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Arturs Irbe was originally drafted 196th overall in the 1989 Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. Two years later, he was claimed by the expansion San Jose Sharks in the Dispersal Draft. That season, Arturs made his NHL debut with a 6-2 win over the Oilers on November 8, 1991. After playing 13 games in his first season, Arturs split goaltending duties in 1992-93 with Jeff Hackett. On November 17, he posted his first shutout in a 6-0 win over the Kings. In 1993-94, Arturs helped the Sharks improve 58 points to make the playoffs for the first time in team history. Arturs led all league goalies with 74 games and 4,412 minutes played (league record, since broken). He went 30-28-16 with a 2.84 goals-against average and three shutouts. On November 29, Arturs won NHL Player of the Week honours. At the mid-season All-Star Game on January 22, Arturs stopped 16 of 18 shots for the Western Conference. From March 24 to April 5, he set a team record with seven consecutive wins. In the playoffs, Arturs helped the Sharks come within a win of reaching the Western Conference finals.
In the shortened 1994-95 season, Arturs went 14-9-3 and set a team record with four shutouts. From April 12-14, he set a team shutout streak record with 118:31 minutes (since broken). That year, he also helped the Sharks make the playoffs for the second straight year. In 1995-96, Arturs missed 24 games with a knee injury which required surgery. On August 19, 1996, Arturs signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars. That year, he played 35 games and posted three shutouts as Andy Moog's goaltending partner. On August 25, 1997, he signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks. This time, he played 41 games and posted two shutouts.
On September 14, 1998, Arturs signed as a free agent with the Carolina Hurricanes. He took over the starting role and went 27-20-12 with a team record six shutouts. On November 2, Arturs won NHL Player of the Week honours. He also won Player of the Month honours for October and played in the mid-season All-Star Game in Tampa Bay. He posted a career low 2.22 GAA and led the Hurricanes to a Southeast Division title for their first playoff berth in seven years.
In 1999-2000, Arturs set team records with 75 games played by a goaltender (league best), 4,345 minutes (second in NHL) and 34 wins. While the Hurricanes missed the playoffs, Arturs posted a 2.42 GAA with five shutouts. On April 3, he won NHL Player of the Week honours. In 2000-01, Arturs helped the Hurricanes make the playoffs for the second time in three years. He bettered his team marks with 77 games (tied for second highest in league history), 4,406 minutes played (season best) and 37 wins and tied his record of six shutouts. On November 12, Arturs recorded his 25th career shutout in a win over the Senators.
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