Sharks to raise banner for former captain and GM Doug Wilson

The San Jose Sharks announced on Friday afternoon that they will raise a banner for former player, captain, and general manager Doug Wilson in the 2022-23 season.

The Sharks will honour Wilson with a special recognition ceremony before their October 15th game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the other team that Wilson spent his playing career with. The ceremony will include a banner raising, although a number retirement was not mentioned in the announcement.

“Doug Wilson’s imprint on this franchise is unmistakable – on and off the ice,” said Sharks President Jonathan Becher in the team’s announcement. “As the new expansion team’s first captain in 1991, he set a standard and helped build a foundation that would allow the team to quickly morph into one of the League’s most inspiring and successful teams. As general manager, he crafted and fostered the most successful era of Sharks hockey the franchise has seen, drafting a blueprint which allowed the Sharks to be in the upper echelon of NHL teams for victories and appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Doug’s legacy in San Jose is forever solidified and this recognition will ensure that future generations of Sharks fans will learn about his contributions to Sharks hockey.”

Wilson spent 16 seasons in the NHL, 14 with the Blackhawks and his final two with the Sharks after he was dealt to the team before their inaugural season in 1991-92, and also became their first captain in franchise history. He played 1,024 games over the course of his career, with 237 goals, 590 assists, and 827 points, including 86 games, 12 goals, 36 assists, and 48 points with the Sharks. Wilson won one Norris Trophy in his career in 1982, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for his playing career in 2020.

After retiring in 1993, Wilson spent four years as a team consultant for the Canadian World Juniors team before the Sharks gave him a role as director of player personnel in 1997. He spent five seasons in the role, as well as a brief stint as an interim assistant coach for the team in 2002-03 before the Sharks named him their general manager. He spent 19 years in the role, playing a key role in building one of the most consistent and competitive organizations of the 2000s and 2010s, capping it off with a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016, although he never won that elusive trophy.

Wilson stepped aside from the role on medical leave on November 26, 2021, and officially resigned on April 7, 2022, with another former Shark in Mike Grier replacing him.