Since then, CapFriendly has become a popular tool for hockey fans, media members, and perhaps even some teams to learn about each NHL franchise’s salary structure and players’ contracts in the league’s salary cap era, which began in 2005.

The site also has various interactive features and calculators, such as buyout, waiver, and qualifying offer calculators. It was not affiliated with the NHL until the Capitals purchased it for an undisclosed amount. The site is slated to go dark on July 5.

“The existing infrastructure will be a valuable addition to the team’s hockey operations department in many ways,” said Brian McLellan, the Capitals’ general manager and president of hockey operations, in a news release.

“We anticipate that this acquisition will significantly enhance and integrate the various branches of our hockey operations department, allowing us to strengthen our management, scouting, analytics, and player development, in addition to augmenting our salary cap and contractual applications.”

So why didn’t the San Jose Sharks purchase CapFriendly?

It turns out they already have something similar in place.

A Sharks team official said earlier this week that a change in CapFriendly’s ownership or the public’s ability to access those details wouldn’t have “any impact on the Sharks process of monitoring and tracking such information.”

The Sharks did hire CapFriendly founder Dominik Zrim as their director of salary cap management/CBA compliance in the fall of 2022, but he is no longer with the organization. Zrim had also previously worked with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2021-22 season.

Other NHL teams, including Seattle, New Jersey, Chicago, Carolina, the New York Islanders, Toronto, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Vegas, are believed to have already built a similar infrastructure, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who broke the story Sunday.

But on his “32 Thoughts” podcast he co-hosts with Jeff Marek, Friedman said some clubs might now be “scrambling” to find their own replacement for CapFriendly.

“One of the things people are talking about here is what a huge blow, a disaster in particular, this is going to be for some teams if they don’t have their own setup,” Friedman said. “Whether it’s something really deep and in depth, or something that they can have that’s maybe not as good as CapFriendly, but at least exists so they can get through the next little while.

“Because if you don’t, you’re really going to be scrambling.”

CapFriendly was preceded by CapGeek, which went offline on March 19, 2015, following the death of its creator, Matthew Wuest, due to colon cancer.

CapFriendly states on its website that no site “displaying team & player salary cap information can tell their visitors about themselves without first talking about the site that started it all.

“CapGeek was the first site to open the door to NHL Salary Cap information for all to see. It was by far the most complete & detailed site ever created, & we, at CapFriendly, can say without a doubt that it was our favorite tool as NHL fans.”

However, NHL fans should not fret too long about CapFriendly’s closure to the public. PuckPedia has many of the same features as CapFriendly, and others unique to its site. Spotrac also contains NHL contract details but covers all North American pro leagues, while PuckPedia is specific to the NHL.

In a story published Friday by the San Francisco Chronicle, Manfred said the account of events being put forth by Oakland mayor Sheng Thao is “all about covering your ass at this point.”

Thao’s chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, replied: “We will leave it to the fans to decide who’s telling the truth, Mayor Thao or Manfred. At this point, their reputations speak for themselves.”

The back and forth came in a series of interviews conducted by John Shea, the Chronicle’s national baseball writer.

“I know everyone wants to pile on the A’s and pile on MLB,” Manfred told Shea. “But I do think, in fairness, people have to look at what Mayor Thao has done and not done. She’s great on ‘MLB ‘did this wrong’ and ‘John Fisher ‘did that wrong.’ Did she really handle this well? Don’t think so.”

He took another shot: “I understand that this is a rough time for Mayor Thao,” Manfred said. “It looks like she’s going to lose yet another franchise from the Bay Area. That’s unfortunate. That’s a tough spot to be in. But I think we’ve kind of gotten to the point where we need to point out that she’s not telling people the truth.”

One issue between the sides centers around what was discussed when Thao and Manfred met in Seattle before the All-Star Game in July.

Thao said the meeting included a discussion of the things Oakland would want in exchange for letting the A’s play in the Coliseum beyond their current lease, which expires at the end of next season. Those conditions included Oakland retaining the Athetics name and getting an expansion team from MLB.

Manfred said those things were never discussed.

“The entire meeting was about a proposal they wanted presented to keep the A’s in Oakland,” Manfred told Shea. “So why would they be talking about an extension and making demands about what was going to happen if they went to Las Vegas? The whole purpose of the meeting was to convince us that they had a proposal to stay in Oakland. It makes no sense. It also is not true.

“We never talked about expansion,” Manfred said. “We never talked about her keeping the A’s name. There was never a conversation about these alleged demands before executing a lease.”

Hanson, the chief of staff for Thao, said “the topic of an extension of the Coliseum lease definitely came up. I was in the room.”

Manfred chided Thao about her response to team president Dave Kaval’s bombshell revelation to her in April that the A’s had agreed to buy land in Las Vegas, as Thao made clear at the time that negotiations for a new waterfront ballpark and housing at Howard Terminal were dead, feeling they were no longer being carried out in good faith. Thao’s belief was leveraging Oakland to extract a better deal in Vegas.

Still, Manfred told Shea regarding Thao’s initial reaction, “Do you think that was a productive step?”

Shortly after, though, Thao said that if the A’s called her back, she would answer.

“OK,” Manfred said when that was raised, “my only point is, if she was all engaged in keeping Oakland, why do you tell the other side, ‘I’m cutting off negotiations?’ ”

Hanson told the Chronicle, “Just because we removed ourselves as a bargaining chip in Nevada doesn’t mean the mayor is not interested in keeping the team in Oakland.”

The disagreements don’t end there.

Thao and Manfred also offered conflicting accounts about whether the mayor should have contacted the commissioner after she was elected in Nov. 2022, replacing outgoing two-term mayor Libby Schaaf.

“I did not hear from (Thao). Not once,” Manfred said. “She’s big on everybody should be talking, all the stakeholders should be talking. She wasn’t talking to anybody, and she sure as hell wasn’t talking to me.”

Thao said the A’s, specifically Fisher, asked her to refrain from contacting Manfred while Howard Terminal negotiations continued.

Hanson said Thao had asked “if it was appropriate to reach out to the commissioner, and John said it wouldn’t be appropriate until a deal was completed. We proceeded in good faith.”

Manfred disputed that account, citing a source he would not identify. He added: “The fact of the matter is, if you’re trying to keep a baseball team in Oakland, why would you agree not to talk to the commissioner of baseball?”

The A’s submitted their relocation application last month for a review by a three-member committee. A vote on the Athletics’ plan for relocation will take place in November and to be approved, the franchise needs 75% of MLB’s 30 owners to vote yes.

Regarding the 31 copies of a book that Thao gave to him two months ago in Seattle, Manfred said he has reviewed it and that the relocation committee can request those materials. He did not say whether each owner has read or asked for the book, which does not mention the possibility of keeping the A’s name in Oakland or being granted an expansion team in exchange for a Coliseum lease extension.

Thao said the books mentioned that before talks ended, there was only a $90 million gap at that time, a small fraction of the project’s overall cost.

“Honestly, if they were that close to a deal,” Manfred said, “why didn’t she throw the hundred million on the table?”

In response, Hanson told the Chronicle, “The city of Oakland was facing a historical deficit of $360 million and simply does not have $100 million sitting in couch cushions, like Mr. Fisher.”

But should Fisher retain the team — as he has stated — and want to extend the A’s lease at the Coliseum past next season, then Thao feels there’s a price that needs to be paid.

In exchange for extending the A’s lease at the facility past 2024 prior to the team’s proposed move to Las Vegas, Thao wants a guarantee from Major League Baseball that Oakland will receive an expansion team should the A’s move to southern Nevada. Thao also wants the A’s franchise name to remain with the city.

“To extend the ballpark lease for the Oakland A’s to play here in Oakland, there’s going to have to be some conversation, some real conversation, some tangibles for our city of Oakland,” Thao told NBC Bay Area in an interview that aired Thursday. “Including the possibility of an expansion team guaranteed, including the possibility of a name staying here in the city of Oakland. … I’m not going to stand here and allow for there to be abuse in this so-called relationship that we have.

“And so, if (the A’s are) willing to have that conversation and be … a good tenant here in the city of Oakland and a good team player, then that’s a conversation we should have. We should really talk about possible expansion and keeping the name here in Oakland.”

Thao told the network she wants the A’s to remain here in Oakland if there are “viable people willing to buy, which there are, then let’s go ahead and give that opportunity to the Oakland A’s and expand in Las Vegas and give that expansion opportunity to the Fisher’s if they want that.

“But the Oakland A’s should remain here in Oakland.”

Fan groups aren’t giving up on the effort to stop the team’s relocation. Before the A’s beat the Angels 2-1 on Saturday, those arriving to the Coliseum saw several digital billboards calling on Fisher to sell the team, the latest in a fan-led “Summer of Sell” campaign.

The A’s have submitted an application for relocation to Las Vegas and hope to move into a proposed new ballpark along the famed Strip in 2028. The organization’s lease at the Coliseum expires in 2024.

Fisher told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month that he had no intention of selling the Athletics and team president David Kaval told this news organization in April, soon after plans to purchase land in Las Vegas were first announced, that opening a new stadium at Howard Terminal in Oakland would be seven or eight years away.

Thao’s chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, told this news organization Friday that if the A’s somehow took the city up on its offer to remain in Oakland permanently, both the Coliseum and Howard Terminal would be on the table as a long-term home.

“And if the ownership transitioned and an exceptionally wealthy new owner was drawn to Howard Terminal, we would explore that as well,” Hanson said.

Hanson noted that Oakland retaining the Athletics’ nickname would mirror the Cleveland Browns’ departure to Baltimore in the mid-1990s, which led the National Football League to ensure the franchise’s name and logo stayed behind.

“The mayor believes the Oakland A’s as a brand belongs in Oakland,” Hanson said. “And there’s some precedent … where leagues recognize the power and value of the brand staying connected to the city.”

For now, Thao’s office isn’t in regular communication with the MLB; despite what Hanson described as an earlier commitment to staying in touch, the two sides are “back to talking in the press,” she said.

Thao could have some leverage with her proposals. The A’s would need to remain in the Bay Area for their television contract with NBC Sports California to remain valid. That deal, which runs through 2033, was worth $53 million to the team last season, per Sportico.

Kaval told the Nevada Independent last month that the team was considering playing its home games after the 2024 season either at the Coliseum, Oracle Park in San Francisco, or at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, Nevada, where the organization’s Triple-A team plays.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported last month that the Giants could be amenable to hosting a limited number of A’s games – possibly up to 40. The potential cost of that arrangement is unclear, but if that is the case, the A’s would still need a place to play their remaining home schedule.

Thao said until construction on that ballpark has begun, she remains hopeful that the city can keep the A’s.

“I’ll be working with the fans and other stakeholders to really push for MLB to do the right thing,” Thao said, “and the right thing is to keep the A’s here in Oakland with or without the current owner.”

Staff writer Shomik Mukherjee contributed to this story. 

The A’s want to relocate to southern Nevada, but the ballpark they want to build next to the famed Las Vegas Strip will not open until 2028 at the earliest. The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and Kaval said, in the meantime, the team will probably play its home games either at the current — and nearly 60-year-old — facility, San Francisco’s Oracle Park, or Las Vegas Ballpark, the home field of Oakland’s Triple-A affiliate.

“I think those are the three most likely scenarios and how that plays out,” Kaval told the Nevada Independent in a story published Wednesday. “That’s something (Major League Baseball) is running point on.”

Oakland city officials have previously told this publication and reiterated in the Independent report that there have been no discussions with the A’s about extending their lease at the Coliseum, which the A’s have called home since 1968. Efforts to reach the Giants for comment were not immediately successful.

Playing home games at either Oracle Park or Las Vegas Ballpark would present some challenges.

The Giants would certainly have some input about the A’s playing at 42,300-seat Oracle Park, which does host some non-baseball events while the National League team is out of town. A new MLB-caliber clubhouse for the A’s might need to be constructed, or renovations would have to occur since the Giants would almost assuredly object to having Oakland’s players in their spacious home locker room.

Also, the Giants and A’s typically have one or two series per year in which both teams are home at the same time. Next season, for example, the two teams are both at home from Aug. 19-21, and from Sept. 3-5

Two MLB teams haven’t shared one ballpark since the 1970s when the New York Yankees moved to the Mets’ Shea Stadium for two years while renovations took place at Yankee Stadium.

Las Vegas Ballpark is thought to be one of the best facilities in the minor leagues, but it presently only has a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 and would need to be expanded to house an MLB franchise. Also, the players association would have to sign off on the A’s playing their home games there.

“I think it’s a fantastic ballpark, and I don’t know the answer to the question of what improvements would need to be made for that ballpark to make it Major League Baseball ready,” A’s owner John Fisher told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a story published Wednesday. “That’s all going to be under discussion and under the control of MLB itself.

“I can have my own opinion, but the commissioner and the league will really drive the decision of where we’re going to play going forward and the suitability of the Las Vegas Ballpark for us to play there on a temporary basis.”

Fisher all but ruled out the A’s playing at Triple-A parks in Sacramento in Reno from 2024 to 2027, but it appears extending the lease at the Coliseum is not out of the question — and not without local precedent.

Fisher pointed out in his interview with the Review-Journal that the Raiders remained at the Coliseum for three seasons after the NFL approved the franchise’s relocation to Las Vegas in 2017.

The A’s presently pay the Coliseum Authority $1.2 million annually to lease the stadium. When the Raiders first extended their Coliseum lease in 2016 — an agreement that included an additional two years of team options following the 2016 season — their annual rent increased from $400,000 to $2.975 million. In the Raiders’ final year at the Coliseum in 2019, rent jumped to $7.5 million.

Fisher said the A’s have submitted their relocation application to the relocation committee, which is headed by Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio.

Per the Associated Press, that group will evaluate the team’s application, define the new operating territory and television territory, and then make a recommendation to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and the eight-man executive council. The council formulates a recommendation to all clubs, and a move would have to be approved in a vote by at least 75% of the 30 major league teams. It is unclear when that vote would take place.

Some A’s fans who spoke to this news organization Wednesday said they would be happy to see the team remain in the East Bay past next season.

“The fans have supported them through thick and thin, through all Kaval and Fisher’s shenanigans,” said Lynda Seaver, 65, of Danvillle. “I think everyone here loves the team. It’s Fisher and Kaval that they’re angry at.”

Staff writer Alex Simon contributed to this story. 

“I don’t believe anything (Fisher) says,” said Lynda Seaver, 65, of Danville, who has been coming to the Coliseum since the A’s arrived in 1968. “He’s been lying to us for I don’t know how many years now. Why should we trust him now?”

“Absolutely not,” said Ted Trautman, 39, of Oakland. “He’s a cheapskate.”

Several of the announced 5,075 fans in attendance for Wednesday’s A’s-Royals game at the Coliseum at times kept up the “Sell the team” chant that began earlier this season and has also permeated other MLB ballparks, notably in San Francisco and Los Angeles when Oakland was the visiting team.

Fisher, in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published Wednesday, said he has not considered selling the A’s, which he has held an ownership stake in since 2005.

That’s not a shock to A’s fans who spoke to this news organization.

“I am not surprised that (Fisher) won’t sell,” said Trautman, who wore a green ‘sell’ T-shirt. “I think that most of us who wear the shirt don’t think that he will because he hasn’t acted reasonably so far. I think the city of Oakland and the fan base have given him plenty of opportunities to see that there is demand here, and that there are multiple locations for a good stadium, whether it is (at the Coliseum site) or at Howard Terminal or whatever.

“I think he has a very vague idea of what he wants in Las Vegas. I’m sure he thinks he’ll invest there. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The A’s, per Spotrac, presently have a team payroll of approximately $58.7 million – the lowest in MLB — with their rising stars still years away from being arbitration-eligible.

Although the A’s could have the smallest stadium in MLB’s smallest television market, Fisher said a new ballpark along the famed Strip would generate the type of revenue needed for the team to carry a higher payroll and potentially keep their talented young players around long term, unlike teams of the past 20 years.

“That’s a lie. My knee-jerk reaction? It’s BS,” said Ryan Alipate, 39, of East Palo Alto when asked about Fisher’s projections. “He may (increase payroll) and I may be wrong but show me proof. Show me something. He (didn’t) do it here. Why would I believe that you’re going to do it (in Las Vegas).”

The A’s hope to open their new $1.5 billion Las Vegas ballpark in 2028 and have said they expect a significant amount – roughly 30 percent — of their everyday crowds to be out-of-town visitors.

“I do think you’ll get some fans who may take in a game because they’ve traveled to Vegas,” Seaver said. “But football is much different than baseball. Raiders fans have no problem going to Vegas for a weekend. That’s just that’s not sustainable (in baseball), especially when you’re playing a team like the Royals or the Rockies. I just don’t think that holds any water.”

Fisher’s estimated net worth, according to Forbes, was $2.4 billion on Wednesday, as he is the youngest of Gap founders Doris and Donald Fisher’s three sons.

The A’s secured up to $380 million in public financing to help fund a new stadium from Nevada lawmakers in June and Fisher reiterated to the Review-Journal that he plans to personally invest over $1 billion into the construction of the stadium, saying, “we have a very good financial plan in place. We’ve been working closely with Goldman Sachs, and my family as well, as indicated, is planning to invest a substantial amount.”

Still, there appears to be some doubt in the fans’ minds that Fisher has the wherewithal to finance the stadium.

“I don’t know his finances, but I don’t think he has the money to pull off what he needed to do,” said Robert Nickelson, 62, of Winters, “and what they need to do is to rebuild (a Stadium) right here.”

Fisher said he had nothing but positive feelings toward Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao but said that even after years of talks, the team and the city did not have a deal in place.

With the A’s needing a binding agreement on a new stadium by Jan. 15, 2024, to keep MLB’s revenue-sharing checks flowing, the organization honed in on a Las Vegas deal, and shocked Oakland officials in April by saying they had an arrangement in place to buy land and build a $1 billion, 35,000-seat ballpark a mile off the strip. The team later shifted its focus to the Tropicana site off Las Vegas Boulevard.

The A’s first said in May 2021 that they were on parallel paths with Oakland and Las Vegas.

“The fact that the A’s are the third of three sports teams to leave the Coliseum and Oakland is not lost on me,” Fisher said. “I think that that’s one of the great challenges that we face and something that I recognize and feel very directly myself.”

Does the City of Oakland bear any responsibility in this, some fans were asked

“I think there is always some compromise that needs to be made,” Alipate said. “But I think Fisher has had his mind made up for a long time.”

The A’s lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2024 season and it remains unclear where they will play from 2025 to 2027 before their new stadium is expected to be built. Fisher said he’ll work with MLB to determine where the A’s play their home games in the meantime.

The A’s are averaging an MLB-worst 10,468 fans per game this season and Fisher stated that he’s aware spectators have stayed away because of the team’s poor record and dalliances with Las Vegas. The A’s also significantly increased season ticket prices prior to the 2022 season.

Still, A’s fans interviewed Wednesday said they’ll keep coming to the Coliseum if the team remains in Oakland past 2024.

“I have not enjoyed giving him (Fisher) money since they announced they’re leaving. But at the end of the day, I love baseball,” Trautman said. “I’m a Twins fan. I’m from Minnesota, but I’ve lived here for over a decade and I’ve become an A’s fan. I’m sad they’re leaving but I will keep coming until the day they’re gone.”

“I would love them to stay here for as long as they can even beyond,” Seaver said. “I don’t mind if Las Vegas gets in an expansion team, but this team belongs in Oakland.”

The Sharks are now worth $755 million, Sportico reported, making them the 26th most-valuable team in the 32-team NHL. The team’s value, per the report, increased 7 percent over last year when the Sharks were worth $705 million, which, at the time, made them the 24th-most valuable team in the league.

The value of 13 NHL teams grew by at least 10 percent, Sportico said, and eight other teams grew between 8 and 9 percent. The average value of an NHL franchise is now $1.01 billion, and the value of the 32 franchises is worth a combined $32.4 billion.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are No. 1 on the list at $2.12 billion. The Arizona Coyotes rank 32nd at $465 million.

Per Sportico, NHL teams generated $6.1 billion in revenue last season, which includes non-NHL events, like concerts. The Sharks lease and operate SAP Center, the 17,562-seat facility owned by the City of San Jose.

SAP Center is one of the oldest buildings in the NHL, newer only than New York’s Madison Square Garden, which underwent a major $1 billion refurbishment last decade, the Saddledome in Calgary, and the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Sportico said the Sharks’ generated $145 million in revenue during the 2021-2022 season, a sharp increase over the $59 million total they had the previous season.

That year, due to local COVID-19 health guidelines, the Sharks were not allowed to have spectators inside the SAP Center until the final few weeks of the 56-game regular season.

The Sharks that year had fans for seven of 28 home games, with attendance listed between 520 people when restrictions were first eased in late April 2021, to 1,654 in mid-May.

Through a team spokesperson, the Sharks declined to comment on the report.

In Dec. 2021, Forbes valued the Sharks at $625 million, or the 23rd-most valuable team in the NHL.

The Sharks, per hockeydb.com, distributed an average of 12,574 tickets per game last season. Through six home games this season, the Sharks have distributed an average of 14,482 tickets per game.

The Sharks were listed as having $133 million in revenue in 2019-2020. That year, the Sharks played 36 of 41 home games before the NHL paused its season.

Hasso Plattner is the sole owner of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHL’s Sharks, the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, and the non-profit Sharks Foundation.

Plattner was a charter member of the local ownership group that bought the Sharks from original owner George Gund III in 2002. In 2010, Plattner became the organization’s majority owner and in recent years, became the team’s lone owner.

Among the Sharks’ main corporate sponsors are Adobe, Coca-Cola, Kaiser Permanente, Molson Coors, Toyota, and Zoom.

Sportico said its team values are “derived from metrics by which hockey-team transactions occur, including aggregating local and national revenues and factoring in a team-specific multiplier. This represents the fair market value of the team itself, excluding related businesses held by its owners.”

The Sharks’ new alternate jerseys resemble the ones worn by the California Seals from 1974 to 1976, with the same “pacific blue” color used for the lettering, with gold trim. Instead of the word “Seals” the white alternate jerseys say “Sharks” in the same unique font.

The ‘Reverse Retro’ jerseys, manufactured by Adidas, were revealed Thursday for all 32 NHL teams. They will be available on Nov. 15 and will retail for between $190 and $240 in the United States, and between $210-$260 in Canada.

The Sharks will wear the uniforms six times this season, starting with Nov. 25 game at home against the Los Angeles Kings. The uniforms will also be worn at home on Dec. 7 at home vs. Vancouver, Dec. 13 vs. Arizona, and Dec. 29 vs. Philadelphia, and on the road at Anaheim on Dec. 9 in Anaheim, and Dec. 27 at Vancouver.

The Sharks introduced new home and away teal jerseys in September, but they haven’t been of much luck so far. Going into Thursday’s game with the New York Rangers, the Sharks are 0-5-0, marking the first time they’ve begun a year with five straight losses in 31 seasons of hockey.

Reverse Retro jerseys were first used by NHL teams during the 2020-2021 season. The Sharks’ version was gray with the crest, sleeve numbers, and point accents from the team’s jerseys from the 1998 season.

You already know

Here’s a closer look…
get yours 11.15.#ReverseRetro x #SJSharks x @adidashockey pic.twitter.com/kq8OGV4qAr

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 20, 2022

The Seals were the Bay Area’s first NHL team, coming into the league in 1967 when it expanded from six teams to 12. Although the Seals’ ownership, color scheme, and logo changed frequently over the course of their nine-year existence, their record was either mediocre or poor.

The Oakland Seals made the playoffs just twice in nine years, in 1969 and 1970, and lost in the first round both times. Former Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley bought the Seals in 1970 and changed its colors from green with blue trim to kelly green and gold, just like the baseball team. The team was also renamed the California Golden Seals.

Finley sold the team to the NHL in 1974. The word “Golden” was dropped from the team’s name and the Seals’ dominant color became pacific blue.

The change is in line with the Chase Center’s modification announced last week.

California’s Department of Public Health on March 17 stated that instead of requiring proof of full vaccination or evidence of recent negative COVID-19 test for entry into indoor mega-events, it would move to a “strong recommendation” to the public to use those measures for limiting the spread of the virus.

The state’s new guidelines go into effect Friday. The Sharks’ next home game is Saturday against the Dallas Stars.

Wednesday’s Warriors game against the Suns will be the last time Chase Center spectators will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result. However, unvaccinated fans are still required to wear masks, per the city’s mandate, when they’re not actively eating or drinking.

In its news release, SSE noted that “certain event promoters may choose to implement restrictions at SAP Center” and that it would be “in communication with ticketholders in advance, as applicable.”

Previously, all guests 2 or older attending events at SAP Center had to either be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test. Mega-events are defined as being indoor crowds greater than 1,000 or outdoor crowds greater than 10,000.

A spokesperson for San Jose’s COVID-19 recovery response department said the city “supports the SAP Center’s alignment with recent changes in local and State COVID policies.”

California has had a test positivity rate over the last seven days of 1.3 percent, down from a seven-day rolling average of 22.5 percent in early January during the height of the omicron surge. Santa Clara County’s seven-day positivity rate as of Monday was 1.8 percent, a 0.4 percent increase from the previous seven-day rate.

The Sharks have announced an average of 12,443 tickets sold for their 34 home games so far this season at the 17,562-seat arena. That’s down from an average of 16,427 for 36 home games in 2019-2020 before the start of the pandemic.

In February, SSE president Jonathan Becher said the pandemic is the biggest reason why attendance for NHL games this season has dropped so dramatically.

Becher said some patrons are either still concerned about contracting the virus or not in agreement with vaccine mandates.

“Some people are not comfortable coming back to mega-events, 5,000-to-10,000 or more people,” Becher said. “Frankly, some people are comfortable, but they don’t want to deal with (vaccinations), boosters, masks, etc.”

Soria was also aware of what took place elsewhere in Oakland — with the city council approving preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project, and A’s executive Dave Kaval saying the new deal doesn’t work for the team.

“Each side has its merits,” Soria said. “City council, they’re looking after their constituents. The A’s guys, they’re looking out for the team. There is a happy middle somewhere. There has to be.”

Other fans who attended Tuesday’s game — knowing how long the A’s and the city have haggled over a new ballpark – were less optimistic that something could get done.

City council voted 6-1 in favor of the proposal that requires the development to include affordable housing, environmental measures and other features. But it’s unclear if the A’s – led by Kaval and owner John Fisher – want to continue to negotiate with the city or turn their full attention toward relocation.

“They seem to be so far apart that there doesn’t seem like there’s much middle ground,” said Steve Rodgers, 63, of Campbell. “I’m not an Oakland resident, but you definitely want to see the city break even if nothing else. I want it to be a win-win situation.”

Theresa Fernandez, 58, of San Ramon said she would love to see Oakland build a new waterfront park in the Jack London Square area.

“I think it would be great for the city,” she said. “Look with the Giants’ stadium did for San Francisco. That area, you didn’t even want to go there. It was not a good neighborhood but look at it now. It’s amazing.”

East Bay sports fans – still scarred from having seen two other professional sports franchises leave for what they felt were greener pastures — fear they might be seeing a third.

The Raiders vacated Oakland after the 2019 season, leaving behind millions in debt on the botched deal that brought the team back from Oakland in 1995. They’re now in their sparkling new digs, Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas.

The Warriors relocated to gleaming Chase Center in San Francisco, leaving behind what may have been the loudest arena in the NBA in Oracle Arena.

“With the Warriors leaving, and then you had the Raiders, Oakland is kind of just left — I don’t want to say to die — but the stadium is getting so old,” said Tyler Berggren, 17, of Concord. “As much as I love (the Coliseum), I just feel like a new stadium in Oakland — the proposed one — would be the best option.”

Kaval has been to Las Vegas multiple times in recent months to meet with local government officials and other local influential figures. He’s been plenty visible and willing to speak with local reporters, no doubt projecting that the team has a legitimate option for relocation.

“I think that’s a negotiating ploy,” said Max Pringle, 52, of Vallejo, of Kaval’s visibility in Las Vegas. Pringle added that he thinks the A’s have done their share to get a new stadium and that he hopes the city can bridge the remaining gap.

The A’s project includes a $1 billion privately financed 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark, 3,000 residential units, office, and retail space, hotel rooms, and an indoor performance center.

The team’s lease at the Coliseum runs through 2024, and Kaval and Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred does not consider building another stadium at the current site a viable option.

Still, Soria said Tuesday’s vote was, “a step forward” for the city and A’s fans.

“Kaval’s response was a bit lukewarm for us fans, saying that it was unacceptable,” Soria said. “It’s kind of like, ‘come on, throw us a bone. We’re hanging on to the team we love.’”

The Sharks’ poor on-ice performance the last two years – combined with other possible factors out of their control – has led to a notable decline in the team’s season ticket sales for the upcoming season.

Sharks Sports & Entertainment president Jonathan Becher said the franchise to date has sold roughly 9,000 season tickets or equivalents for next season, a decrease of about 1,500 from two years ago when the team was coming off an appearance in the Western Conference final.

Becher said season tickets are renewing at about 84 percent, a rate similar to other years when the Sharks did not perform well on the ice. The Sharks missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year this season, marking the first time since the mid-1990s that the team has been out of the postseason in back-to-back years.

Becher said the Sharks’ average rate of season-ticket renewal for the last five years was in the 85 to 88 percent range, “so we are a little bit below our historic average, but it’s not a lot below. I think the best renewal year we’ve had in the last six or seven years might have been 89 or 90 percent.”

The Sharks have seen season ticket sales decline over the last decade.

In 2012, packed houses at the team’s 17,562-seat downtown arena were the norm as the Sharks had approximately 14,000 season ticket holders. By the 2017-18 season, the Sharks had sold roughly 12,000 season tickets or equivalents with a renewal rate of approximately 90 percent.

Unlike past years when the renewal period lasted from mid-January to late March, Becher said the team started its renewal drive in April and will keep that going until the anticipated start of the NHL’s 2021-22 season in October.

Becher added that some former full-season ticket holders this year have opted to purchase half-season plans instead and that a major reason for the team’s erosion in sales has been people moving out of the Bay Area. He added that prices did not go up for roughly 90 percent of season ticket holders, as their purchases from 2020-2021 rolled over into the upcoming season.

Becher said the Sharks have seen a recent uptick in sales as renewals were at 79 or 80 percent in mid-May. That leads him to believe that “it might grow a bit from there as people miss hockey even more and want to see it in person.”

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said last month that he feels the team can be in a better position to compete for a playoff spot next year. A turnaround is hardly guaranteed, but Sharks fans have shown that they will support a winning team.

After the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, season ticket sales jumped by about 2,500, with new subscribers accounting for 70 percent of that number. From 2016 to 2019, the average announced attendance was well over 17,000 per game.

For the 2019-20 season, their worst in nearly two decades, the Sharks’ average announced attendance at SAP Center was 16,427, down from 17,266 the year before.

This season, the Sharks were unable to host fans until April, when they admitted between 500 and 1,600 spectators for each of their final seven home games.

Next season, when fans buy tickets, they will have to declare that they are either fully vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of the date of the event.

Becher anticipates some reluctance by Sharks fans to show up to a crowded indoor arena but feels those concerns will be allayed by the midway point of the season.

“I’m estimating it’ll impact maybe 5 percent of the fans until January of next year,” Becher said of the possible reluctance to return. “That’s assuming no return to some kind of COVID issue, no variant shows up, et cetera. But on the current course of speed, I think it works itself completely out of the system by the calendar year.”

The lack of fans at Sharks games and the inability to host other events at SAP Center led to unprecedented financial losses for the organization, which is owned by billionaire Hasso Plattner. Although Becher would not disclose specific figures, he said the loss is “an extraordinarily large number.”

The NHL anticipated losing over $1 billion over the 2020-21 season.

“We’re lucky to have the owner that we have, that despite those losses, still paid all of the employees,” Becher said. “We didn’t do a mass layoff like many sports franchises did. We didn’t furlough people. I will confirm the number’s quite big.”