When playing at the highest level of professional hockey, everything is tracked. From the amount of time you spend on the ice to the number of body checks given and received, advanced stats have taken over the game.
Unfortunately, this also means that every embarrassing move you make on the ice will most likely be caught by cameras for the world to see. For John Klingberg, that became the reality.
Down a goal late to the Nashville Predators, the Dallas Stars pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie the game up at one. With the net empty and the extra-attacker on the ice, Klingberg corralled the puck in his own end to start the transition up the ice. It must have been a move Klingberg had pulled thousands of time over his hockey career.
However, this one was different.
With less than 20-seconds remaining, Klingberg made the move to work up ice, but during his crossovers his right foot connected with the outside of the goal. As a result, Klingberg fell to the ice and turned the puck over to Nashville forward Nick Bonino. Bonino took his time and found the back of the net, securing the win for Nashville in the process.
John Klingberg trips over his own net, Nick Bonino scores into the empty net and Klingberg launched his stick out of the arena. #Preds pic.twitter.com/pVF6Hz5G9k
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) March 7, 2018
It proves that even at the highest level of the sport, errors are made. Klingberg, obviously frustrated, chucked his stick in disgust after the unfortunate event. Anything can happen in the game of hockey, and last night Bonino was gifted a goal.
