Everyone knows goalie goals are great. They don’t happen very often, so when they do, it’s worthy of celebration. Kaapo Kahkonen, a Minnesota Wild draft pick playing for TUTO in Finland’s second tier pro league, scored a great one Saturday against KooKoo. I swear that both of those team names are real.
When Kahkonen stopped a loose puck behind his net, he had plenty of time. The broadcaster calling the game could clearly sense that Kahkonen was thinking about letting it rip towards the empty net at the other end of the ice. Sure enough, still below his own goal line, Kahkonen sent a high shot all the way down the ice.
The play-by-play man then started hyperventilating as the puck made it's way down the ice. When it crossed the goal line, it was bedlam in the broadcast booth. I don’t speak Finnish, so I have no clue what’s being said, but the inflection is unmistakable. This guy’s mind was completely blown by Kahkonen’s goal.
That is an all-time great play call in any language. Also, Kahkonen went down the bench for fist-bumps, too. If you score a goal, you gotta celebrate it properly.
Did we mention this was a playoff game? It was a playoff game. Shades of Ron Hextall from Kakhonen.
The 18-year-old goaltender was selected 109th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Wild.
[H/T Reddit Hockey]
