Rusanowsky on Sharks COVID Game Chaos

The legendary Dan Rusanowsky joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast to talk about a singular night in San Jose Sharks history.

Last Saturday, just hours before a scheduled 4 PM tilt against Winnipeg, seven Sharks players were placed in COVID protocol and five San Jose Barracuda skaters were recalled. Head coach Bob Boughner was also placed in COVID protocol.

In the chaos, the game was delayed until 4:30 PM — and the short-handed San Jose Sharks pulled out an improbable 2-1 victory over the Jets.

Who better than Rusanowsky, who’s called Sharks games since their expansion campaign, to share insider stories from a night to remember (40:52)?

Rusanowsky talks about when he found out about the Sharks going into protocol, how that news changed his broadcast, and how Saturday reminded him of the night that Joe Thornton got traded to San Jose. Sheng chimes in, and shares the reporter’s perspective of the race to figure out which Sharks were in protocol and how he got the lines first by cheating.

And before Nick Flohr and Sheng talked to Dan Rusanowsky, they chatted about most everything swirling around the San Jose Sharks.

Why is Sheng not sure that Ryan Merkley and Santeri Hatakka belong in the NHL right now (5:25)?

For a Sharks organization that professes winning as a priority, is there any argument against keeping William Eklund in the NHL (12:18)?

The San Jose Sharks’ team defense has been much better this season — how much better? Sheng shares exclusive SPORTLOGiQ stats, only on this podcast, that illustrate how far they’ve come from last year (17:15).

Finally, Nick and Sheng discuss how the focal point of the San Jose offense has changed over the years — and Timo Meier’s starring role in the change (29:15).

Follow the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast on Twitter — and listen here for all things San Jose Sharks:

Apple

Spotify

Megaphone

Stitcher

Google Podcasts