My pick-up hockey co-hort Paul Schroeder was quite precient in writing the blog below a week before the “The Ovechkin 50th goal excessive celebration" NHL hissy fit. Instead of promoting the positive excitement of Ovie’s 50th goal and cutesy homage to his hot stick, we heard the whining criticism and talk of retribution from old-school hockey people and subsequent media buzz.My favorite whiner? Rick Tocchet. The guy pled guilty to running a gambling ring. The investigators called the case Operation Slapshot. But Ovie’s celebration hurt his pride. Really Rick? Really? Did you advise Gretzky's wife not to celebrate when she won big on bets you placed for her? Schroeder's blog follows and shows how hockey fans really feel about goal celebrations.
“Fifteen yard penalty, EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION. Dallas Cowboys.”
Certainly we have all seen the “in your face” touchdown dance where a player who has just scored is celebrating with a funky dance that looks like an audition for “Dancing With the Stars” or at least “Talent Night at the Apollo”. These over the top displays of sports cockiness have been penalized for over ten years now and some have called the NFL, the No Fun League. Hockey doesn’t have any pre-planned rhythmic celebrations. Nor does it have a specific penalty or rule against it. It does, however have ice dancing which most NHLers would rather not be associated with.
From 1967 through part of the 1977 season, Bill Goldsworthy was a popular player and goal scorer for the Minnesota North Stars. For each of his 295 goals scored during his NHL days, he did “The Goldy Shuffle” after scoring. Picture a player gliding on one leg, the other leg raised and bent, and then his right hand off the stick and doing 3-4 casual fist pumps. When Goldy was really feeling it, his shuffle might also be accompanied by 2-3 leg pumps as well, but you try all this rockin’ on one skate after scoring a goal.
His Goldy Shuffle was an understated, classy celebration of getting the puck into the net. It was nowhere near as famous as other old-school celebrations, notably Bobby Orr’s 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime to beat St. Louis where Bobby is leaping horizontally to the ice, arms and legs outstretched. Some say he was tripped by an angry opposing defenseman, but I have seen the replays recently and all I can see is pure joy in his leap.
His Goldy Shuffle was an understated, classy celebration of getting the puck into the net. It was nowhere near as famous as other old-school celebrations, notably Bobby Orr’s 1970 Stanley Cup winning goal in overtime to beat St. Louis where Bobby is leaping horizontally to the ice, arms and legs outstretched. Some say he was tripped by an angry opposing defenseman, but I have seen the replays recently and all I can see is pure joy in his leap.Paul's timely post reminded me of my favorite hockey celebration. It's Teemu Selanne skeet shooting his glove in mid-air after breaking the rookie scoring record as a Winnipeg Jet. That celebration was way more excessive than Ovechkin laying his stick on the ice an pretending to warm his hands from it.
Another excessive celebration hypocrite is Don Cherry, hockey’s lovable Archie Bunker. He wears a different clown suit every weekend on CBC, thinks Ovie’s celebrations are excessive and told Ovechkin to “have a little class.” A classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.”
The number one excessive celebration IMHO was Jaromir Jagr’s. As memory has it, the 19 year old Jaromir fresh off the boat from Czechoslovakia, scored the clinching goal in a visiting city during one of their very emotional playoff rounds and skated around the ice joyfully giving the crowd the middle finger salute (gloves on). He later said he only meant “We’re number one!”
The number one excessive celebration IMHO was Jaromir Jagr’s. As memory has it, the 19 year old Jaromir fresh off the boat from Czechoslovakia, scored the clinching goal in a visiting city during one of their very emotional playoff rounds and skated around the ice joyfully giving the crowd the middle finger salute (gloves on). He later said he only meant “We’re number one!”
Memo to you old-school hockey guys and media; Get over it! It's show biz! Fans love it. It's incredibly hard and rewarding to score a goal in the fastest most brutal team sport on earth, but it's still ENTERTAINMENT. No excessive celebration can ever diminish your amazing skills and guts even if you're the one who got beat on the play. If your pride is still hurt, you can cry all the way to the bank and place some bets with Coach Tocchet using just the interest on your mutli-million dollar salaries. Celebration! Come on!
