When your stick breaks in hockey, you immediately feel helpless.
In most leagues, playing with a broken stick is penalty, meaning a player will drop his stick and temporarily try to defend before skating to his bench to either change or grab a new twig.
If the stick breaks deep in the defensive or offensive zone, then a player can use his frame to try go after the puck with his skates. But if it happens to break close to the neutral zone, then you better try to kick it to a safe area where a teammate can clear it out of harm’s way before the forwards press.
Over in the SHL, Johan Ryno of Farjestads BK tried to play the puck to his teammate after he retreated into the neutral zone and then into his own zone after his stick broke during a playoff game.
Ryno was chased down by a fore checker, and unfortunately for him, the opponent ended up striping the puck and scoring.
That should be framed in every coach’s book of notes on how not to play the puck after breaking your stick.
The goal didn’t really matter in the end, as Farjestad lost the match to Skelleftea 5-0. Skelleftea leads them 2-0 in the best-of-seven SHL playoff series.(h/t C More Sport and Reddit/Hockey)
