The Sharks' first season was moderately successful on and off the ice as they finished 3rd in the Western Division (losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Houston Aeros in six games) and attendance was respectable.

This drop off coincided with a resurgence across town by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, who qualified for the playoffs in the 1973–74 season for the first time in five years.

The 1973–74 Sharks are notable for one thing - they were the first team (NHL or WHA) to go an entire season without playing a single tie game.

(Note that WHA rules provided for a 10-minute sudden death overtime; if no team scored after 10 minutes, the game was a tie.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes Three years after the WHA Sharks left for Michigan, founding owner Dennis Murphy along with Walt Marlow (and later James Browitt), created the Long Beach Sharks[1] to play in the Long Beach Sports Arena (former home of the Los Angeles Sharks) in the new Pacific Hockey League, a west coast based minor professional hockey league in 1977.