The 50 worst own-goals in hockey: Puck Daddy counts down Nos. 30-21
We're all over the place today, both in terms of time and geography. Two of the own-goals in the middle section of our top 50 countdown are pre-lockout. One is from a National Hockey League legend. One is from Gerald Diduck.
But we're hardly limited just to NHL gaffes here on this list, and today we do some hardcore globe-trotting. Not only are we checking in on teams in Sweden and Switzerland -- one of today's goals comes from New Zealand. New Zealand inline hockey, at that.
But we'll get to that. For now, we begin in Kuopio, Finland.
30 | Adam Masuhr, KalPa Kuopio
This isn't entirely Adam Masuhr's fault. As KalPa pressures with the net empty, the pass he receives at the point is all kinds of bad. It's in his skates, it forces the team offside, and it does it all with a forechecker bearing down on him. Of course, then Masuhr panics and throws the puck into his unattended goal. That part is mostly his fault. This clip earns bonus points for the reaction of the guys filming it.
29 | Gerald Diduck, Vancouver Canucks
Gerald Diduck takes the puck off the faceoff, swivels, and wrists it into his own goal. It's surprising, but are you really surprised that a guy named "Gerald Diduck" is capable of buffoonery? You shouldn't be. I mean, come on.
28 | Bevan Varney, New Zealand Senior Men's Inline Hockey
For this one, we go all the way to the other side of the world, to the New Zealand Inline Hockey Association, where Bevan Varney glides patiently across his own zone, allowing his teammates to get into formation and prepare for the breakout. Then he spins and throws it into his own net. I like the "No!" of the cameraperson. It's not really a devastated no. It's more like, Bevan, that was the wrong thing to do!
27 | Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals
With less than 30 seconds to go in regulation and the game knotted at two, Nicklas Backstrom realizes the game is calling for a hero and decides, right then and there, that it won't be a Pittsburgh Penguin, even if they win. He pounces on a loose puck and buries it in his own net. But the best part of this goal is that Sidney Crosby was mic'd up for it, so you get his gleeful reaction to not having to be the one to score every big Penguins goal.
26 | Steve Martins, Chicago Wolves
With the Moose about to be called for a delayed penalty and their net empty, Wolves' forward Steve Martins tries to find a man drifting into the slot. Instead, he sends the puck the length of the ice and into his own goal to end the game. But there's a feel-good story here: The game-winning goal went to Drew MacIntyre, the last Moose to touch the puck. A few days later, MacIntyre was named AHL player of the week for a three-game stretch where his overtime winners scored (1) is higher than his goals against average (.098).
25 | Bryan McCabe, Toronto Maple Leafs
Wherein Bryan McCabe scores the overtime winner for the Buffalo Sabres, despite not playing for the Buffalo Sabres. My favourite part is how he reaches into the net with his stick like, Oops, didn't mean to do that. I'll just get the puck out and we can start over, yeah?
24 | Jesper Mattsson, Malmö Redhawks
If comedy is about subverting expectations, this play is high comedy. We expect the breakaway goal, especially after the ineptitude on display during the Malmö zone entry and the defenders' woeful attempts to turn back up ice. But nope! The player's stick snaps when he tries to shoot. That's funny enough, but it doesn't end there. Right when you think Malmö's out of the woods, Jesper Mattson arrives on the scene and kicks the puck into his own goal. That's hilarious, as is the death stare his goaltender is giving him at the end of the clip.
23 | Tuomo Kortelainen, Mikkelin Jukurit
After a dump-in right on goal, the Mikkelin Jukurit netminder snags the puck out of mid-air and places it down for Kortelainen. Immediately, Kortelainen dekes the puck into the net then slams his stick against the glass in frustration as the goalie just stands there, his glove still open, utterly stunned.
22 | Giacomo Casserini, HC Ambri-Piotta
This clip raises two very important questions. Question 1: why does Casserini wire the puck into his own goal off that faceoff? Question 2: how did the cameraman know those two women were going to kiss?
21 | Paul Coffey, Detroit Red Wings
Paul Coffey was a finisher. When he got a pass on a two-on-one, he buried it. Unfortunately, on this occasion, he slipped into "finisher" mode when he was supposed to be taking the pass away. What amazes me is that the second Avalanche player actually quit skating. If Coffey wasn't there to finish off the play, no one else would have been. Watch for the moment right after he buries it when he realizes he was supposed to do the opposite of that.
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30 - 21 (Wednesday, December 5)
