SACRAMENTO -- The man who played a major role in bringing hockey to San Jose passed away this weekend. Art Savage, who served as the San Jose Sharks first president, collapsed in his home in Sacramento on Saturday and died on the way to the hospital. Savage had been diagnosed with lung cancer, but the cause of death has not been determined. He was 58 years old.
Savage helped convince the city of San Jose to upgrade its facilities to attract an NHL team, then served as the club's President in the early 1990's.
After leaving the Sharks, Savage became the majority owner of the Sacramento Rivercats minor league baseball team, which was previously the Vancouver Canadians. He moved the team in 2000, after it had won the Triple-A World series. The Rivercats led in attendence figures during its first eight seasons at Raley Field.
