Best NHL goalie from each franchise: San Jose Sharks – Evgeni Nabokov
Continuing with another franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup, goalie Evgeni Nabokov, aka Nabby, sure did his best to change that. In the 10 years he spent with the San Jose Sharks, he was a huge reason they made nine playoff trips during his tenure.
It’s a shame the Sharks didn’t do enough to build around him and his strengths as if he was on a better team in his prime, it would be an entirely different story. Regardless, Nabokov represented the Sharks in two NHL All-Star Games while also setting many franchise records.
Nabokov owns the franchise records for most goaltender games played at 430, wins at 293, and shutouts at 50. Despite a long career in the NHL, Nabokov retired in 2015 without winning a championship.
It remains to be seen if he’s done enough to earn his name being in the Hockey Hall of Fame but only time will tell. For now, he’ll mostly be remembered for his time on the Sharks, and despite having contract negotiation issues that ultimately led to him being placed on waivers, maybe in the future peace can be made to honor everything he’s done with the franchise.