The San Jose Sharks Mount Rushmore is a complicated question. In their 33 seasons, the Sharks have had numerous talented players walk through their doors, such as Thornton and Marleau. But also franchise icons such as Nabokov, Burns, Pavelski, and Nolan, even Logan Couture has a resume that can be taken into consideration. It’s hard to narrow down the four players who had the most significant impact on the franchise. With that said, in this article, I'm going to be sharing my San Jose Sharks Mount Rushmore.
Joe Thornton
Thornton is a no-brainer first choice for my San Jose Sharks Mount Rushmore. Though he was not drafted here, the 1997 first overall pick played 15 seasons in teal after being acquired from Boston, and is the clear-cut, most talented player ever to wear the jersey. Thornton is the only Shark to ever win the Hart trophy for most valuable player, along with the Art Ross trophy. In his first season, he achieved this feat, scoring 125 points between the Bruins and the Sharks, with 92 of those points coming in teal over just 58 games. This season still stands as the most productive season in franchise history. Thornton was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year on his first ballot, a testament to his career and what he accomplished in the NHL.
Patrick Marleau
The other no-brainer for the Sharks is Patrick Marleau. The Sharks drafted Marleau 2nd-overall in 1997, one pick after the first player on this list, and he became everything the Sharks could ask for and more. Dubbed Mr. Shark, Marleau played 21 seasons and 1607 games in teal, leading the Sharks in almost every statistical category. When you think of the San Jose Sharks, you think of Patrick Marleau. He may not be the most talented player ever to wear the jersey or a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but Marleau played in the league for a long time, holding the NHL games played record, and meant everything to the San Jose Sharks for over 2 decades of hockey.
Brent Burns
This is where things get difficult, with many deserving names vying for two spots. Ultimately, I'm giving the edge to Brent Burns for the 3rd spot. Like Thornton, Burns was acquired via trade this time from Minnesota during the 2011 draft. Burns would play 11 seasons for the Sharks, and there is a strong argument to be made that he is the second most talented player ever to wear the jersey. Burns is one of two players to win the Norris trophy for the Sharks, the other being Erik Karlsson, but there is an argument that he should have had more than one in his career. On the ice, Burns was a unicorn the Sharks built their entire system around him, transitioning from Thornton’s team to Burns' team. There will never be another player like Burns, and it was an absolute treat to watch him in teal throughout the mid-2010s. Burns leads the team in points from a defenseman and has a strong claim as the best defenseman in team history.
Evgeni Nabokov
Going into this article, I fully expected to give this slot to Joe Pavelski or Owen Nolan. Still, with two forwards in addition to Logan Couture also having a similar case as both Pavelski and Nolan, it makes Nabokov’s resume stand out a lot more. No one is even close to Nabokov in the Sharks' all-time goaltending rankings. Nabokov is the only franchise-caliber goaltender the Sharks have ever had and was a key cog in the team's success throughout the 2000s. The former 9th-round pick in 1994 is the only Shark ever to win the Calder trophy, and his stellar play was consistent year to year both in the regular season and playoffs, even if he was never able to win a Vezina. To this day, the Sharks are still looking for their next franchise goaltender, as they have been unable to find anybody capable of matching his consistency. This, to me, shows just how important he was to the San Jose Sharks.
This is my San Jose Sharks, Mount Rushmore. Time will tell if someone like Macklin Celebrini can crack this list down the line, but regardless, the Sharks have had the privilege of many talented and special people wearing the jersey in their still short time in existence. It will be fun seeing how this next era of Sharks hockey stacks up to the ones before it.