California Dreamin’: Sharks end long wait as Stanley Cup Final returns to the Golden State

The San Jose Sharks completed a hat trick of sorts when they won the Western Conference championship and became the last of the NHL’s three California-based teams to earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup.

This year’s Cup Final, which resumes Saturday night when the Sharks, facing a 2-0 deficit, play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center, is the sixth championship series to involve a California team. The Kings made it three times (1993, 2012 and 2014) and the Ducks got this far twice, (2003 and 2007). The Kings won in 2012 and 2014, and the Ducks won in 2007.

California teams have a decided home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, with a combined record of 11-3 in those six series. Here’s a breakdown of those home games played in California:

1993: Kings vs. Montreal—Kings lost Game 3, 4-3, in overtime; Kings lost Game 4, 3-2, in overtime. Montreal won the Cup in five games.

2003: Ducks vs. New Jersey—Ducks won Game 3, 3-2, in overtime; Ducks won Game 4, 1-0, in overtime; Ducks won Game 6, 5-2. New Jersey won the Cup in seven games.

2007: Ducks vs. Ottawa—Ducks won Game 1, 3-2; Ducks won Game 2, 1-0; Ducks won Game 5, 6-2. Ducks won the Cup in six games.

2012: Kings vs. New Jersey—Kings won Game 3, 4-0; Kings lost Game 4, 3-1; Kings won Game 6, 6-1. Kings won the Cup in six games.

2014: Kings vs. New York Rangers—Kings won Game 1, 3-2, in overtime; Kings won Game 2, 5-4, in overtime; Kings won Game 5, 3-2, in double overtime. Kings won the Cup in five games.

Etc.

Saturday night’s game will be a special occasion for Sharks radio play-by-play announcer Dan Rusanowsky, who’s among a handful of employees remaining from the team’s beginnings in the 1991-92 season. He identified the others as TV play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn, who was a fill-in during that inaugural season and became a full-time employee during the third season; Jim Goddard, the executive vice president for business and building operations; Joe Will, the Sharks’ assistant general manager, and Pat Funk, one of the club’s scouts.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” Rusanowsky said. “It’s why we do this, right? You want a chance to do the Stanley Cup.

“You just feel so happy for the people that have supported this team since Day 1. I was there at the Cow Palace [where the Sharks played their first two seasons]. I was calling games when there weren’t very good results and all we had to talk about was [tough guy] Link Gaetz.”