Matt

was approached by future San Jose Sharks CEO, Art Savage, in 1989 to assist in developing the business and marketing plans – including a team name, colors, and uniforms – for the yet-to-be-announced expansion team. Levine had only 90 days to develop a presentation for the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors that would convince them to grant the Bay Area a team.

“We had some wild names,” Levine said of the creative process that led to the naming of the Sharks. “Things that played off the Golden Gate, things that played off Silicon Valley. There was even a submission to name the team the Cansecos.”

Levine also had a hand in choosing the club’s color scheme – teal and black – after interviewing executives at Bloomingdale’s, L.L. Bean and J. Crew. Levine said one of his main goals was to create a team identity that children and adults alike could relate to.