To celebrate Sharks history, each week we will highlight moments of the past. So check back to the Daily Chomp each week to celebrate with us for Throwback Thursday. In addition, we will be giving away special Sharks throwback items every Thursday.

This week the Daily Chomp takes a look at the Sharks 1995-96 season.

Did you know... owner George Gund received the prestigious Lester Patrick Trophy, awarded for outstanding service and contributions to hockey in the United States.

More from that year:

• Acquired Doug Bodger, Owen Nolan, Ray Sheppard, Martin Spahnel and Darren Turcotte via trades.
• Named Jim Wiley head coach and announced dismissal of Head Coach Kevin Constantine on Dec. 2, 1995.
• Owen Nolan represented the Sharks at the 1995-96 NHL All-Star Game in Boston on Jan. 20, 1996.
• Rookie Alexei Yegorov became the first Sharks player to record a hat trick in the first game which he has ever scored a goal, accomplishing the feat in Calgary on Feb. 20, 1996.
• On the third goal of his hat trick on Feb. 20, Yegorov also posted the 1,000th goal in Sharks history, assisted by Viktor Kozlov and Owen Nolan.
• Marcus Ragnarsson was a leading candidate for the Calder Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the league's top rookie.

Also, be sure to check out the Sharks History Page and the Photo of the Day.

1995 Pop Culture:

• A crazy kids fad called X Games debuted in Rhode Island.
• "Houston, we have a problem" and "No soup for you" lived well beyond Appolo 13 and Seinfield.
• Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album was flying off the shelves.
• DVD, optical disc storage media format, is announced.
• In southern France a network of caves are discovered that contain paintings and engravings that are 17,000 to 20,000 years old.

Sharks Throwback Giveaway

Fill out the form below for a chance to win a unique Sharks Throwback prize. Increase your chances of winning and tweet using #SharksThrowback or text "Throwback" to 74499.


This giveaway has ended and is closed for any further submissions.

Before I began working on Sharks broadcasts in 1991, I worked for the Los Angeles Kings. There, I’ve said it. I once worked for one of the Sharks biggest rivals. (Geography aside, I still believe that Detroit is “Rival #1".)

From 1988 through the 1990 season I was the host of Kings Korner, a 30-minute pregame show that aired before every game, home and away. It was in the early years of the Wayne Gretzky era. It was a very exciting time to be doing my first ever television work in the NHL, so it is with that backdrop that I get ready to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight at 5 PM Pacific on NBC Sports Network.

Will I be cheering for the Kings? Well, yes and no.

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Sharks fans, are you traveling this offseason? Then make your destination Sharks Territory!

Every Wednesday between now and September 19, we will post the best 3-5 photos of the week on the Daily Chomp blog. Fans will vote on their favorite photo each week. The winner of the week's best photo will receive a mini Sharks Territory sign autographed by their favorite Sharks player. Then, the 19 weekly winners will square off for the best photo of the offseason and the Grand Prize - a team signed, full size Sharks Territory sign plus two tickets to a 2012-13 game!

Check out this week's top fan photos and be sure to vote on which one you think is the best in the form below.

	Joseph Hospodor   Taking Over the Skies
	Sharon Bauer Adding to Mount Rushmore
	Sylvia Do Gates of the White House
	Darla Andresen Top Deck of the USS Carl Vinson
	Drew Whited Outside the Hockey Hall of Fame

The voting period has now ended for this week's photos. Results will be posted in the following week's Daily Chomp entry.

Check out all of our Sharks Territory Fan photos here.

Request your own Sharks Territory sign at SJSHARKS.com/sharksterritory.

Remember to submit new photos here.

Read the rest of this blog entry >>

Tuesday Trivia is a weekly feature of the Daily Chomp. Check back next week for a new question and prize.

Since patrolling the blue line for the Sharks, Dan Boyle has been one of the most prolific offensive defensemen in team history. His four seasons in San Jose each rank in the top five in scoring among defensemen.

TRIVIA: Which former Sharks player holds the franchise record for the highest scoring season from a defenseman?

Prize: Submit your answer in the form below for a chance to win a Dan Boyle prize pack including a signed puck and photo. Submissions must be received by Thursday, June 7 at 12 p.m. (Pacific).

This trivia contest has ended and is closed for any further submissions.

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As it stands at this moment the Los Angeles Kings are just 2 wins short of being crowned the best hockey team in the world. However they are well aware the last 2 wins will be very difficult ones as they square against a proud New Jersey Devils squad. The question of the day, is it wrong for a San Jose Sharks fan to be pulling for the LA club? I say cheer away.

The Kings entered the NHL in 1967 along with the first wave of expansion. The league doubled by expanding to LA, along with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota, St. Louis and the Oakland Seals. The new teams were slotted in the a division of their own, the western division. Big League hockey was now entering long-time minor league markets.

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Time for my weekly Baker's Dozen.

1. Winning the Cup has never been easier because the salary cap has created parity and any team making the playoffs has a chance to win the Cup. Winning the Cup has never been harder because so many teams have a viable, legitimate chance. It’s great for hockey and makes the playoffs unpredictable from year to year.
   #NHLPlayoffs_TheBEST


2. Who to cheer for? I think it would be great for hockey in California, the Pacific Division, the Western Conference and pacific standard time zone teams if the Kings win despite the fact they are huge rivals to the Sharks. The only team I would actually like to see win the Cup other than the Sharks is Ottawa because it’s my hometown. Otherwise it’s addition by subtraction or for some other hockey related reason. Plus, I know all the broadcasters for the Kings and they are great guys and I would be thrilled for them.
   #Miller #Nickson #Fox #Evans


3. NHLcom staff, NHL.com International staff and NHL.com Hockey Analysts made their predictions on who wins the Stanley Cup. A total of 23 individuals made their picks. 12 picked the Devils and 11 picked LA. Now that just shows you how close these teams are and everyone agreed that it would likely be a long series that goes 6 or 7 games.
   #Parity


4. When it comes to Nicklas Lidstrom hockey fans know about the 7 Norris trophies, 4 Stanley Cups and other stats. You can see more of his amazing stats by clicking on this link. Here are some other stats you might not know about:
   
   
   • He was +40 or higher 4 times in his career (+43 in 93/94 and +40 in 02/03, 06/07, 07/08)
   • In 4 games at the Cow Palace he had 1G, 1A, 2PTS, +1 and had 9 shots
   • In 33 games at HP Pavilion he had 7G, 22A, 29PTS, +5 and had 75 shots
   • The only building other than HP Pavilion (not including Joe Louis) where he had more points is the United Center in Chicago where he had 41 points. (He had 5PTS in 11 games at Chicago Stadium.)
   • Including neutral site arenas he has played in 56 different arenas
   • In 937 wins he had 205G, 647A, 852PTS, +768 and took 2,272 shots
   • Took 3,875 shots in his career
   • Played 80 or more games in 14 seasons
   #Incredible

Read the rest of Friday Baker's Dozen >>

To celebrate Sharks history, each week we will highlight moments of the past. So check back to the Daily Chomp each week to celebrate with us for Throwback Thursday. In addition, we will be giving away special Sharks throwback items every Thursday.

This week the Daily Chomp takes a look at the Sharks 1994-95 season.

Did you know... the Sharks qualified for the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season.

More from that year:

• NHL season postponed from October 1994-January 1995 due to labor strike.
• San Jose opened the shortened season by winning five of their first six games.
• Ulf Dahlen was the leading scorer with 34 points in 46 games.
• Goaltender Arturs Irbe picked up 14 wins in net.
• Acquired RW Kevin Miller and C Craig Janney. Janney had 20 points in 27 games in teal as the Sharks second leading scorer.

Also, be sure to check out the Sharks History Page and the Photo of the Day.

1994 Pop Culture:

• Street Sharks made its TV debut.
• Forrest Gump won the award for Best Film at the Oscars with the famous quote"My momma always said that life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
• Seinfeld was the most popular show on television.
• A dozen eggs cost 89 cents.

Sharks Throwback Giveaway

Fill out the form below for a chance to win a unique Sharks Throwback prize. Increase your chances of winning and tweet using #SharksThrowback or text "Throwback" to 74499.


This giveaway has ended and is closed for any further submissions.

Sharks fans, are you traveling this offseason? Then make your destination Sharks Territory!

Every Wednesday between now and September 19, we will post the best 3-4 photos of the week on the Daily Chomp blog. Fans will vote on their favorite photo each week. The winner of the week's best photo will receive a mini Sharks Territory sign autographed by their favorite Sharks player. Then, the 19 weekly winners will square off for the best photo of the offseason and the Grand Prize - a team signed, full size Sharks Territory sign plus two tickets to a 2012-13 game!

Check out this week's top fan photos and be sure to vote on which one you think is the best in the form below.

	Jessica Howell   USS Iowa & Golden Gate Bridge
	Ron VanVarden Sharks in Disneyland!
	John Morrison Old Faithful Sharks Territory
	Phil Horcajo Indy 500

The voting period has now ended for this week's photos. Results will be posted in the following week's Daily Chomp entry.

Request your own Sharks Territory sign at SJSHARKS.com/sharksterritory.

Remember to submit new photos here.

Read the rest of this blog entry >>

There are all sorts of storylines bouncing around the web, the printed page, and the airwaves as professional hockey’s marquee event gets underway on Wednesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The teams have been set, the battle lines have been drawn, and all that is left is for the Stanley Cup Final series to get started between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils.

Both teams have been to the Stanley Cup Final before. The Kings are here for the second time in their 45 years of history, and the Devils are here for the fifth time in their 38 years of existence as an NHL team. The Devils have three Stanley Cup championships so far, and the Kings have yet to sip champagne instead of beer after the Final series concludes. Both teams are playing an aggressive, hard-skating, well-defended style of hockey with a level of consistency that is certainly envied in other cities.

There are ironies and interesting side stories in this series, as is the case every year. For instance, the last time that the Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2003, they also faced a team from California in the Anaheim Ducks, and it took them a full seven games to bring the trophy to the Garden State.

Anaheim’s leading scorer in that playoff run was Adam Oates, who has changed coasts to become a valued member of the New Jersey coaching staff. Oates, the Sir Stanley Matthews of hockey, took a page out of that great soccer player’s playbook by making others around him better throughout his 19 NHL seasons, and he’s doing the same thing today from his spot behind the bench.

New Jersey’s assistant coach Larry Robinson, one of the great defensemen of his era, is primarily known for his Stanley Cup winning years with the Montreal Canadiens, but his last three NHL seasons were spent with the Kings in Los Angeles. Robinson joined the Devils as assistant coach after his playing career ended, but became the Kings head coach for four seasons before rejoining New Jersey in 1999.

Robinson took over the head job late that season and promptly directed the Devils to the Stanley Cup in 2000 and a trip to the Final in 2001. Since then, he has been on and off the Devils coaching staff and has had an integral role in working with the Devils defense.

Peter DeBoer, the head coach of the Devils, must be really enjoying himself this season after a couple of tough years in Florida out of the playoffs. His Devils defeated the Panthers in the first round, then notched revenge for 1994 in defeating the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. On the ice, he’s coaching some familiar faces: David Clarkson of New Jersey and Mike Richards of Los Angeles were integral pieces of his 2003 Memorial Cup championship club in Kitchener.

On the other side of the ice, it certainly has been interesting to see the Dean Lombardi-Darryl Sutter partnership working well at the right time. The Kings and their fans have been through lots of agony since that 1993 trip to the Final against Montreal, missing the playoffs in 11 of 15 years from 1994 to 2009. They have a very dedicated fan base in Los Angeles, and they have had a tremendous run to this point.

The Lombardi-Sutter axis brings the Sharks into the mix, of course, because of the many years that each of them bled Teal. But in terms of the players themselves, the only Sharks connections are on the Devils side: right wing Steve Bernier has played in 22 playoff games wearing a San Jose uniform, and backup goaltender Johan Hedberg was a member of the Sharks Organization from 1999 to 2001.

Overall, I really like the way that both of these teams are playing. They have a combination of great goaltending, solid defensive team play, opportunistic scoring, and special teams that are working when it matters most.

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Tuesday Trivia is a weekly feature of the Daily Chomp. Check back next week for a new question and prize.

This season marked the first time in franchise history that the Sharks ever featured three 30-goal scorers. Logan Couture (31), Joe Pavelski (31) and Patrick Marleau (30) all reached the 30-goal mark.

TRIVIA: Who was the first player in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark?

(Hint: Check out last week's Throwback Thursday)

Prize: Submit your answer in the form below for a chance to win a Logan Couture prize pack including a signed puck and poster. Submissions must be received by Thursday, May 31 at 12 p.m. (Pacific).

This trivia contest has ended and is closed for any further submissions.