Three years ago, the forward of “Carolina” Andrey Svechnikov threw the puck in lacrosse style. Sports tells how the Russian changed the attitude towards hockey in the best league in the world and set a new trend.
The trick was a matter of time
Russian hockey players are no strangers to making their names in the history of the NHL. This applies to a variety of records: from the number of Stanley Cups won to incredible performance. However, Svechnikov did something that dozens of generations before him could only dream of. double in the regular season match against Calgary. By the middle of the third period, the Hurricanes were losing with a score of 0:1, but the incredible feint of the Russian completely turned the course of the meeting.Svechnikov first bounced back with Lukas Wallmark, famous for his performances for CSKA Moscow. Then he drove behind someone else's gate, sharply put the puck on the hook of the stick and brought the projectile by the collar of David Rittikh. The Flames goalkeeper did not immediately understand what had happened and why Svechnikov suddenly rushed to celebrate the goal.
The Russian shocked the whole of North America. She had never seen such tricks at the NHL level!
Yes, there was Mike Legg's goal in the University of Michigan championship. Bill Armstrong practiced this feint, even Sidney Crosby himself dreamed of distinguishing himself for Pittsburgh. The attempt was made by forward “Washington” Evgeny Kuznetsov. However, the first lacrosse goal in NHL history never came to fruition.
Everyone was shocked, but not Svechnikov and Carolina coach Rod Brindamore. The Russian admitted that he learned the trick from his brother Yevgeny. He even practiced it just before the match against Calgary.»It's great that it turned out to score like that. I dreamed about it. I tried to perform the trick last year and a few years ago in the Ontario league, but it didn't work,» Svechnikov said.
br>»He regularly trains this throw, he never misses in training. His lacrosse goal in the NHL was a matter of time. I think it will be difficult for Andrey to repeat it, because now everyone knows,» the Carolina coach said.
Difficult, but possible. It took Svechnikov only a month and a half to score in this style again. Already on December 18, Winnipeg suffered from the hands of a daring Russian. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebike looked at a jubilant Svechnikov after a missed puck and wondered: «Are you serious, man?! Again?»
Why is Svechnikov's goal an important event in the NHL?
Europeans are not surprised by lacrosse-style goals. Russians especially. Even after 11 years, everyone remembers very well how Finn Mikael Granlund declassed Konstantin Barulin at the 2011 World Cup and left the national team Vyacheslav Bykov without a chance for further fight for gold.
Svechnikov became a real revolutionary in the NHL and began a new era. Surprisingly, the American public warmly accepted the trick of the Russian. After the second such episode, the NHL and many overseas journalists suggested that Svechnikov patent the goal. And the hashtag #SvechnikovGoal instantly spread on the network. Important: the public noted that Svechnikov's lacrosse goal was not an accident, but the real weapon of the Carolina forward.
Thanks to this, many NHL players realized that there was nothing shameful in such a performance, and therefore immediately added this feint to their arsenal. Just two days after Svechnikov's second lacrosse goal, Ottawa's forward Tyler Ennis attempted to score in this manner. However, Nashville defender Dante Fabbro prevented him. By the way, Ennis himself already tried to execute the element in January 2017.
A little later, the trick was a success for Nashville forward Philip Forsberg in a match with Edmonton. And this is in front of the main star of the league, Connor McDavid! True, the abandoned puck did not save the Predators from defeat.
Forsberg's goal was notable because of his execution. It differed from what Svechnikov demonstrated. Even then, it became clear that a new trend appeared in the NHL, which influenced the development of the league. Trevor Zegras confirmed this. The ninth pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and the star of Anaheim in December 2021 brought his note to the performance of lacrosse . He designed in this way an assist on Sonny Milano in a match with Buffalo."Got a pass and Milano yells "Michigan! Michigan!" I picked up the puck and threw it to him. It’s amazing that it worked out",” said Zegras, whose reaction after the goal is more eloquent than any words.
< br>
Later forward, “Anaheim” was marked and goals in the style of lacrosse. First — in the game against the «Montreal».
A few months later, Zegras disappointed the goalkeeper of «Arizona». That goal turned out to be doubly offensive for Karel Veimelka. The young star of the “Ducks” first tried to “push” the puck past the goaltender with a shot from under his foot. However, it hit Weimelka and bounced back towards Zegras. Trevor then performed lacrosse.
Weimelke — like other goalkeepers — can only sympathize. The nascent trend only added to their headaches. Now you have to constantly turn your head 360 degrees. Otherwise, it is impossible to follow the tricks of the forwards behind the gate.