Cow Palace

The Cow Palace (originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an arena in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco.

History
Completed in 1941 it hosted the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1966 to 1971. It also hosted the San Jose Sharks of the NHL from 1991 to 1993 until the San Jose Arena was built. The arena seats 11,089 for ice hockey and 12,953 for basketball.

Sports
The San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association] called the Cow Palace home from 1962-1964 and from 1966-1971. The franchise then moved across the bay to the new Oakland Coliseum Arena and changed their moniker to "Golden State Warriors."

The Warriors lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1964 NBA Finals. The 1967 NBA Finals between Golden State and the Philadelphia 76ers saw three games held at the Cow Palace.

More recently, the NHL's San Jose Sharks played their first two seasons of existence at the Cow Palace. From 1991-1993, the Sharks sold out every game played at the building despite its capacity for hockey games being just over 11,000. It was also one of the last buildings in NHL history to house a smaller than NHL-standard rink.

San Jose lost their first game at the Cow Palace to the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on October 5, 1991. Wayne Presley scored the first Sharks goal at the arena. Three nights later, San Jose won their first game in franchise history there, a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames.

The Sharks second season in the Cow Palace was highlighted by a 17 game losing streak and a league record 71 losses. The Sharks ended their run at the Cow Palace at the conclusion of the 1992-93 season with a 3-2 loss to eventual Campbell Conference champion Los Angeles on April 10, 1993. The team moved to the new San Jose Arena to start 1993-94 after going 22-56-4 at their first home.

At the Cow Palace, the Sharks recorded the franchise's first win, shutout (Arturs Irbe) and hat trick (Rob Gaudreau). The team also introduced their mascot, SJ Sharkie, on the Cow Palace ice in mid-1992 when he climbed out of the front of a Zamboni. He later bungee jumped from the rafters near the end of the 1st season.

In 1995, the IHL's San Francisco Spiders played their only season at the Cow Palace. Ironically, several players who played for the Sharks during their Cow Palace years suited up for the Spiders that year. Former Shark defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh actually scored the first goal in team history. The team was bounced in the first round of the 1996 Turner Cup Playoffs despite goaltender Stephane Beauregard winning the league's MVP that season. Due to poor attendance, the team ceased operations at the end of the 1995-96 season.

Location
The Cow Palace has a Daly City address, and except for the very northwest corner of the parking lot it lies physically entirely within Daly City. But by most people it is known as a San Francisco attraction because it is barely across the border.