The Worst Bloopers in NHL Hockey
When Professional Athletes Make Unprofessional Mistakes
Sep 17, 2008
When you play your sport on ice wearing a pair of skates you're surely going to witness a few (thousand) bloopers here and there. Here's a selection of some of the finer ones.
Niclas Wallin (Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals; 2006): when the Capitals get a delayed penalty called on them, Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward leaves his net for an extra attacker. Wallin didn't notice Ward was no longer on the ice until he dumped the puck back into his own end to escape defensive pressure and watched helplessly as it slid directly into his team's net.
Patrick Stefan (Dallas Stars vs Edmonton Oilers; 2007): with the Stars up 5-4 in the dying seconds of the third period and Edmonton's goalie on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, Stefan gets a breakaway on the Oilers' empty net and, acting overly casual, loses control of the puck and falls to the ice. Even worse, the puck is turned over to the Oilers who make a few nifty passes and score as time expires to send the game to overtime. The Stars eventually win in extra-time but Stefan's name, when "Googled," will forever be linked to this infamous moment.
Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks): after taking offense to a big bodycheck by the Canucks' Jarkko Ruutu, Phaneuf decides to drop the gloves and challenge him to a fight. As Phaneuf is skating backwards, Ruutu's stick gets caught on the back of his leg and proceeds to pull Phaneuf's feet out from underneath him. Phaneuf lands flat on back and when he gets up realizes Ruutu has already left the ice for a line change. The tough guy has nothing to do but pick up his stray gloves in front of Vancouver's bench, which was undoubtedly poking a little fun at him.
Caroline Marcil (exhibition match between Canadian and U.S. national teams; 2005): OK, this blooper doesn't involve any professional players but it does deserve a nod as it took place at a professional hockey game, and was the ultimate in bloopers. While singing the American national anthem, Marcil forgets the words partway through, apologizes, and begins again. The second attempt derails at the same point that the first did and Marcil apologizes again, then leaves the ice. After collecting herself for a moment, Marcil makes her way back to the ice and as she steps onto the slippery surface she loses her footing and falls flat on her back. She leaves the ice a second time and never returns.
