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There aren’t many things with the potential to make hockey fans lose their minds quite like a goalie doing things goalies aren’t supposed to do. Sure, it’s one thing to witness a spectacular save, but there’s something about watching two keepers drop the gloves or seeing a puck-stopper transform into a puck-handler that makes spectators go bananas.
However, those relatively rare occurrences have nothing on the roar-inducing feat that only 12 people who’ve played in the NHL can say they’ve pulled off: the incredibly elusive goalie goal.
On Saturday, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman tried to become the 13th member of that exclusive club with around one minute remaining in his squad’s showdown with the Blue Jackets. Columbus hasdpulled its goalie in a last-ditch attempt to come back from a 4-2 deficit, and the Alaskan native attempted a 200-foot shot that came inches away from ending up in the empty net.
We came thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis close to a goalie goal for Jeremy Swayman. pic.twitter.com/xFxcpVVgTE
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 17, 2022
As a result, hockey fans were narrowly deprived of what would’ve been just the 16th goalie goal in NHL history. However, we did get the next best thing by the time the weekend wrapped up courtesy of what unfolded at the end of Sunday night’s ECHL showdown between the Maine Mariners and the Adirondack Thunder.
The Thunder followed in the Blue Jackets’ footsteps after ending up on the wrong side of a 4-2 game at home, and with around 25 seconds remaining in the contest, Mariners goaltender Francois Brassard found himself facing a nearly identical opportunity.
Thankfully, he was able to do what Swayman could not a little over a day before, as the veteran netminder was swamped by his teammates before getting some well-earned fistbumps from the bench after depositing the puck in the back of the empty net.
🚨GOALIE GOAL🚨 @fbrass31 ripped a shot at the empty net and scored the first goalie goal in Maine Mariners history! #CatchTheCurrent @ECHL pic.twitter.com/2aGwZAToii
— Maine Mariners (@MarinersOfMaine) December 18, 2022
You love to see it.