San Jose Sharks Zamboni driver respects Carolina's hero driver

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- SAP Center Building Services Manager Bruce Tharaldson has been working in the hockey business for 45 years, but has never seen anything like what happened over the weekend in Toronto.

The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off the miraculous victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs with 42-year-old emergency goalie and Zamboni driver David Ayres leading the way.

Two injuries thrust Ayres into the spotlight and he held his own in the 6-3 Canes win.

RELATED: Zamboni driver makes NHL debut as emergency goalie, helping Carolina Hurricanes secure win

Back here at the SAP Center, Zamboni driver Tharaldson is hard at work getting the San Jose Sharks ice ready for their next game.

While he isn't the emergency goalie and doesn't expect to make an NHL debut in his lifetime, he has respect for what Ayres did on the ice.

"He did out pretty good," SAP Center Building Service Manager Bruce Tharaldson said. "Except for the first two shots that I saw went in. Actually, what I read about him and heard about him, he does practice with the minor league team, the Marlies, all the time. So it's not like he's getting any action. So good for him."

After all his years in the business, he thinks this is one of the craziest hockey stories that he has ever seen.

"It's probably right up there," Tharaldson said. "Especially when you're the home team guy that they hire and the road team ends up winning.

RELATED: Sharks send Patrick Marleau to Penguins for shot at 1st Stanley Cup

Tharaldson joined the NHL ranks with no ambitions to play on the big stage and has stuck with his job for over four-decades because he loves what he does.

However, he does have some hockey experience and many of his crew skate every day.

So could the next miracle story come from San Jose?

"Um no," Tharaldson said.

Maybe not anytime soon.

But you never know?

For more stories on the San Jose Sharks, click here.