Sharks Announcer Brought to Tears by Crazy Comeback

Not long ago, the San Jose Sharks were hard to watch. Slow games, empty seats, and a rebuild that felt stuck in neutral made them one of the league’s least exciting teams. Fast forward a couple of seasons, and the transformation has been dramatic. Young stars, fearless hockey, and chaos in the best way possible have turned San Jose into must-see TV.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, have had an emotional season of their own, but without the same upward momentum. Early on, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin turned back the clock, briefly leading the NHL in goals and assists. It looked like Pittsburgh had found something again.

That illusion didn’t last. Consistency vanished, something that visibly frustrated new head coach Dan Muse. The Penguins believed they had pushed past those issues, but everything unraveled after Malkin went downhill following their controversial win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 4. Since then, things have gone from shaky to catastrophic.

Another Penguins’ Collapse Sets the Stage for the Sharks

Heading into their matchup with San Jose, Pittsburgh had lost three straight games. Two of those were shootout losses to Dallas and Anaheim, extending their shootout losing streak to nine games. Not a single Penguins shooter scored in either shootout. The Ducks' loss was especially brutal, featuring a complete meltdown capped by rookie Beckett Sennecke slicing through three defenders to tie the game with 0.1 seconds left.

Desperate for a win, the Penguins looked like they finally had one.

Pittsburgh stormed to a 4–1 lead after two periods, with Crosby scoring a power-play goal and adding an assist, moving him within two points of tying Mario Lemieux. When Anthony Mantha made it 5–1 just 5:30 into the third period, the game felt over. Unfortunately for the home crowd, it wasn’t even close.

Put it in the record books.🔥#TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/Z8Ymx7rXPR
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 14, 2025

Sharks’ Historic Third-Period Comeback

San Jose trailed 5–1 with under 14 minutes left. John Klingberg started the rally, scoring on a 5-on-3 power play at 7:33 with a wrist shot from the high slot. At 14:19, William Eklund made it 5–3, chipping in a loose puck after Arturs Silovs sprawled to stop Alex Wennberg.

Then came the lightning strike. With Yaroslav Askarov already pulled for the extra attacker, Bryan Rust rang a shot off the empty net at the other end before Macklin Celebrini blasted his 16th goal of the season at 17:32 to make it 5–4. With Askarov back on the bench moments later, Tyler Toffoli tied the game at 5–5 just 50 seconds later with a wrist shot from above the crease.

Overtime didn’t take too long. At 2:57, Klingberg finished a beautiful give-and-go from Celebrini, ripping a one-timer from the left circle to complete the comeback.

An Emotional Call Caps a Franchise Moment

With every Sharks goal, play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn grew louder, more stunned, and more emotional. When the overtime winner hit the net, he completely lost it.

I’m beside myself, and there are tears in my eyes. WHAT A GAME IN PITTSBURGH,” Hahn yelled, his voice cracking (video below).

Praying for @sharkvoice’s vocal cords, hoping they’ve got some tea and honey in the Pittsburgh press box. Absolute all-time call on the OT winner pic.twitter.com/WZGNYzqNf5
— Macklin you son of a shark (@ABoyAndHisTeam) December 13, 2025

The moment was historic. It was San Jose’s first win in franchise history when trailing by four goals in the third period. It was also the fifth-latest four-goal comeback in NHL history. For Pittsburgh, it marked the first time they blew a four-goal third-period lead since March 10, 1976.

For the Sharks, it was proof of who they’ve become. For the Penguins, it was another painful reminder of how far they still have to go.

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