KHL player sets playoff penalty record with dastardly punch (Video)
The Kontinental Hockey League’s playoffs are in the conference finals, with Metallurg Magnitogorsk leading Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) 2-1 in the Eastern Conference championship. Which means Ufa defenseman Maxim Goncharov could have a few more games to build on his impressive playoff record he recently set.
In 16 playoff games, Goncharov has 69 penalty minutes, the most for any KHL player in a single playoff season.
He had 67 PIMs in 50 regular season games!
The final push for the record came on a double-minor for roughing he received on Sunday, as he was tied up with Vlad Kaletnik and snuck a punch in while the officials attempted to break it up.
In the first part of the video, the camera cuts away before the punch, but you can hear the “OOOOOH!” from the fans. On the replay, you can see Goncharov connect with a gloved punch to Kaletnik’s chin, staggering him.
In fairness to other KHL miscreants gunning for such a record, Goncharov’s total was pumped up by 61 penalty minutes over a three-game span against Ak Bars in the first round. There was a 10-minute misconduct in one game; 34 minutes in penalties in the next game – four minutes for boarding and 30-mintes in misconduct penalties – and then another 17 minutes in penalties for a fight in the following game.
Maxim Goncharov was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2007 NHL Draft and played three seasons in the AHL (2010-13) before heading to the KHL.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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