The San Jose Sharks got more than they could have dreamed of when they selected Nabokov, a goalie from Kazakhstan, in the ninth round (No. 219) of the 1994 NHL Draft. In fact, Tim Burke, the scout who found Nabokov, did so while on a trip to scout another player.

Nabokov played three more seasons in Russia before coming to North America in 1997, then played most of the next three seasons in the American Hockey League. He made his NHL debut in a third-period relief appearance against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 1, 2000, got first start against the Colorado Avalanche 18 days later in an 0-0 tie and earned his first victory by defeating the Predators in relief March 2.

Steve Shields, who had been San Jose's starter, injured his ankle in the second game of the 2001-02 season, giving Nabokov the opportunity to grab the No. 1 job. He did that, going 32-21-7 with a 2.19 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and six shutouts. He was voted winner of the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL and fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy as best goalie.

On March 10, 2002, Nabokov became the first European goalie to score a goal and the first goalie in NHL history to score a power-play goal when he shot the puck into an empty net against the Vancouver Canucks.

Nabokov's best season came in 2007-08, when he led the NHL in games (77) and victories (46), earning NHL First-Team All-Star honors. He helped the Sharks reach the Western Conference Final in 2004 and 2010, though they lost each time.

The Sharks opted not to re-sign Nabokov in 2010, so he signed with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he struggled and was released. Nabokov signed with the Detroit Red Wings but was claimed on waivers by the New York Islanders. He joined New York in 2011-12 and played three seasons with the Islanders, reaching the 300-win mark Jan. 14, 2012 and helping them end a six-year Stanley Cup Playoffs drought in 2013.

Nabokov signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent July 1, 2014. But he went 3-6-2 before being placed on waivers and then traded back to San Jose so he could retire as a member of the Sharks on Feb. 11, 2015. Nabokov finished his NHL career 353-227-57 with 29 ties, a 2.44 GAA, .911 save percentage and 59 shutouts. He was 42-42 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2.43 GAA, .908 save percentage and seven shutouts.

After retiring, Nabokov remained with the Sharks as a goaltending development coach and goaltending coach.