Not So Fast, Sir

 The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.

Bob Marley

I have watched thousands of hockey games. I've seen many of the greatest hockey players in the world play, mostly on TV, but some in person. Five times "my" team has skated around a rink with Lord Stanley's Cup - The Boston Bruins in 1970 and 1972, the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, 2001 and 2022. In 1972 my mom, attending a game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins, patted goalie Gerry Cheevers on the shoulder, then came home and touched me on the head.

I got three straight shutouts, playing for the Pittsford Knights high school hockey team as their goalie.

Hockey is in my blood, and I ain't never seen anything like what happened two nights ago in Ball Arena, Denver, CO.

The Avalanche were playing the New York Islanders, and their premier defenseman Cale Makar had picked up the puck in his own zone and was headed up ice. Let's stop for a second and recap, just to create the proper mood.

Cale Makar is a cherubic-looking young man, often soft spoken, an athlete who is just now getting into his prime. His combination of skills, his maturity on the ice, his ability to toss his team on his shoulders and skate to victory... Wayne Gretzky, arguably the best pure offensive player ever (he is eight of the top ten highest scorers in NHL history) on a national TV broadcast publicly compared Cale to Bobby Orr. Who is Bobby Orr? He only revolutionized hockey in the late 1960s and led the league in scoring...as a defenseman. So, Cale Makar may be the Colorado version of the greatest hockey player of all time. That's who he is.

Cale Makar started up ice with the puck, and an Islander attempted to intervene. Makar appeared to lose an edge, the puck dribbling away as he fell unceremoniously. The whistle blew, and the referee signaled a penalty against the Islander - tripping or hooking. A minor, anyway. Fairly standard stuff. But, wait...

Cale skates toward the referee, shaking his head and gesturing with his gloved hand. There is a brief exchange of words. The referee skates to center ice, engages his mike and announces that there is no penalty on the play.

Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot.

I may have seen a ref reverse a call "after review." I've seen the on-ice officials huddle. I've never seen the player who was fouled intervene on behalf of the opponent. But, that's what happened.

Later, his coach sort of marveled at it all. Yes, that's what happened. No, he didn't tell anyone he was going to do it. Well, he probably shouldn't make a habit of it, but that's the kind of quality young man Cale Makar is. Um, of course a power play would have been nice.

Interviewed by the press after the game, Cale explained that it isn't something he expects to do regularly. Or, ever again. Still, he wasn't exactly apologizing, either. It was a hell of a hockey game, wasn't it?

The Avalanche won 1-0 on penalty shots. Great goaltending is a treat to watch, and there was plenty of that. Some clown on social media asked "What if they had lost? What would you have thought about that, Avalanche fans?"

I'd still have marveled at what a young man, caught up in the heat of a close game, had shown about who he is, and the kind of group he plays with. Thanks for asking.