The Shark Tank | |
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.jpg) SAP Center in 2014 | |
  SAP Center at San Jose Location in California Show map of California SAP Center at San Jose Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | San Jose Arena (1993–2001)[1] Compaq Center (2001–2002) HP Pavilion (2002–2013) |
|---|---|
| Address | 525 West Santa Clara Street |
| Location | San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°19′58″N121°54′4″W / 37.33278°N 121.90111°W /37.33278; -121.90111 |
| Public transit | |
| Owner | City of San Jose |
| Operator | San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises |
| Capacity | Concerts: 19,190 Basketball: 18,543 Wrestling: 18,300 Ice hockey: 17,562 (2001–2023) 17,435 (2023–present)[2] Tennis: 11,386 |
| Field size | 450,000 sq ft (42,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 28, 1990[3] |
| Opened | September 7, 1993 |
| Construction cost | $162.5 million ($391 million in 2024 dollars[4]) |
| Architect | Sink Combs Dethlefs Prodis Associates |
| Project manager | HuntCor[5] |
| Structural engineer | Martin/Martin, Inc.[6] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc.[7] |
| General contractor | Perini Building Company[5] |
| Tenants | |
| San Jose Sharks (NHL) (1993–present) San Jose Grizzlies (CISL) (1994–1995) SAP Open (tennis) (1994–2013) San Jose Rhinos (RHI) (1994–1997, 1999) San Jose SaberCats (AFL) (1995–2008, 2011–2015) Golden State Warriors (NBA) (1996–1997) San Jose Lasers (ABL) (1996–1998) San Jose Stealth (NLL) (2004–2009) San Jose Barracuda (AHL) (2015–2022) Bay Area Panthers[8] (IFL) (2022–present) | |
| Website | |
| sapcenter | |
SAP Center at San Jose (originally known asSan Jose Arena andHP Pavilion at San Jose) is anindoor arena located inSan Jose, California. Its primary tenant is theSan Jose Sharks of theNational Hockey League, for which the arena has earned the nickname "The Shark Tank".[9]
Plans for a San Jose arena began in the mid-1980s, when a group of local citizens formed Fund Arena Now (FAN). The group contacted city officials and pursued potential sponsors and partners from theNHL andNBA. In the late 1980s, mayorTom McEnery met with FAN, and subsequently a measure to allocate local taxes for arena construction came up for a public vote on June 7, 1988, passing by a narrow margin.[10][11]
In 1991, soon after construction began, the NHL granted an expansion franchise to San Jose. After it was discovered that the arena would not be suitable for NBA or NHL use as originally designed, the Sharks requested an upgrade to NHL standards, including the addition ofluxury suites, apress box, and increasedseating capacity.[12]
In 1993, the arena was completed and initially named the "San Jose Arena".[1]
For the 1996–97 NBA season, the arena served as home to theGolden State Warriors while their regular home court in Oakland (now known asOakland Arena) was under renovation.[13]
In 2001,naming rights were sold toCompaq, and it was renamed "Compaq Center at San Jose" (not to be confused with theCompaq Center (formerly The Summit) inHouston, Texas). AfterHP purchased Compaq in 2002, the arena was renamed "HP Pavilion", the same name as one ofits computer models.[14]
In late April 2007, it was announced that the HP Pavilion at San Jose would be receiving several building improvements, including a new center-hungLED video display system fromDaktronics similar to that of theTD Garden, home of theBoston Bruins of the NHL.[14]
In June 2013, German software companySAP (co-founded by Sharks managing partnerHasso Plattner, who is also SAP's chairman of the board) purchased the naming rights to the facility in a five-year deal worth US$3.35 million per year. The arena was renamed "SAP Center at San Jose" upon approval by theSan Jose City Council.[15]
In September 2022, a new center-hung system from Daktronics that doubled the surface of the old video display system was debuted ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season. The four main LED displays measure approximately 23 feet high by 41 feet wide and the size of the 14 newly installed displays total at more than 9,300 square feet of surface area.[16][17]
In April 2023, construction was announced on a new 10,000-square-foot penthouse lounge, with seven suites and three rows of regular seating being converted to accommodate the project. With the new premium seating completed, the arena's total attendance capacity for hockey games changed from 17,562 to 17,435.[18]
In 2006, SAP Center sold the most tickets (633,435) to non-sporting events of any venue in theWestern United States, and the fourth highest total in the world, afterMadison Square Garden in New York City (US), theManchester Arena inManchester (UK), andScotiabank Arena inToronto (Canada).[19]
Other events hosted at the arena include the 1996United States Figure Skating Championships, the47th National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1997, the1999 NCAA Women's Final Four,ArenaBowl XVI in 2002, the 2007 USA Gymnastics Visa Championships, andUFC 139 on November 19, 2011.Intel Extreme Masters Season IX – San Jose in 2014[20] andIntel Extreme Masters Season X – San Jose were held at the venue.[21] Prior toSuper Bowl 50 in nearbySanta Clara, the arena housed introductory media activities for the event.[22] SAP Center hosted games 3, 4, and 6 of the2016 Stanley Cup Finals in the Sharks' first appearance in franchise history, with theCup being presented to the series-winningPittsburgh Penguins after game 6.[23] In 2012 and 2016, the arena played host to the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials. The arena was the host to the West Regional semifinals and finals of the2002,2007, and2017 NCAA men's basketball tournaments; as well as first- and second-round games of the2010,2013, and2019 tournaments.[24]
Mixed Martial Arts events have played a big role at SAP Center. TheMMA organizationStrikeforce held many events in San Jose beginning withStrikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie in 2006, thenStrikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg in 2009, through 2012 withStrikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier. The firstBellator MMA organization event at SAP wasBellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 in September 2015 and since has held 6 total events with the most recent beingBellator 199 on May 16, 2018. SAP Center has also been the host of premiere MMA promotion theUFC. The first event wasUFC 139 on November 19, 2011, thenUFC on Fuel TV: Muñoz vs. Weidman on July 11, 2012,UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Melendez on April 20, 2013, and most recentlyUFC on Fox: Lawler vs. Brown on July 26, 2014.
On September 18, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.[25]
The annual US Figure Skating Championships have been staged here in San Jose five times now — 1996, 2012, 2018, 2021 and 2023.[26]
SAP Center has also hosted WWE Pay Per Views.Royal Rumble (1998),SummerSlam (2001),The Great American Bash (2007),Payback (2017) took place whereBraun Strowman defeatedRoman Reigns in the main event.TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2018) took place at SAP Center.[27]
| Events and tenants | ||
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| Preceded by | Home of the San Jose Sharks 1993 – present | Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by DCU Center (as theWorcester Sharks) | Home of the San Jose Barracuda 2015 – 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Golden State Warriors 1996 – 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1997 2019 | Succeeded by |
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