Goalie goals in the NHL are very rare. Igor Shesterkin, perhaps the best puck-stopper in the league, is still looking for his first, and just last week, he came close—but was stopped by the youngest player in the league. His reaction? Absolutely hilarious.
Earlier this season, Swedish goalie Filip Gustavsson became the 15th goaltender in NHL history to score a goal, making it 4–1 for the Minnesota Wild against the St. Louis Blues. Gustavsson was just the 10th goalie to score by shooting into an empty net; the others were credited as the last to touch the puck before an own goal.
It’s incredible to see how happy goalies and their teammates are when a goalie goal finally happens, and it’s something all NHL netminders dream of achieving.
Igor Shesterkin almost scored
Igor Shesterkin has made several attempts to score throughout his NHL career. When the Rangers played the San Jose Sharks last week, Shesterkin once again saw an opportunity to become the 16th goalie to score in the league.
Shesterkin got the puck behind his own net, saw the empty goal at the other end, and fired a shot that looked destined to go in—if not for Macklin Celebrini. The first overall pick in this summer’s draft became the sixth-youngest player in NHL history to score in his debut earlier this year, and he’s already scored on the league’s oldest player, Marc-Andre Fleury.
Now, he’s stopped a Vezina Trophy winner from his first goal, and Shesterkin wasn’t thrilled about it.
When asked about his goal attempt and Celebrini’s save, Shesterkin had a hilarious comment about his opponent’s age:
‘He should be in school,’ Shesterkin joked, per The Athletic’s Arthur Staple.
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