As many of you already know, the San Jose Sharks are honoring their 25th anniversary as a franchise this season. In doing so, the Sharks announced their 25th Anniversary Team as chosen by the fans, split into two different teams.
Introducing your #Sharks25thTeam! https://t.co/nFZUv0ocSG pic.twitter.com/P3W8QoOa24
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 19, 2016
The first team included forwards Patrick Marleau, Owen Nolan and Joe Thornton, defensemen Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic with Evgeni Nabokov in goal.
Amongst the forwards, there really isn’t much of a surprise as Marleau, Thornton and Nolan represent three of the top four scorers in Sharks franchise history. Also, all three served as captain of the franchise at one point during their careers in teal, and have often been most associated as the faces of the organization.
Vlasic is a solid choice on the back end as he’s most likely the best overall blue liner to don a teal sweater. The inclusion of Burns is clearly fan driven as he is one of the most popular figures on the Sharks. However, since Burns spent some time as a forward as well during his tenure in the South Bay, I don’t know how he could be included for his time as a defenseman.
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In goal, there’s no other choice for number one besides Nabokov who was adored by the fans and the leads the franchise with 293 wins and 50 shutouts.
On the second team, the forward groups consists of Joe Pavelski, Mike Ricci and Jonathan Cheechoo, with a defense pairing of Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray and Arturs Irbe between the pipes.
This team is chalked full of fan favorites as Ricci and Cheechoo had some really good seasons in teal, but their overall production was upstaged by others in teal. However, many fans associated with both of these players which is why they’re likely on this list.
Pavelski is no surprise as he ranks second in goals with 250 and third with 528 points. He developed in the Sharks system and now is the leader of San Jose.
On defense, Boyle is a no-brainer as he leads all Sharks defensemen in points while Murray’s inclusion has more to do with the bone-crunching hits he used to dish out.
For many Sharks fans, including myself, Irbe was the goalie they grew up with. Though he was undersized, he never stopped fighting and embodied the spirit of those early San Jose teams.
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Some notable players who did not make the list were Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov, Jeff Friesen, Vincent Damphousse, Marcus Ragnarsson, Sandis Ozolinsh and Antti Niemi.
For the most part, these two teams are representative of some of the best players in franchise history and there will always be one or two players who should be on that aren’t. Feel free to let us know who you would include on your lists for the Sharks 25th Anniversary Team.