"Chills up and down my spine when I said it," Rusanowsky said, "and I got to say it twice because Logan [Couture] had that empty-net goal at the end that really clinched it. And everybody knew at that point. But of course, there were a few seconds left to play in the game. Boy, all the thoughts about all the people.
"One of the first guys I thought of as this process was going on was George Gund III (the former co-owner who died in 2013). Unfortunately, he's not here with us, but what a big part he has played in the history of hockey in the Bay Area and in the United States, and how he would have felt had he been here. The ownership that we have is so fantastic, but George was the guy that started it, and I was thinking of him quite a bit as those words were coming out of my mouth."
Rusanowsky has done radio play-by-play for 2,074 Sharks games, including 199 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Since getting the job in 1991, Rusanowsky has missed 27 games, all in 2000 after he nearly died in a car accident.
A motorist ran a red light and hit his car in downtown San Jose at about 50 mph on Nov. 25, 2000, just hours before the Sharks hosted the New Jersey Devils.
"I was in deep trouble," Rusanowsky said. "I had some very serious injuries."
The most serious were a ruptured diaphragm and a fractured femur. Fortunately for Rusanowsky, the accident took place close to a hospital.