: Original Arenas of NHL Teams

These days, it seems an NHL arena doesn’t last more than a few decades before it needs to be demolished and rebuilt bigger and better. Other than a few of the post 1967 expansion teams, all the NHL teams are in new digs. A number of teams have been through several homes during their existence.

Test and expand your knowledge of NHL teams and their original homes with the following four hockey trivia questions.

Q. What was the original home of the San Jose Sharks?

A. The Sharks began in the Cow Palace (aka the California State Livestock Pavilion). The Cow Palace began operation in April of 1941 and housed 11,089 for NHL games. The Sharks played their home games at the Palace for their first few seasons until their present home, the HP Pavilion, was ready for use.

Before the Sharks moved in, the Cow Palace had previously been the hockey home of the San Francisco Seals of the WHL from 1961-62 to 1966-67. The San Francisco Spiders of the IHL called the Cow Palace home for the 1995-96 season. The venue is still active, acting as home rink to the San Francisco Bulls of the ECHL since the 2012-13 season.

Q. What arena was the original home of the Calgary Flames (in Calgary, not Atlanta...)?

A. The Flames moved from Atlanta in 1980 and played their first three seasons in the Calgary Stampede Corral. The Corral was built in 1950 and held just 6,475 plus standing room for hockey. The Flames currently play at the Saddledome.

Still in existence, the longest standing tenant of the Corral was the Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders played semi-pro hockey in the PCHL and WHL. The Calgary Centennials of the junior WCHL played at the Corral from 1966-67 to 1976-77 before moving to the U.S. to become the Billings Bighorns. That franchise is the present day Tri-City Americans. The World Hockey Association also called the Corral home with the Calgary Cowboys calling it home for two seasons, 1975-76 and 1976-77.

Q. What arena did the modern day Ottawa Senators (1992) first play out of?

A. The Senators played most of their first four seasons at the Ottawa Civic Centre, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s. The arena houses 9,862 for hockey. Like the Calgary Corral, the Civic Centre also housed WHA hockey briefly. The Ottawa Nationals called the arena home for the inaugural 1972-73 WHA season. In 1975-76, the Denver Spurs moved to Ottawa midseason to become the Civics. However, the franchise lasted just two home games before folding.

Q. In their first season in the NHL, 1926-27, the Detroit Red Wings were dubbed the Detroit Cougars. Where did the Cougars play their home games that season?

A. The Cougars played out of the Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario while the Olympia was being built across the river. The Border Cities Arena would later be named the Windsor Arena and housed the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires until 2008. For the Cougars, the Arena was upgraded to seat 9,000. When the Spitfires left the building, the capacity was 4,400 with standing room.

The Spitfires have moved into the WFCU Centre but the old barn remains. The new tenants are the University of Windsor Lancers, a team in the OUA.