Sharks, Blackhawks celebrate Doug Wilson and his immeasurable impact on Bay Area hockey (2024)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Stan Mikita played nearly half of his career in the NHL when there were only six teams.

Photos of him on the ice in his prime look more like works of art, with fans watching on wearing three-piece suits and trilby hats. They look like they should be discussing advertising deals with Don Draper and Roger Sterling instead of whether or not Mikita and the Blackhawks can knock off the mighty Canadiens.

There are a few such photos in the press box at SAP Center. Twice on Saturday, Doug Wilson referenced Mikita, who was his first NHL roommate, and other members of the Blackhawks teams from his early days as an NHL player in the late 1970s.

Wilson, who was honored Saturday night by the Sharks with a banner in the rafters at SAP Center next to one for franchise founder George Gund, considered players like Mikita, Keith Magnusonand Tony Esposito to be mentors. Just before the game, current Sharks captain Logan Couture said Wilson was much more than a general manager and more of a mentor to some of the players in the dressing room.

“I think what I am is just a reflection of all sorts of different people in this organization,” Wilson said. “I think you all know how I feel about Mr. Gund. None of us would be here without him. To be up here to represent all the people of the last 25-30 years, it’s an honor that I take and can’t even put into words.”

Sometimes one person can provide a direct line through seven decades of hockey history, weaving two franchises together. You can get from Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito to William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau, with dozens of great players and teams in between.

Doug Wilson is that direct line. When the Sharks (and Blackhawks) celebrated his nearly immeasurable impact on the San Jose franchise, it was also a chance to reflect on an incredible career for a player, manager and builder of this sport in the Bay Area.

“His door was always open,” Couture said. “Whether it was hockey, life, family, whatever. Doug was there to talk and help you through things. It’s tough to see him going through something. We want what’s best for Doug. We hope that he’s getting better and feeling better.”

Wilson stepped away from the Sharks near the end of last season, but he’d already been away since November because of health issues. He didn’t want to divulge a lot of details about his ongoing process Saturday, though he struck an optimistic tone through a smattering of coughs when he met with the media at a local hotel in the morning.

“I’ve got some work ahead of me,” Wilson said. “I have tremendous empathy for the people that deal with things that you need to be proactive to deal with. I let some things slide and I got to a not great place, to be honest.

“I’m in good hands. I think I’m in a better place than I was 10 or 11 months ago. I’ve got to be a better patient, that’s what I’ve been told. But, it was concerning. I feel like there’s lots of light at the end of the tunnel.”

That persistent cough disappeared later in the evening when he addressed the crowd at SAP, and delivered a nearly seven-minute speech about his love for both franchises, the sport and his ever-growing family.

Wilson spent 14 years in Chicago as a player, and then 27 years with the Sharks. The first two were as a player and the first captain of the franchise. Then, after a short hiatus, he joined the front office and eventually spent 19 years in charge that included 30 playoff series, five trips to the Western Conference final and one appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.

The impact he had on the on-ice product was easy to quantify. What he did for the franchise and the community away from it isn’t as easy to encapsulate, but the way so many of his former players, coaches and Sharks employees speak with reverence about the man first and foremost and the boss second is a good place to start.

When Wilson stepped down from his GM post with the Sharks, he said in a statement that he wanted to work in the NHL again after he was healthy enough to do so. He does still harbor that hope, but perhaps with a different perspective on what matters most.

“My priority is to get my health all the way back for the seven grandkids that I want to be able to chase around,” Wilson said. “They’re probably tougher to chase around than the 23 players. I’ve always realized how important health is, and that’s been amplified a little bit (in) the last year or so. That’s what truly is important, and I’ve got to get that back before you consider any other choices or activity. But I believe I’m going to make it there.”

Having the Blackhawks be part of this night, which started with both teams wearing Wilson jerseys with No. 24 on their backs for warmups, also provided a chance to reflect on maybe the last honor left that would befit the type of career he’s had. Sharks radio play-by-play voice Dan Rusanowsky noted during his part as master of ceremonies that Wilson has been inducted into four Halls of Fame.

The Sharks have put a banner in the rafters to celebrate and honor his legacy. The other franchise involved on Doug Wilson night could do the same.

Retire his number, already, Blackhawks. Put it right next to Steve Larmer. pic.twitter.com/de9V7rGmyA

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 16, 2022

“I had such a great experience in Chicago and you look back at the last few (years), people we’ve lost, (some of my) biggest influences with Stan Mikita, Keith Magnuson and Tony Esposito. These are people that influenced me as a person and as a man, were there for me when I went through some tough times. When I lost my father, for example.

“My kids were born in Chicago, met my wife there, playing for an Original Six organization. The cast of players that I played with is endless: Troy Murray was inspiring, Dirk Graham, Dale Tallon, Bob Murray, Denis Savard — the list goes on and on. It’s only really been the last couple of days I’ve been thinking about that … getting to play for an Original Six team and a brand-new expansion team are experiences that not everybody gets.”

When Wilson spoke at the hotel Saturday morning, his son Doug Wilson, Jr., looked on. Doug Jr. and his siblings and their children were alongside Wilson during the ceremony on the ice at SAP Center.

Shortly before the Sharks honored Wilson, Eklund scored his first goal of the season for the San Jose Barracuda some 1,800 miles away in Des Moines, Iowa. The current state of the Sharks roster is a reflection of both the Sharks’ all-out quest for a championship that spanned Wilson’s entire tenure as GM and some missteps that the franchise hasn’t been able to overcome near the end of his run.

Chicago, one of the teams that have made it clear they are in full rebuild mode and will be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and the right to draft phenom Connor Bedard, came to SAP Center and scored five straight goals to beat San Jose, a team that has made it clear that a full-scale rebuild like the one the Hawks are undertaking is not in the cards. But if the 0-4 start to this season is an indication, the Sharks might be part of that group vying for a top draft pick anyway.

This roster is not the end of the Wilson legacy in San Jose. Doug Wilson (and his son) are responsible for Eklund, Bordeleau and a collection of other prospects that have helped the Barracuda to a 2-0 start in the AHL. There is a new arena on the other side of town for the Cuda to call home, and its existence will help hockey continue to grow in the area.

This might be a long season for Sharks fans unless the current roster can dig its way out of an early hole. The best chances for happiness, and maybe more importantly hope, might come at Tech CU Arena and not at SAP Center.

It’s possible that Eklund and Bordeleau will grow up to be NHL stars and part of the next great Sharks team. And someday they might speak of how guys like Couture and Tomas Hertl were mentors for them early in their careers. And the line of NHL history that dates all the way back to hockey legends like Stan Mikita — and Doug Wilson — will continue on.

“You’re talking about a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame general manager,” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “This organization will be forever indebted to him for what he did and the foundation he set here in San Jose.”

(Top photo of Doug Wilson: Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)