How the Sharks Were Named

What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet... But a hockey team with the wrong name wouldn't be quite as cool. Especially if the team name isn't "Sharks."
When San Jose was awarded an expansion NHL franchise in 1990, the team held a national sweepstakes to help give a name to the new expansion franchise, and hockey fans did not disappoint. In an age before the ease of online submissions, people sent in over 5,700 entries to try to put their own stamp on a professional sports franchise. Even more impressive, the name suggestions did not just come from the Bay Area; there were submissions from Manitoba, Maine, Florida, and even Italy.

The top fifteen submissions were, in alphabetical order: Blades, Breakers, Breeze, Condors, Fog, Gold, Golden Gaters, Golden Skaters, Grizzlies, Icebreakers, Knights, Redwoods, Sea Lions, Sharks, and Waves.
And then there were the more… interesting entries, which included Saddlesores, Integrated Circuits, Rubber Puckies, Screaming Squids, and Salty Dogs.
But obviously, one of those names stood out from the rest. And it's not Rubber Puckies.
The team decided to go with the name of San Jose Sharks, adopting the moniker of the fiercest predator in the ocean and spawning one of the best logos (and jerseys) of all-time.
The name "Sharks" is fitting for San Jose's team - and not just because, as then-executive Vice President of marketing and broadcast Matt Levine said, "Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright, and fearless." San Jose also borders the infamous Red Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean.
The Red Triangle is (obviously) a triangle-shaped region that spans roughly from north of San Francisco to Big Sur. It hosts seven species of sharks including Great White, Leopard, Mako, Seven-Gill, Blue, Soupfin, and Spiny Dog. Notably, it is home to one highest concentrations of Great White Sharks in the world. With so many sharks in the water, it made sense to put them on ice.
And so, the San Jose Sharks were named.