Matthew Tkachuk is no stranger to the penalty box. The Calgary Flames pest has a knack for getting under the skin of his opponent, but occasionally that will lead to his own punishment or the need to answer the bell for some other antic.
On Monday, we saw a brand new kind of antic that we can honestly say we have never seen before. It resulted in Tkachuk making his way from the end of the Flames’ bench straight to the penalty box, but how he got there was… dare we say, impressive?
By rule, if the puck clears the glass behind the bench, it’s a two-minute minor for delay of game to whoever shot it over, as long as it wasn’t deflected. If the puck stays within the bench area, however, it is simply a faceoff in the neutral zone.
Tkachuk saw that there was a potential penalty coming to the Flames after a teammate lifted the puck towards the seats, but in an incredible display of quick thinking and hand-eye coordination, Tkachuk lept off the bench and managed to knock the puck – which was inches away from being out of reach – back down towards the ice.
While just about everyone watching from a neutral standpoint would applaud the skill it took to do so, the men in stripes thought differently. Tkachuk was assessed a two minute interference minor as a result.
Still, fans thought it was pretty impressive.
(H/T Dimitri Filipovic)
