Most think it’s only a matter of time before one of them does.
“Oh yeah, I think about it all the time,” Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne said, his eyes widening when the subject is raised. “I think about it constantly, any time they pull the goalie, even if it’s a one-goal lead, I think about it. Eventually it’s going to happen again. You need a bit of a quick opportunity, but it’s coming.”
The last goalie to score in an NHL game was Mike Smith, who did it for the Phoenix Coyotes against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19, 2013.
Video: Coyotes goalie Mike Smith’s buzzer-beater
Fourteen goals have been scored by an NHL goalie, seven by shooting into an empty net. The other seven were credited with a goal when he was the last player from the opposing team to touch the puck before an own goal.
Former goalie Patrick Roy started the trend of pulling the goalie earlier and down by multiple goals when he was coach of the Colorado Avalanche from 2013-16. Roy once pulled his goalie with more than 13 minutes to play to create a 6-on-3 advantage. Since then, more coaches have adopted the go-for-it mentality.
Alex Stalock is so prepared for his opportunity to score he has considered using a second goalie stick late in games when his Minnesota Wild have the lead.
“I want to get an empty net curve,” Stalock said with a laugh. “Come to the bench and get one with a big-old heel curve so you can launch it up and over everyone.”
Billy Smith was the first goalie to be credited with an NHL goal, on Nov. 28, 1979. He was the last New York Islanders player to touch the puck before Colorado Rockies defenseman Rob Ramage scored into his own net.
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ron Hextall was the first goalie to score by shooting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net, doing it against the Boston Bruins on Dec. 8, 1987. He scored the third goalie goal in history, and the first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he shot into an empty net against the Washington Capitals on April 11, 1989.
Video: Flyers goalie Ron Hextall shoots and scores!
Five have shot into the net since: Chris Osgood with the Red Wings on March 6, 1996, Martin Brodeur with the New Jersey Devils on April 17, 1997; Jose Theodore with the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 2, 2001; Evgeni Nabokov with the San Jose Sharks on March 10, 2002; and Mike Smith.
“It’s such a small group that any goaltender would want to be a part of it,” Stalock said.
Given it’s a rarity, why are goalies expecting it to happen again soon? For starters, more goalies handle the puck well.
Hextall was the first to act like a third defenseman, and Brodeur, inspired by Hextall, redefined how goalies play the puck, but the ability to do so now is almost a prerequisite to making the NHL. Veteran goalies like Rinne have worked hard to turn a perceived weakness into a strength.
“All goalies now can really whip the puck,” said Cam Ward of the Chicago Blackhawks, who has a goal to his credit while playing for the Carolina Hurricanes, registered when Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils scored an own goal Dec. 26, 2011.
Video: Marty Brodeur nets third career goal against Carolina
Mostly, though, it’s about that increased opportunity fueled by the analytics behind the aggressive pulling of goaltenders that has made the more traditional practice of waiting until the final 90 seconds and/or being down by one goal almost obsolete.
“I was watching Ottawa-San Jose (on Dec. 1) and it was 4-1 and they pulled the goalie with five minutes left and I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” Stalock said. “Your eyes just light up.”
First-year Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery pulled goalie Ben Bishop with 7:48 left trailing 3-1 against the Senators on Oct. 15.
That is a perfect storm for a goaltender to score, because most are hesitant to try with a one-goal lead, worried a mistake could lead to the tying goal.
“Up by two, that’s a green light in a goaltender’s mind to go for it,” Ward said.
With more green lights now, it won’t be long until a goalie turns on the red light again.
GOALIES TO SHOOT GOAL INTO EMPTY NET
Ron Hextall, PHI; Dec. 8, 1987 vs. BOS
Ron Hextall, PHI; April 11, 1989 at WSH
Chris Osgood, DET; March 6, 1996 at HFD
Martin Brodeur, NJD; April 17, 1997 vs. MTL
Jose Theodore, MTL; Jan. 2, 2001 at NYI
Evgeni Nabokov, SJS; March 10, 2002 at VAN
Mike Smith, PHX; Oct. 19, 2013 vs. DET
GOALIES TO GET CREDIT AS LAST TO TOUCH PUCK
Billy Smith, NYI; Nov. 28, 1979 at COL
Damian Rhodes, OTT; Jan. 2, 1999 vs. NJD
Martin Brodeur, NJD; Feb. 15, 2000 vs. PHI
Mika Noronen, BUF; Feb. 14, 2004 at TOR
Chris Mason, NSH; April 15, 2006 vs. PHX
Cam Ward, CAR; Dec. 26, 2011 vs. NJD
Martin Brodeur, NJD; March 21, 2013 at CAR
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