3M Open

TPC Twin Cities



News

This German hockey league goalie dislodging the net on a breakaway could not give less of a shit

December 12, 2017

Generally speaking, the best athletes in the world want to perform in crunch time. Depending on the sport, that could mean wanting to take the last shot, catch the last pass or hole the final putt. In hockey, there's no bigger crunch time situation for a skater and a goalie than a breakaway. It's mano e mano. Best on best. You vs. me. David Leggio, a German hockey league goalie, could not give less of a shit about any of that.

Leggio, who stands between the pipes for EHC Red Bull Munchen, found himself in a breakaway situation over the weekend when Ross Mauermann of the Fischtown Penguins broke free all alone. That's when Leggio, rather than man up and make the save, purposely dislodged the net:

Bush league? Not quite. It's actually a solid strategical play from Leggio, who, by this German league's rule, only receives a minor penalty. Why not take your chances on a two-minute penalty kill rather than a 2-on-0 breakaway? Leggio chose the former, and it worked, as his team killed the penalty and won the game 5-1. This isn't even the first time he's done it either. Here's Leggio pulling the same stunt in the American Hockey League in 2014 as a member of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, this time resulting in a penalty shot per AHL rules:

The man is a veteran of the goal-dislodging game, and if it continues to work like this, why stop? While other goalies are playing checkers, Leggio is playing chess.