You know how in ice hockey there are those psychopaths wearing 700 pounds of pillows who stand in front of a big net and willingly allow little rubber cylinders to strike them at the speed of sound? Well, it’s true. It’s a thing. Some people call them goalies. Others call them goalkeepers, which is very incorrect.
Every once in a while, you get a goalie who not only keeps opposing teams from scoring goals, but also scores goals of their own. It’s an incredibly rare occurrence, but it does happen. Mike Smith is the last NHL goalie to pull it off — he did it against the Detroit Red Wings back in 2013.
Saturday night, we saw another goalie goal. It didn’t happen at the NHL level, but it did happen. And Maxime Lagace, currently playing for the Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves, was credited with the tally!
Lagace’s goal wasn’t nearly as exciting as Mike Smith’s goal. But it was still extremely hilarious.
You don’t see this every year. Feel badly for the young man, but…#LastTeamStanding #CHIvsSD pic.twitter.com/zS1pLuxF68
— y-Chicago Wolves (@Chicago_Wolves) May 26, 2019
Okay, Lagace technically didn’t do anything. This goal really is just a result of comically awful play by the San Diego Gulls. But Lagace was the last Wolves player to touch the puck before the Gulls’ amazingly terrible gaffe and, by rule, was the rightful owner of the goal.
Lagace is the first goalie in AHL history to score a goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He is also the first goalie to score a goal in Chicago Wolves history.
Thanks to Lagace, and literally no one else, the Wolves now have a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Final. One more win and they’ll be competing for the Calder Cup. Perhaps the Gulls will do a better job game planning for Lagace’s offensive mastery in their next bout.