5 memorable goals from center ice and beyond
The flubs are often the plays we remember the most.
Jonathan Bernier of the Toronto Maple Leafs found himself on the wrong end of the blooper reel on Thursday, allowing a shorthanded, game-winning goal that was scored from the far blue line off the stick of Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Here's a look at five other memorable goals score from center ice and beyond.
Toskala scored on from opposition's goal line
As the puck passed by Bernier and into the back of the net in Toronto on Thursday, Maple Leafs fans undoubtedly had flashbacks to this shorthanded goal scored on Vesa Toskala, which ranks among the biggest goaltender gaffes in league history.
Pavelec fooled from distance
Atlanta hockey fans didn't have much to cheer about during the Thrashers era, and Ondrej Pavelec certainly wasn't helping matters by being completely fooled by this wrist shot from Washington Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz.
Derek Morris on Jonathan Quick
It's one thing to allow a bad goal during a regular season game in January, but totally another to get caught napping in the conference finals. That's exactly what happened to Jonathan Quick back in 2012, as Derek Morris stepped over the line and ripped one past the eventual Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Cloutier's collapse
With his team holding a 2-0 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings in the 2002 playoffs, Dan Cloutier failed to stop this Nicklas Lidstrom slapper from center ice. The goal proved to be the Game 3 winner and the Red Wings went on to win the next three games to win the series in six, making this misplay the ultimate turning point.
Belarus!
While this one didn't quite come from center ice, it's close and disastrous enough to rank it among the more memorable far-out goals.
Sweden entered the medal round at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake as a favorite to win gold after rolling through the preliminary round, including a win over Canada. Their reward for finishing first in their group was a date with Belarus in the quarterfinals, which ended in calamity thanks to Tommy Salo.