Friday, April 26, 2024
San Jose Sharks
Professional hockey in the Bay Area can be traced to the San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1944 to 1950. The Shark's origins began with the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League (WHL) when they were awarded an expansion franchise for San Francisco on April 23rd, 1961, to former Vancouver Canucks owner Coleman (Coley) Hall, on the condition that an ice surface is installed in the Cow Palace. The Seals won three WHL championships and were renamed the California Seals in 1966, playing their games at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.
The following season, the California Golden Seals joined the NHL and played their seasons from 1967 to 1976, who were neither successful on the ice nor at the box office. Gordon and George Gund III became minority owners of the Seals in 1974 and were instrumental in their move to Cleveland in 1976 and a 1978 merger with the Minnesota North Stars, which they purchased that year. They had long wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area and asked the NHL for permission to move the North Stars there in the late 1980s, but the league vetoed the proposed move. Meanwhile, a group led by former Hartford Whalers owner Howard Baldwin was pushing the NHL to bring a team to San Jose, where a new arena was being built. Eventually, the League struck a compromise: the Gunds would sell their share of the North Stars to Baldwin’s group, with the Gunds receiving an expansion team in the Bay Area to begin play in the 1991-1992 season and being allowed to take a certain number of players from the North Stars to their new club(1). In return, the North Stars would be allowed to participate as an equal partner in an expansion draft with the latest Bay Area team. On May 5th, 1990, the Gunds officially sold their share of the North Stars to Baldwin and were awarded a new team for the Bay Area, based in San Jose. The owners paid the league an expansion fee of US$45 million(1) and the new franchise was approved on May 9th (2).
Over 5,000 potential names were submitted by mail for the new team. While the first-place was “Blades”, the Gunds were concerned about the name’s potentially negative association with weapons, and west with the runner-up “Sharks”(3)(4). The name was said to have been inspired by the many sharks living in the Pacific Ocean. Seven varieties live there, and one area of water near the Bay Area is known as the “red triangle” (hence the triangle in the team’s logo) because of its shark population.
Matt Levine – the team’s first marketing head – said of the new name, “Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless. We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities.”(5)
Cow Palace years (1991-1993)
For their first two seasons, the Sharks played at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside San Francisco, a facility the NHL and the Seals had rejected in 1967. Pat Falloon was their first draft choice, leading the team in points during their first season. The team was placed in the Campbell Conference’s Smythe Division. George Kingston was their first head coach during their first two seasons(6). Though the 1991-1992 roster consisted primarily of NHL journeymen, minor leaguers, and rookies, the Sharks had at least one notable player when they acquired 14-year veteran and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Doug Wilson from the Chicago Blackhawks on September 6th, 1991. Wilson was named the team’s first team captain and All-Star representative in the inaugural season. However, the Sharks’ first two seasons saw the typical struggles for an expansion team. The 71 losses in 1992-1993 is an NHL record and they also suffered a 17-game losing streak, while winning just 11 games and earning a mere 24 points in the standing. Kingston was fired following the end of the 1992-1993 season.
Despite the Sharks’ futility in the standings, the team led the NHL’s merchandise sales with $150 million, accounting for 27% of the NHL’s total and behind only National Basketball Association champions Chicago Bulls among all North American leagues(7). Several team “firsts” happened in the 1992-1993 season. On November 17th, 1992 San Jose goaltender Arturs Irbe recorded the first shutout in team history, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 6-0. On December 3rd, against the Hartford Whalers at the Cow Palace, right winger Rob Gaudreau scored the first hat-trick in franchise history; he also scored the team’s second-ever hat-trick nine days later against the Quebec Nordiques.
The inaugural year also saw the introduction of the San Jose Sharks mascot, “S.J. Sharkie”. On January 28th, 1992, at a game against the New York Rangers, the then-unnamed mascot emerged from a Zamboni during an intermission. A “Name the Mascot” contest began that night, with the winning name of “S.J. Sharkie” being announced on April 15, 1992(8).
Resources:
1. https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden
-knights-nhl/cost-of-nhl-expansion-team-goes
-from-2-million-to-500-million/
2. https://records.nhl.com/franchises/san-jose-
sharks/season-by-season-record
3. Donovan, Michael Leo (1997). The Name
Game: Football, Baseball, Hockey & Basketball
How Your Favorite Sports Teams Were Named.
Toronto: Warwick Publishing.
ISBN 1-895629-74-8.
4. Donovan, Michael Leo (1997). The Name
Game: Football, Baseball, Hockey & Basketball
How Your Favorite Sports Teams Were Named.
Toronto: Warwick Publishing.
ISBN 1-895629-74-8.
5. Gilmore, Tom (September 7, 1990). "Sharks
Are Coming – NHL Team Named". The San
Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle Publishing
Co. p. D1. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
6. https://www.hockey-fans.com/pacific/sharks/
7. Sims, Calvin (December 14, 1992).
"In Disney's Hockey Venture, The Real
Action Is Off the Ice". The New York Times
8. Decade of Teal: 10 Years With the San Jose
Sharks. Woodford Publishing, Inc. 2001. p. 105.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Edmonton Oilers
On November 1st, 1971, the Edmonton Oilers became one of the 12 founding WHA franchises. The original owners were “Wild Bill” Hunter (1920-2002) and partner, Dr. Charles “Chuck” Allard (1919-1981)(1) (father of Vancouver lawyer Peter Allard)(2) who, a decade later, also brought the Second City Television (SCTV) sketch comedy TV series to Edmonton(3). Hunter also owned the Edmonton Oil Kings, a junior hockey franchise(4), and founded the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League (now known as the Western Hockey League (WHL))(4). Hunter’s efforts to bring major professional hockey to Edmonton via an expansion NHL franchise had been rebuffed by the NHL. So, he looked to the upstart WHA instead. It was Hunter who chose the “Oilers” name for the new WHA franchise. This was a name that had previously been used as a nickname for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 1950s and 1960s (5). Hunter also served as head coach during the 1972-1973, 1974-1975, and 1975-1976 seasons.
After the newly founded Calgary Broncos folded before the commencement of the inaugural WHA season, the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers as it was planned to split their home games between Edmonton and Calgary. Possibly for financial reasons or to allow for a less complicated return of the WHA to Calgary, though, the team ultimately played all of its home games in the Edmonton Gardens and changed its name back to the Edmonton Oilers the following year(6). They won the first game in WHA history 7-4 over the Ottawa Nationals(7).
The Oilers drew fans with players such as defenseman and team captain Al Hamilton, goaltender Dave Dryden and forwards Blair MacDonald and Bill Flett. However, a relatively little-noticed move in 1976 had an important impact on the history of the franchise. That year, journeyman forward Glen Sather was acquired by the Oilers(8). It turned out to be his final season as a player and he was named player-coach late in the season, moving to the bench full-time after the season. Sather was the coach or general manager of the Oilers for the next 23 years(9).
Although the Oilers’ on-ice performance for most of the WHA’s history was mediocre, they remained relatively well-supported and financially stable by WHA standards. In 1976, Hunter and Allard sold the franchise to Vancouver real estate tycoon Nelson Skalbania, who later became notorious for flipping property, both real and franchised(10). Skalbania soon made local businessman Peter Pocklington a full partner, then sold his shares to him the following year. The team’s fortunes improved dramatically in 1978 when Pocklington acquired underage player Wayne Gretzky(11), as well as goaltender Eddie Mio and forward Peter Driscoll, for cash, from Skalbania’s recently folded Indianapolis Racers(12).
His first year of WHA experience prevented Gretzky from being an official 1979-1980 NHL rookie; his first and only WHA season, 1978-1979, saw the Oilers finish first in the WHA standings, posting a league-best 48-30-2 record(13). However, Edmonton failed to win the championship, as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets in the Avco World Trophy Final. Dave Semenko of the Oilers scored the last goal in WHA history in the third period of the final game, which they lost 7-3(14).
The Oilers joined the NHL for 1979-1980, along with fellow WHA teams, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques and the Jets following a merger agreement between the two leagues. Of these four teams, only Edmonton has avoided relocation and renaming; the Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997(15).
Entry into the NHL 1979-1983
The Oilers lost most of the players from 1978-1979 when the NHL held a reclamation draft of players who had bolted to the upstart league as they were allowed to protect two goaltenders and two skaters(16). Originally, Gretzky was not eligible to be protected; under the rules of the time, he normally would have been placed in the Entry Draft pool. However, Pocklington had signed him to a 21-year personal services contract to force the NHL to admit the Oilers and allow the Oilers to keep Gretzky(17).
Upon joining the NHL, the Oilers were placed in the Campbell Conference’s Smythe Division. They were mediocre during the regular season in their first two seasons, finishing sixteenth and fourteenth respectively. However, because 16 of the 21 NHL teams made the playoffs at the same time, the Oilers were still able to get their young players experience in the playoffs (they made the playoffs in their first 13 years in the NHL)(18). They won only one playoff series in their first three NHL seasons, though, upsetting the Montreal Canadiens in 1980-1981. Gretzky set new NHL records in 1980-1981 for assists (109)(19) and points (164)(20). Also, they still had great draft positions. This allowed the Oilers to put together a young, talented, experienced team quickly. Within three years, Sather and chief scout Barry Fraser had drafted several players who would have an important role in the team’s success, including Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog(21).
The Oilers improved in 1981-1982, finishing second overall. Grant Fuhr emerged as the starting goaltender and he set a rookie record by going undefeated in 23 straight games(22). However, Gretzky stole the show by setting the single-season record for goals with 92(23) and becoming the first player in NHL history to score 200 points (with 212)(20). Gretzky’s accomplishments helped the Oilers become the first team to score 400 goals in a season, a feat they accomplished for five straight years(24). However, they were upset by the Los Angeles Kings in five games (Game 3 of this series, the Miracle on Manchester, saw the Oilers take a 5-0 lead into the third period, only to lose 6-5 in overtime)(25)(26).
In 1982-1983, the Oilers finished third overall in the NHL. They advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals (losing only once in the process) before getting swept by the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders(27). During this season, Gretzky, Messier, Anderson, and Kurri all topped 100 points, with Coffey not far behind at 96(26). After the season, Lee Fogolin resigned as captain of the Oilers, picking Gretzky as his successor(28).
Sources:
1. Riess, Steven A. (March 26, 2015). Sports in
America from Colonial Times to the Twenty
-First Century: An Encyclopedia: An
Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN
9781317459477.
2. https://historyproject.allard.ubc.ca/law-
history -project/profile/peter-allard-qc
3. https://docspike.com/download/charles
-alexander-allard-md-frcsc-facs-1919-1991-3_pdf
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20101113222758/
http://www.whl.ca/page/whl-history
5. https://web.archive.org/web/20101009142207/
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/09/17/
nhl_team_names/
6. http://hockey.ballparks.com/WHA/Alberta
Oilers/index.htm
7. https://web.archive.org/web/20101117123740/
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=426216
8. https://oilerslegends.blogspot.com/2006/11/
glen-sather.html
9. https://www.hhof.com/HonouredMembers/
MemberDetails.html?type=Builder&mem=
b199701&list=ByName#photo
10. Stewart, Monte (2004). Calgary Flames:
Fire on Ice. Heritage House Publishing Co.
ISBN 9781551537948.
11. https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/
nhl/edmonton-oilers/edmonton-oilers-history
-wha-team-acquires-wayne-gretzky-peter-
driscoll-and-eddie-mio-from-indianapolis-
racers-for-825000-nov-2-1978
12. Eddie Dario Mio, Legends of Hockey,
retrieved November 10, 2010
13. Eddie Dario Mio, Legends of Hockey,
retrieved November 10, 2010
14. Eddie Dario Mio, Legends of Hockey,
retrieved November 10, 2010
15. Eddie Dario Mio, Legends of Hockey,
retrieved November 10, 2010
16. 1979 NHL Expansion Draft, The Home
of the Oilers, archived from the original on
November 29, 2003, retrieved
November 11, 2010.
17. McCurdy, Bruce (January 26, 2010), "Happy
birthday, Wayne": the 21-year, personal
services contract, The Copper and Blue,
retrieved November 4, 2010.
18. Edmonton Oilers, Hockey-Reference.com,
retrieved November 11, 2010
19. NHL & WHA Single Season Leaders and
Records for Assists, Hockey-Reference.com,
retrieved November 19, 2010
20. NHL & WHA Single Season Leaders and
Records for Points, Hockey-Reference.com,
retrieved November 11, 2010
21. McCurdy, Bruce (June 24, 2010), Class of
1980: Best Oilers draft ever?, The Copper and
Blue, retrieved November 11, 2010.
22. Grant Fuhr, Hockey Draft Central, retrieved
November 11, 2010^ NHL & WHA Single
Season Leaders and Records for Goals, Hockey
-Reference.com, retrieved November 11, 2010
23. Standings for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL,
The Internet Hockey Database, retrieved
November, 11, 2010
24. Standings for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL,
The Internet Hockey Database, retrieved
November 11, 2010
25. 1981–82 NHL Season Summary, Hockey-
Reference.com, retrieved November 11, 2010
26. Miracle on Manchester, Still Greatest NHL
Playoff Upset of All Time, The Hockey Writers,
April 29, 2010, retrieved November 11, 2010
27. 1982–83 Edmonton Oilers Roster and Statistics,
Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved November
11, 2010
28. Lee Fogolin-Like Father, Like Son, Edmonton
Oilers Heritage, archived from the original on
December 8, 2010, retrieved November 11, 2010
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