October 2024
SAN JOSE SHARKS OPENING WEEKEND BRINGS THE BUZZ BACK TO DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE
On Oct. 10, the San Jose Sharks kicked off their 2024-25 season at SAP Center against the St. Louis Blues. Prior to the game, the sold-out crowd of nearly 17,500 fans flocked to downtown San Jose to meet the new Sharks players at a pre-game “Teal Carpet arrival” outside SAP Center and renew old traditions and friendships at their favorite downtown restaurants.
"It's great to see the Sharks back in action at SAP Center," said David Mulvehill, President of Nuvo Hospitality Group. "Events at the arena bring a much-needed buzz to the downtown San Jose area. While it might be Fall, it's considered 'springtime' for our businesses as Sharks fans congregate in the San Pedro area, which helps us grow revenues for our business and create jobs and hours for our staff."
Despite a thrilling start to the game that featured 2024 #1 overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini scoring his first NHL goal and setting up the Sharks second score, the Blues forced a late, heroic comeback and defeated the Sharks 5-4 in overtime.
Two days later, the Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks for the 8th annual Los Tiburones Night, which honors the storied Hispanic heritage and culture of the Bay Area. Again, more than 17,000 patrons witnessed the game which featured pregame music performed by Mariachi Tequila de San Jose (@mariachitequiladesj), a local mariachi band, arts and crafts with the Mexican Heritage Plaza and intermission entertainment performances by the Grupo Folklorico Los Laureles.
Each fan in attendance received a teal low rider scale model when entering SAP Center, a tribute to the cruising and low-riding culture that was made famous by the Hispanic and Latino communities in San Jose years ago. Additionally, the Sharks produced a live Spanish audio broadcast of the Sharks-Ducks game on the Sharks Audio Network. Finally, Los Tiburones authentic specialty jerseys, designed by Local Color Artist Alyssarhaye Graciano(@alyssarhaye), were autographed by Sharks players and available for fans to bid on to benefit the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (@HFSVpage).
Opening weekend of the 2024-25 NHL season served as a reminder of the SAP Center’s importance to the downtown economy and the Sharks investment in celebrating and supporting the rich history and heritage of the diverse San Jose community.
SHARKS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT JOINS DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE BUSINESS OWNERS, MAYOR MATT MAHAN IN OPPOSING DESTRUCTIVE VTA “DOUBLE BORE” CONSTRUCTION
Editorial by Chris Shay, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Sharks Sports & Entertainment
Sharks Sports & Entertainment has joined the chorus of downtown business and City leaders, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, in opposing the Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) plan of pursuing the highly disruptive and potentially destructive “double-bore” construction method to bring BART to downtown San Jose.
The VTA Board is revisiting a debate that should have already been settled—a debate about whether downtown San Jose will remain accessible over the next decade or whether it will be sacrificed in the name of construction convenience.
Previous VTA Boards made a critical promise to San Jose: that the city’s downtown would not be crippled by the construction of the BART extension. They assured us that San Jose wouldn’t repeat the disastrous mistakes of the past, particularly the light rail debacle of the 1980s, which left parts of our city isolated and struggling for decades. A major part of this promise was the decision to use single-bore construction, a method that minimizes surface disruption and gives downtown businesses a fighting chance to thrive during the project.
Yet now, with the project well underway, the VTA Board is considering switching back to the “double-bore” method, which would result in massive cut-and-cover construction—tearing up streets, creating long-term disruption, and driving away customers at a time when downtown is finally starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VTA’s own website has made the benefits of single-bore construction crystal clear:
“Since the single-bore method can be constructed with minimal surface disruption, it would reduce and avoid multiple years of business and economic disruption.” — VTA Website
The single-bore method isn’t new or untested. It has been successfully implemented in cities around the world, including Toronto, where deeper transit stations than those proposed for San Jose have received rave reviews. It’s safe, efficient, and, most importantly, it ensures that downtown businesses can keep their doors open.
SAP Center, which is a cornerstone of our local downtown economy, could see its guest accessibility severely compromised for a decade, if not longer.
We cannot allow this to happen. The community, local businesses, and the residents of San Jose must come together to urge the VTA Board to stick with the single-bore method. Let’s build a future where BART benefits the city without destroying the businesses and neighborhoods that make San Jose unique. The future of SAP Center and our small local downtown businesses, depend on it.
To read VTA’s full single-bore analysis, click here.
SAN JOSE SHARKS VISIT ROTARY CLUB OF SAN JOSE
On Wed., October 9, the San Jose Sharks were invited to speak to the Rotary Club of San Jose to discuss the excitement surrounding the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, as well as to provide an update on the discussions between Sharks Sports & Entertainment and the City of San Jose to ensure the future of the City-owned SAP Center and that it remains a top economic generator for downtown San Jose.
Sharks TV play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn kicked-off the lunch program by giving the audience a taste of what Sharks fans can expect this season on the ice. Hahn discussed the offseason moves made by Sharks General Manager Mike Grier, including naming a new head coach in Ryan Warsofsky, bringing in several key veterans on the ice to support a growing nucleus of young, talented players headlined by Celebrini and 2023 Sharks top pick Will Smith.
Following Hahn’s remarks, Sharks Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Chris Shay provided the rotary membership with an update on SAP Center at San Jose, the team’s home since 1993. Much to the audience’s surprise, Shay shared that the 30+ year old SAP Center is soon to be the oldest arena in the NHL to not have undergone a major renovation. Despite SSE’s diligent efforts in management and maintenance of SAP Center helping the facility retain its sterling appearance and guest experience, many back-of-house projects including deferred maintenance and critical infrastructure are approaching end-of-life status and it’s crucial that the City join SSE in a partnership to ensure the City-owned arena remains viable for the next 30 years.
To view the Sharks presentation to the Rotary Club of San Jose, click HERE.
SAP CENTER CELEBRATES 5,000 EVENTS
On Sat., Sept. 7, SAP Center at San Jose celebrated its 5,000th event when the reimagined production of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® The Greatest Show On Earth® returned to San Jose.
SAP Center first opened its doors exactly 31 years ago to the day when it hosted Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, the first event to ever perform at the venue, on September 7, 1993, then known as San Jose Arena.​​
​​Since opening in 1993, SAP Center has been a gathering place for the community, providing more than thirty glorious years of entertainment for the City of San Jose and its residents. Over the past three decades, SAP Center and the San Jose Sharks have served as the key economic and entertainment catalysts to the downtown San Jose that we see today. In more than 30 years, nearly 50 million visitors have passed through its doors. Over that span, the quantity, quality, and variety of events that SAP Center has hosted is astounding.
As one of the country’s busiest and most successful indoor arena’s, nearly every entertainment performer imaginable has graced the stage in San Jose over the past 30 years: Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Vicente Fernandez, Beyonce, Elton John, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Jay-Z, The Three Tenors (Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras), Madonna, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Prince, Drake, Adele, Luis Miguel, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, U2 …. and the list goes on and on.
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​In the sporting world, marquee events have included the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, NHL All-Star Games in 1997 and 2019, world-class U.S Gymnastics events (2007, 2012, 2016, and 2023), U.S. Figure Skating Championships (1996, 2012, 2018 and 2023), the NCAA men’s basketball tournament seven times (scheduled again in 2026) and the women’s NCAA Women’s Final Four in 1999, ATP tennis tournaments from 1994- 2013, and league championships with indoor football’s Bay Area Panthers and the San Jose SaberCats, and roller hockey’s San Jose Rhinos – to name a few.