Now introducing your … Daly City Sharks?
San Jose’s NHL Team That Almost Wasn’t
Believe it or not, the San Jose Sharks almost weren’t San Jose’s team at all.
Back in the early ’90s, as the NHL eyed expansion into the Bay Area, team owners seriously considered making Daly City the Sharks’ forever home. The Cow Palace even hosted their first seasons while San Jose rushed to finish building a proper arena.
But the fans were already here.
South Bay die-hards packed the Cow Palace in teal and black, driving up from San Jose, chanting and claiming what was already theirs. When the San Jose Arena (now SAP Center) finally opened in 1993, the Sharks hit the ice in their true home — in front of one of the loudest, most loyal fanbases in the NHL.