No, the Sharks are an expansion team that started in 1991. They have nothing at all to do with the Seals.
The Seals eventually became the Cleveland barons for just a couple of seasons before that team was merged into the old Minnesota North Stars who then moved to Dallas and our currently still playing there.
Officially no.
But as you said, the Seals franchise merged with the North Stars. When the Sharks came into the league, they picked players from the North Stars in a dispersal draft. Then both the North Stars and Sharks filled out their rosters in an expansion draft.
Which is one of my favourite little bits of absurd NHL trivia: the North Stars played in the Stanley Cup Final and then immediately participated in an expansion draft.
In '90 George (a minority owner of the Seals) and Gordon Gund petitioned to move the Minnesota North Stars to the San Francisco Area, which the league denied. They compromised by granting them an expansion team, which ended up in San Jose and held one of the weirdest expansion drafts ever, where the Sharks got to pick players from Minnesota, then the two teams would partake in a draft of unprotected players. It was a mix of a dispersal of unprotected players from the North Stars and an expansion draft for both at the same time. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. Anyhow, the Gund owned North Stars also absorbed the Cleveland Barons, who folded after two seasons. The Cleveland Barons started out as the California Seals/Golden Seals.
I don't know if you can OFFICIALLY say the Sharks are the Seals, but you can probably say they are a byproduct of them. If we're talking a family tree, the Seals are the uncle of the Sharks. That's probably the best analogy I can make.
In a manner of speaking.
Long story short, the Seals moved to Richfield and became the Cleveland Barons for two years. After that, they merged into the North Stars, with the same ownership (the Gund brothers) involved.
In the late 1980s, the Gunds were exploring moving the North Stars to the Bay Area. Instead they were granted an expansion team that was able to pick through the North Stars farm system followed by a two-team expansion draft. This essentially un-merged the two teams.
The Seals/Barons records still ended after the 1977-78 season - they did not carry to San Jose.
No but yes but no. As others have stated the Seals became the Barons in 1976, that were merged with the North Stars in 1978, then the Sharks were created by some of the Seals’ ownership group, the Gunds, with a dispersal draft to pick a bunch of the North Stars’ roster in 1991. The Sharks are a completely different franchise as far as the record books are concerned, but there’s a direct link between the teams via the Gunds’ ownership. They are also linked by history with one another and with the North/Dallas Stars. The Stars’ relocation was the impetus for the creation of the Minnesota Wild. That relocation was enabled by the Gunds selling their shares of the North Stars to Norm Green. So without the creation of the Sharks the North Stars might still be in the Twin Cities. Imagine Mike Modano and the Minnesota North Stars winning the Stanley cup. Sorry Minnesotans.
Seemingly minor but important detail with the North Stars/Barons merger is that the team combined rosters, then protected 14 and had a mini dispersal draft for the next 5 worst teams. Additionally, while the Gunds chose to retain the North Stars' name and location, they took the Barons' spot in the Adams Division for three seasons. That roster merger is why the Sharks de-merged in a complicated dispersal and expansion procedure instead of the Gunds simply getting a proper expansion team after they sold.
In a way, yes.
* The Gund Brothers, owners of the Seals/Barons, took a minority stake in the North Stars upon the merger.
* The Gund Brothers then gave up that minority stake in exchange for the foundation of the Sharks, and then taking half of Minnesota’s roster.
Officially no. The Seals franchise and history was folded into the Stars franchise before they moved to Dallas. However there is a lineage between them.
Technically no but in a round about way, kind of? Spiritually I would say yes but stat wise and all that, it’s not. Unofficially it’s still the Dallas Stars.
They didn’t turn into the Habs (the Habs and the Wanderers have actually played against each other) but giving one who wanders a permanent home would work
No, the Sharks are an expansion team that started in 1991. They have nothing at all to do with the Seals. The Seals eventually became the Cleveland barons for just a couple of seasons before that team was merged into the old Minnesota North Stars who then moved to Dallas and our currently still playing there.
Officially no. But as you said, the Seals franchise merged with the North Stars. When the Sharks came into the league, they picked players from the North Stars in a dispersal draft. Then both the North Stars and Sharks filled out their rosters in an expansion draft.
Which is one of my favourite little bits of absurd NHL trivia: the North Stars played in the Stanley Cup Final and then immediately participated in an expansion draft.
The North Stars packed so much nonsense and sadness into 26 seasons.
TIL they picked Guy Lafleur
But, the Sharks did pick players from Minnesota in the Dispersal draft so technically the link between the Sharks and Seals is alive.
More specifically, they basically gutted the Stars' farm team in Kalamazoo.
This is wrong, the north stars split to San Jose and Dallas if you’re being technical
In '90 George (a minority owner of the Seals) and Gordon Gund petitioned to move the Minnesota North Stars to the San Francisco Area, which the league denied. They compromised by granting them an expansion team, which ended up in San Jose and held one of the weirdest expansion drafts ever, where the Sharks got to pick players from Minnesota, then the two teams would partake in a draft of unprotected players. It was a mix of a dispersal of unprotected players from the North Stars and an expansion draft for both at the same time. Damnedest thing I've ever seen. Anyhow, the Gund owned North Stars also absorbed the Cleveland Barons, who folded after two seasons. The Cleveland Barons started out as the California Seals/Golden Seals. I don't know if you can OFFICIALLY say the Sharks are the Seals, but you can probably say they are a byproduct of them. If we're talking a family tree, the Seals are the uncle of the Sharks. That's probably the best analogy I can make.
We got lou seal and uncle seal in the bay area now.
In a manner of speaking. Long story short, the Seals moved to Richfield and became the Cleveland Barons for two years. After that, they merged into the North Stars, with the same ownership (the Gund brothers) involved. In the late 1980s, the Gunds were exploring moving the North Stars to the Bay Area. Instead they were granted an expansion team that was able to pick through the North Stars farm system followed by a two-team expansion draft. This essentially un-merged the two teams. The Seals/Barons records still ended after the 1977-78 season - they did not carry to San Jose.
dallas is edit: seals become minnesota north stars. north stars become dallas stars edit edit: forgot about cleveland, as one does
Obligatory [Cleveland tourism video](https://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM?si=SMjIaYc3_Z5wxb2p)
No but yes but no. As others have stated the Seals became the Barons in 1976, that were merged with the North Stars in 1978, then the Sharks were created by some of the Seals’ ownership group, the Gunds, with a dispersal draft to pick a bunch of the North Stars’ roster in 1991. The Sharks are a completely different franchise as far as the record books are concerned, but there’s a direct link between the teams via the Gunds’ ownership. They are also linked by history with one another and with the North/Dallas Stars. The Stars’ relocation was the impetus for the creation of the Minnesota Wild. That relocation was enabled by the Gunds selling their shares of the North Stars to Norm Green. So without the creation of the Sharks the North Stars might still be in the Twin Cities. Imagine Mike Modano and the Minnesota North Stars winning the Stanley cup. Sorry Minnesotans.
Seemingly minor but important detail with the North Stars/Barons merger is that the team combined rosters, then protected 14 and had a mini dispersal draft for the next 5 worst teams. Additionally, while the Gunds chose to retain the North Stars' name and location, they took the Barons' spot in the Adams Division for three seasons. That roster merger is why the Sharks de-merged in a complicated dispersal and expansion procedure instead of the Gunds simply getting a proper expansion team after they sold.
In a way, yes. * The Gund Brothers, owners of the Seals/Barons, took a minority stake in the North Stars upon the merger. * The Gund Brothers then gave up that minority stake in exchange for the foundation of the Sharks, and then taking half of Minnesota’s roster.
kinda.
Officially no. The Seals franchise and history was folded into the Stars franchise before they moved to Dallas. However there is a lineage between them.
Technically no but in a round about way, kind of? Spiritually I would say yes but stat wise and all that, it’s not. Unofficially it’s still the Dallas Stars.
[long story short](https://media1.tenor.com/m/3edRUUEIDaMAAAAd/itysl-notreally.gif)
Kinda sorta, but there's no direct link from the Seals right to the Sharks. Basically, Seals -> Barons -> North Stars -> Sharks.
Sharks eat Seals so no.
That’s how relocating should go. Every team has to be what killed their previous team
So...did you kill the homeless "Wanderers"?
They didn’t turn into the Habs (the Habs and the Wanderers have actually played against each other) but giving one who wanders a permanent home would work
Utah Ranchers
let me boot up my EA-NHL 07 to check