“The good ol’ Hockey game, is the best game you can name.
And the best game you can name, is the good ol’ Hockey game.”
“Stompin'” Tom Connors had it right. The game of hockey is a beautiful thing, and fans across North America and Europe gather around their television monitors every night to watch the sport of hockey. Beautiful goals, memorable saves, bone-crushing hits and stories of warriors playing through injury to capture Lord Stanley’s Cup, these are the things that fans watch for.
But sometimes, you have your moments of funny incidents. Moments that take a step back from your usual hockey play and focus more on the lighter side of things, the kind of things that make you laugh. Whether it’s a player acting goofy, an equipment wardrobe malfunction or a play that led to an awkward looking goal, these are some of the funniest moments of the 2014-15 NHL season.
5. January 29th, 2015: Oliver Ekman-Larsson scores a short-handed goal from center ice.
“Kill it off, and then go to work.” Those were the comments made by the Phoenix Coyotes’ color commentator. What he didn’t expect was an Oliver Ekman-Larsson dump-in to take a funny bounce and beat Jonathan Bernier. The goal came at just five seconds into the third period and came short-handed, tying up the game at one, on the Coyotes 33rd shot of the match. It’s not fair to blame Bernier, or anyone for that matter, but in Leafs land it was just another case of the Hockey Gods working against their team. The goal also tied a franchise record for fastest goal in a period, set by Doug Smail in 1981, then known as the Winnipeg Jets. The Coyotes would go on to beat the Leafs by a score of 3-1.
4. December 27th, 2014: Shane Doan breaks stick on shot, scores anyway.
Tied 1-1 after both regulation and overtime, the Arizona Coyotes took the Anaheim Ducks to a shoot-out and the game ended in the Coyotes favor, as they captured the extra point over the powerhouse Ducks. The win came in hilarious fashion when captain Shane Doan fired a quick wrister, breaking the blade off his stick and scoring in the process. Goaltender Frederick Andersen had the blade of Doan’s stick hit him in the shoulder, but the puck trickled in past his pad. Doan had not scored a goal at home until this point, with all seven of his tallies coming on the road, so it was a relief to not only put one into the back of the net but to also have it count as the game-winner. It was also the first time the captain was called upon in the shoot-out.
3. January 4th, 2015: Braden Holtby loses the puck in his equipment.
With 16:26 left in the third period, the Washington Capitals had a 3-2 lead over the Florida Panthers and killing off a penalty. Five seconds into their kill, Braden Holtby made a save to stop play, however what followed next left the Capitals commentary team laughing, bringing one of the more hilarious moments of the season. Sometimes pucks get lost in equipment but for Holtby, it was an eternity to find the missing object. After several minutes of searching everywhere and having the referee staff help him, the decision was made to leave it be and start the face-off. Just as they were about to do so, the puck slipped out of Holtby’s equipment, causing the home crowd to cheer and the commentary team to laugh.
2. March 30th, 2015: Patrik Nemeth takes a puck to the eye.
It’s not every day where you take a puck to the face and laugh it off, but for defenseman Patrik Nemeth, that’s exactly what he did. At the 3:21 mark of the second period, while the Dallas Stars held a 2-1 lead over the Calgary Flames, Flames forward Jiri Hudler attempted to flip the puck into the Stars zone but instead catches Nemeth in the face. The refs were quick to blow the play down but as Nemeth stood upright, he revealed the puck to be lodged in his visor. As he removed it, a smile quickly spread across his face and the Stars commentary team burst out into laughter. What could have been a play that led to a serious injury, instead led to one of the most funniest moments of the season.
1. October 26th, 2014: Dustin Byfuglien takes on everyone. Literally.
Dustin Byfuglien is known for throwing around his weight and crushing people with huge checks, but early in the season, in a game against the Colorado Avalanche, Byfuglien showed up in beast form and provided us with a good laugh. A play started by defenseman Paul Postma led to a scoring chance for Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd. While they failed to score, the puck went into the corner where Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie went to retrieve it. Instead, he was met with a thunderous Byfuglien hit. The hilarity starts shortly after, when John Mitchell attempts to go after Byfuglien and is instead sent down to the ice with a booming hit. The play is stopped and the rest of the Avalanche line goes after Byfuglien, who is more than willing to take on all comers. A play that started with a simple hockey hit led to a skirmish in the corner and a man that was willing to fight anyone and everyone.
