Vancouver, British Columbia (WEEI/WGR 550) - You just never know what you're going to see on any given night.
What was shaping up to be a relatively uneventful Boston Bruins win over the Vancouver Canucks turned into a historic night, featuring one of the more exciting moments a hockey game would ever see - a goalie goal.
With Boston protecting a 2-1 lead in the final minute of regulation and seemingly cruising to the finish line, Vancouver chipped the puck into the Bruins zone, but didn't have anyone forechecking with speed to track it down.
That's when Linus Ullmark saw his chance. Ullmark came out to play the puck and had all the time in the world to settle it, pick his head up, and take aim at the empty Canucks net at the other end of the ice.
Ullmark fired a perfect shot that soared over everyone between him and the Vancouver goal, landed flat inside the Canucks zone, and slid into pretty much the dead middle of the net.
The former Buffalo Sabres goalie became the first Bruins netminder to ever score a goal, and just the eighth goalie in NHL history to score with a shot on goal (five other goalies have been credited with goals on own goals scored by opponents).
Ullmark was the first goalie to do it since Nashville Predators netminder Pekka Rinne in January 2020, and just the third to score on a shot in the last 20 years.
"I don't know really what to say. I'm ecstatic, excited," Ullmark said after the game. "It's one of the dreams I've always had, that I wanted to score a goal. I tried in the Winter Classic, didn't really make it. Now it was just everything came together."
Ullmark said he had never scored a goal at any level, with his closest call hitting a post when he was in juniors. As he mentioned, he did have a go at it in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park, but missed.
His tandem-mate, Jeremy Swayman, nearly beat him to history earlier this season. Back on Dec. 17, Swayman hit the outside of the net at the end of a Bruins win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, saying afterwards, "I wanna score so bad, man."
At least for now, Swayman will have to settle for celebrating with Ullmark, which he of course did with a little extra energy behind the pair's postgame hug.
The rest of the team was obviously pumped as well, as shown by their reaction to the goal and their fist bumps as Ullmark swung through the goal celebration line.
With the win, Ullmark improved to 30-4-1 on the season. He continues to lead the NHL in wins, save percentage (.938) and goals-against average (1.86). Now add a goal to his Vezina Trophy resume.
