We’re officially just 34 days away from the San Jose Sharks hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center to kick off the 2025-26 season on October 9.
As a result, we’re going to take a look at the history of the number 34 in the Sharks organization, as it’s seen quite a bit of use.
The use of the number 34 dates back to the Sharks’ inaugural 1991-92 season, when it was worn by right-handed defenseman Michael Colman. Colman’s 15 game stint with the Sharks that season would be the only NHL appearances of his career, and he recorded a single point, an assist.
Matane, Quebec native Yves Racine would be the next player to don the number 35. The journeyman defensemen spent part of the 1995-96 season with the Sharks after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens. He played 32 games for the Sharks, scoring a single goal and assisting on 16 others.
Following his stint with the Sharks, Racine spent some time with the Calgary Flames and the Tampa Bay Lightning before heading overseas for a few seasons. He officially called it a career after he played the 2005-06 season with Thetford Mines Prolab of the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey in Quebec.
Swedish winger Niklas Andersson would be the next player to wear the number for the Sharks, appearing in five games during the 1997-98 season. He failed to record a point with the Sharks, and spent a couple of more seasons bouncing between the NHL and the minor league system before heading back to the team he started his career with, Frölunda HC in what is now known as the Swedish Hockey League.
The Sharks’ fifth round draft pick from 1995 would go on to have a phenomenal career, but he’s mainly remembered for his time outside of the Bay Area. Miikka Kiprusoff started his time in the NHL as a member of the Sharks, wearing the number 34. He’d eventually change to the number 37 late in his Bay Area stint, but once he went to the Calgary Flames organization, he became synonymous with his original number.
Kiprusoff played 47 games for the Sharks, posting a .897 save percentage and a 2.84 goals against average across three seasons. He moved to the Flames for the 2003-04 season and caught fire. He had a .933 save percentage and a goals against average of just 1.69 in his 38 starts during his first season with Calgary. He finished second in Vezina Trophy voting despite playing less than half the season and led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a seven game series. Although Kiprusoff’s time in San Jose wasn’t very memorable, he went on to become a franchise legend for the Flames.
Winger Patrick Rissmiller came next, playing parts of four seasons as a member of the Sharks. The Belmont, MA native signed with the Sharks as an undrafted free agent and made his debut during the 2003-04 season. He’d go on to play a total of 180 games with the Sharks, and tallied a total of 45 points during that stretch. After leaving the Bay Area, he’d play 12 more NHL games in his career but bounced around in the American Hockey League for quite a while. Today, Rissmiller works for the Anaheim Ducks organization as a scout.
Daniel Winnik had an 11 year career in the NHL. Mainly known as a journeyman forward, he played for eight teams during his career, which included a short stint in the Bay Area. After starting the 2011-12 season with the Colorado Avalanche, Winnik made his way to the Sharks for their final 21 games of the season. During that time, he scored three goals and assisted on two others. After stints with five more teams, Winnik’s NHL career would come to a close following the 2017-18 season which he spent with the Minnesota Wild. At that point, he went overseas to play with Geneve-Servette HC in the Swiss National League. He’d remain there until after the 2023-24 season, when he officially hung up his skates.
Troy Grosenick was next to wear the number 34 during his remarkable two game run with the Sharks during the 2014-15 season where he saved 55 of 58 shots that he faced. Since then Grosenick has been a mainstay in the AHL but is currently an unrestricted free agent.
James Reimer briefly wore the number during his first eight game stint with the Sharks during the 2015-16 season, but upon his return for the 2021-22 season he returned with his familiar number 47 that he had worn with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Lastly, Kaapo Kahkonen had a brief stint in the number 34 during his first partial season with the Sharks before changing to 36 following the 2021-22 season.