Puck Daddy's Summer Series: The San Jose Sharks from A to Z

(Ed. Note: August is known to be a very quiet month in the hockey world. As we wait for September to arrive and training camps to begin, let’s learn a little history about all 30 teams. Behold, our summer A-Z series, in which we ask fans of all 30 teams to drop some knowledge on us! Add your own choices in the comments!)

By: Stace of Base, semi-retired blogger for Battle of California

A. Archie

Arturs Irbe was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. Because Minnesota was not proven to be a legitimate hockey market, the team was relocated to Dallas and Irbe was picked up by the Sharks in the NHL dispersal draft in 1991.

Also known as 'The Wall', Archie saw some of the best, and well, worst moments, in the first four seasons of the Sharks' franchise. The worst was being associated with the 1992-1993 Sharks team who suffered 71 losses and a 17 game losing streak. In the next season, the Sharks improved greatly, thanks in part to Archie, and managed to grab their first ever playoff spot.

B. Bakes

Jamie Baker played three seasons with the San Jose Sharks from 1993-1996. His most notable moment for the Sharks was his overtime goal that he scored in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in the 1993-1994 playoffs. That goal caused the Sharks to bounce the heavily favored top seed and capture their first ever playoff series win.

Jamie eventually returned to the organization in 1999 to play their home opener in Japan, which ended up being his final NHL game.

He once again returned to the organization in 2005 as a radio broadcaster for the Sharks, and in 2014 became color commentator for the Sharks' television broadcast. He is a gigantic homer, but we love him for making Chris Osgood sad.

C. Chok....errrr, I mean, the Chomp

A tradition that somehow rivals The Wave with its annoyance, Sharks' fans make a shark chomping motion with their arms at the beginning of each power play set to the Jaws' theme song. It is as dumb as it sounds.

D. Dan Rusanowsky

Rusanowsky, who is known as 'the Voice of the Sharks', has been leading the radio broadcast for the team since the inaugural season in 1991. He was briefly sidelined due to a car accident in 2000, which caused him to end his broadcasting streak of 774 games. He has called 1700+ Sharks games in his career. When the Sharks are off for the summer, he helps do broadcasts of other bay area sports teams. He is One Of The Best In The Biz and us Sharks fans are lucky to have him whilst sitting in gridlock traffic.

E. Ehrhoff, Christian

/reads he signed with the Kings on Sunday

The one who got away, or more so, the one who got shipped away to clear cap space for Mr. 50-in-07-Dany-Heatley. He was drafted by the Sharks in 2001. He was fantastic at moving the puck but even better at shooting the puck wide and turning the puck over The mistakes that Ehrhoff made was usually usually recovered by...Christian Ehrhoff. He was a quick skater and I'd bet you that the Sharks would like to have his turnovers back in place of some of the more um, *interesting* defenseman they've had the past few seasons. I'm looking at you, Wallin, C. White, I. White, Stuart, Murray, Han--I could do this all night.

HE'S DEAD TO ME.

F. Flop on Figueroa

The Flop on Figueroa is the most Sharks' fan thing ever. Of course we would rejoice greatly in regards to winning a Game 3 in the Quarterfinals of the playoffs, but goddammit, that game was special.

in 2011, the Sharks met the Kings for the first time ever in the playoffs. The Sharks were heavily favored, especially because the Kings' best player Anze Kopitar was sidelined due to injury. The series was tied 1-1 going into Game 3 and the Sharks had a rather shorky start; by the 21st minute in the game, they were down 4-0. Including the shutout that the Kings got in Game 2, LA had scored 8 unanswered goals.

It is happening again. Something all too familiar. Antti Niemi was eventually pulled and a match was metaphorically lit under the bums of the San Jose Sharks. By the end of the second period, they had stormed back and the game was tied 5-5. After a horrifying third period, the game went into overtime. Four minutes into overtime, Devin Setoguchi scores and the Sharks win 6-5. They eventually won the series in six.

G. Golden Seals

The first bay area National Hockey League team was the California Golden Seals. From 1967-1976, the California Seals aka Oakland Seals aka California Golden Seals had a home at the Oakland Coliseum.

The team was mostly unsuccessful and didn't exactly draw in large crowds, which caused them to move to Cleveland to become the Barons in 1977. The team did even worse in Cleveland and was merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1979.

As mentioned previously, Minnesota is not a hockey market, which forced the hand of the Gunds (who had partial ownership of the team since the Golden Seal days) to sell their share of the North Stars to Howard Baldwin, who was pushing for a Bay Area team. A deal was eventually made and the San Jose Sharks were born in 1991. Unfortunately, the Dallas Stars were also a result of this deal, but I'll let that slide...for now.

H. Hahn, Randy

I love this man. I truly love this man. Oddly enough, he got his National Hockey League start with the team whose fans hate him the most--the Los Angeles Kings. He's been with the sharks for 20 seasons now as the television play-by-play announcer and typically gets the nod to broadcast national games. Some say it's because comcast is affiliated with NBC, but I'd say it's mostly because of his awesome banter--it's not quite the same without Drew Remenda though:

I. #ItWasThreeZero

Easily the worst moment in San Jose Sharks history. After taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the 2013-2014 playoffs, the Sharks shorked and lost to the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks are the fourth team in NHL history to lose a playoff series after leading 3-0.

If you ask any Sharks fans where they were when San Jose lost that series, you would not get an answer because we all died. I am merely a ghost stuck between worlds.

J. Jumbo

Jumbo Joe Thornton is the best thing to happen to the Sharks' organization. I don't care what Doug Wilson has to say about it. Now that I've gotten that out of my system....

Joe Thornton was acquired in what was, without a doubt, the biggest trade in San Jose Sharks history. The Sharks sent Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau to Boston for Jumbo Joe in the middle of the 2005-2006 season. That season he won the Art Ross trophy and the Hart trophy and is the only player in NHL history to win those awards while switching teams mid season.

In 2010, Thornton won a goal medal with Team Canada and was named Sharks' captain. 1285 career points, 901 career assists, 616 assists with the San Jose Sharks. That man can turn coal into a diamond (re: Jonathan Cheechoo). His captaincy was stripped in 2014, but there's still hope for him to strip via a four goal game.

K. Kelly Kisio

The first two years of San Jose hockey was...rough, to say the least, but Kelly Kisio is what kept fans intrigued about this new hockey team.

During the abysmal 1992-1993 season, he managed to have the best season of his career (tallying 78 points) and represented the Sharks in Montreal for the 1993 All-Star game. Although his stint was short, he gave the early fans of the team hope of good things to come.

L. Levi's Stadium

San Jose played in their first outdoor game on February 21, 2015 against the Los Angeles Kings at Levi's Stadium. A fairly uneventful game, the Sharks ended up losing 1-2. The jerseys were....interesting, but the setting was a thing of beauty.

Who knew that California would have weather that could support having an outdoor game? The biggest complaint about the outdoor game was that Smash Mouth did not play at intermission.

M. Marleau, Patrick

Patrick Marleau is the human equivalent to a double rainbow. Patrick Marleau is a kitten playing with a ball of yarn for the first time. Patrick Marleau is the sunrising over the Grand Canyon. He is the face of our franchise and our most beloved player. He was San Jose's greatest draft pick and my best friend.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system...

Patrick Marleau has been with the Sharks since 1997. He was picked second overall behind (my other best friend) Joe Thornton. When Owen Nolan left the Sharks, Patty became captain halfway through the 2002-2003 season. His captaincy ended following the 2008-2009 playoff upset. He is often criticized for Not Doing The Thing in the playoffs, because hockey teams only have one player, but he leads in basically every category you can think of for the San Jose Sharks--well, except PIM because he's a two-time Lady Byng nominee and a perfect gentleman. He's the Sharks' all time leader in total goals, even strength goals, power play goals, points, shots, games played, awkward smiles, etc. Although he has yet to win a Cup, he has won two olympic gold medals.

Through all the scrutiny and the playoff heartache, he has made it clear that he is here to stay with this team. He is the reason I became a fan and he is the reason why I've stayed a fan.

N. Nabby

When one thinks of the San Jose Sharks' history, three players come to mind: Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov. Nabby holds a special place in all San Jose fans' hearts, no matter how critical we were about him at times. He won the Calder cup after not even being considered for the starting job--Shields was injured and Kipper wasn't ready. Nabby stepped up and played out of his mind in his rookie year, representing the team in the 2001 all-star game and taking the team to the playoffs. After that year, his career with San Jose was a rollercoaster up until his last season with the Sharks (2009-2010).

Without question, his two most notable moments in teal would have to be his powerplay goal:

And 'The Save':

In the 2014-2015, Nabby re-signed with the Sharks to retire in the Bay.

O. Owen Nolan

Owen Nolan was traded to the Sharks from Colorado in exchange for Sandis Ozolinsh during the 1995-1996 season. He played in the 1997 NHL All-Star game and is widely remembered for Calling His Shot.

Nolan became the Sharks' captain in 1998 and was captain up until he was traded in 2003.

His most memorable moments with the Sharks was during the 1999-2000 season. He had a career high in points and helped the Sharks oust the Blues' in a remarkable 8th seed-1st seed upset. Owen Nolan had the series’ winning goal.

If this isn't the most St. Louis Blues thing ever, I don't know what is.

P. President's Trophy

The Sharks won the President's Trophy in the 2008-2009 season and was heavily favored going into the playoffs. The Cup parade map was made. Our time had finally come. This Is Our Year, well... This Was Our Year.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN RANDY CARLYLE OUTCOACHED TODD MCLELLAN?

The Sharks got bounced in six games by the Anaheim Ducks. There are not enough showers in the world to wash away that playoff series. Don't cry for us though, we got this beauty to remind us of that series!

Q. Quality Space Filler

Q is a terrible letter and no one is better at filling space than Douglas Murray, so here is his lone hat trick he scored against the Ducks in 2009.

R. Ryanne Clowe Plays The Puck From The Bench

In 2012, one of the Biggest Crimes Against Humanity was committed by San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe.

On an odd man rush, he played the puck from a bench, breaking up a three-on-two heading into the Sharks' zone, preventing Jarret Stoll from shooting wide.

Will the Kings ever be avenged?!

We love youe, Ryane.

S. SJ Sharkie!

San Jose's mascot was born in January 1992 and let's be real guys, he's adorable.

He is known for trying to bite off people's heads but usually fails because his teeth are plush. His most notable moment was when he got stuck in the rafters while trying to rappel to the ice during the Sharks' pregame.

He remained up there through the line-up announcement and the singing of the national anthem. The game was delayed twenty minutes. He handled it like a true pro.

Just being a badass, nbd.

T. Teemu Selanne

Teemu Selanne's most memorable part of his career that was way too long was when he played two seasons for the San Jose Sharks in the early 2000's. He was not very good and was eventually shipped off to the Colorado Avalanche, where he continued to be not very good.

I can't recall him doing anything memorable after that...

U. Unicorn - Horn = Logan Courture

The face of the franchise? Yay or neeeiiiigggggghhh?

Logan is a Good Canadian Boy from Ontario who played for The Ottawa 67's aka Don Cherry's wet dream.

He was drafted by the Sharks in 2007 and made his National Hockey League debut in 2009. In 2010-2011, his first full season with the Sharks, he was a Calder Trophy Finalist and was a representative for the Sharks in the all-star game. In four full seasons and a shortened lockout season, he has had three 20+ goal seasons and two 30+ goal seasons.

Just uh, um, uhhh, hrm. No Comment.

V. Vancouver Sweep

In 2013, the San Jose Sharks met the Vancouver Canucks in the playoffs for the second time in three years. They managed to avenge their embarrassing playoff exit in 2011 by completing an extremely satisfying sweep.

There were accusations from the Canucks, as usual, that the refs were in favor of San Jose. In a hilarious turn of events, a questionable call gave the Sharks a powerplay during overtime and Patrick Marleau scored the series’ winning goal. It was the first sweep in San Jose Sharks' history. Never change, Vancouver.

W. What The F--- Is Wrong With Mike Ricci’s Face?

X. X-Mas Videos

One of the great things about being a Sharks fan is that we are given the beautiful gift of a holiday video every season. Each video seems to be more perfect than the last. Here are their previous works of art, enjoy:

Y. You Can Play

You Can Play is a project that is set to end homophobia in sports. The campaign was introduced in 2012 and the Sharks' very own Tommy Wingels was one of the first two NHL players to join the Advisory Board. His work with the You Can Play project has earned him nominations for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Other members of the San Jose Sharks who support the You Can Play project are Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Ben Smith and Brent Burns.

Z. Zero Cups

The San Jose Sharks are hilariously bad in the playoffs.

Meet the author: Stace of Base is a semi-retired blogger from Battle of California. She has tolerated the Sharks at best for as long as she can remember; alcohol during the playoffs has made timelines fuzzy. She is the Complicit Trash Queen of Hockey Twitter, follow her @stace_ofbase.

Previous A to Z Guides: Anaheim | Arizona | Boston | Buffalo | Calgary | Carolina | Chicago | Colorado | Columbus | Dallas | Detroit | Edmonton | Florida | Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal | Nashville | New Jersey | NY Islanders | NY Rangers | Ottawa | Philadelphia | Pittsburgh 

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS