Started watching around 03/04 as a young boy but I genuinely couldn't recall having seen a goalie get a high stick before. But damn, the amount of hate I have received for not knowing this happened all the time in the 80s and 90s is surprising to me. I wasn't even born yet... I didn't say YOU have never seen this before.

2 words. Ron Hextall

I was a goalie for 26 years and I got a few high sticking penalties

I believe that Vejmelka got the penalty because, by extending his stick, he was impeding the Florida player's path to pursue the puck carrier. It was called a high-stick but this penalty could also have been called an interference penalty as well.

Guess you're not old enough for Billy Smith. His goalstick was a slasher, club and sometimes he even stopped the puck with it.

He has his stick down after leaving the puck to his defenseman. Then he lifts it up. Absolutely a high sticking.

I would not have expected Vejmelka to take a penalty like that.

As an old fart, I’ve seen this called several times. Two goaltenders that quickly come to mind are Billy Smith and Ron Hextall. More recently, Linus Ullmark was called for high sticking. It’s his only penalty this season. The bottom line, every player is responsible for his stick.

Good commentary, truly enjoy the recap of the game

Hextall had one every second game.

Billy Smith was the biggest slasher from the net...ever!

A good call by the ref. Intentionally or not, it’s still a penalty.

That penalty caught me by surprise. Definitely sealed our fate. I will say it was a fun game to attend and nice to see the panthers arena pretty dang full and loud. Especially during a Yotes game.

Game 3, 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 1, Washington vs Tampa. High stick on Olaf Kolzig in overtime that led to Tampa scoring and ultimately was a huge factor in Tampa winning the series. That one was definitely a follow through, this one was probably the right call but I still don't really like it.

Just found and already my fav youtuber

During a Caps game in the late 80s against the Flyers, Ron Hextall made a chest save. A Caps player was coming in case of a rebound. Hextall's glove hand and blocker had come up to secure the puck on his chest. The Cap player was nicked up on his face, which did draw blood. Hextall was given a 5 minute major and game misconduct. He was pissed as he left the ice, throwing his stick ahead of him into the tunnel. Another name that should be on everyone's mind: Billy Smith. I'm not sure if he ever had a high stick penalty like the one I've mentioned, but he used his stick like a scythe.

Your narration and analysis are great! Nicely done.

I think there is a thing that some people missed. I mean, how did Vejmelka's stick got so high? Its that simple stick move you make as a goalie after you stop/play the puck. That "lift and catch" move. Im not saying it shouldnt be a penalty. However it happened kinda unfortunately, since he wasnt even looking at the player.

Great video. Keep it up.

I have a cousin in Northern Ontario who was a goalie, he had a lot of penalty minutes, very entertaining to watch back in the day

This reminds me of Ron hextall Major difference Ron had the balls to own his second job as a lumber jack

He got called for a high stick because well… he high sticked the guy. Doesn’t matter if it’s intentional or not, a high stick is a high stick.

I got that OG coyotes jersey from a kid love how they brought it back!

Have you ever watched Ron Hextall! The man who revolutionized the goalie position!

The ref looks like he’s doing the Macarena haha 😂

I'm guessing you weren't watching hockey before the nineties?

I am a goalie and i have done something quite similar. A guy took a shot after the period horn and when he went to skate around my net, i lifted my blocker hand up with my stick, to show i could smash his face with it. Long story short, he skated into my stick and the shaft hit my back and pants, making my grip firm. He got a broken nose and i got a 5 minute penalty that a teammate had to serve.

Yeah I was at that game and I was so confused at this moment and didn’t know what happened

Older folks have seen it called. Just watch highlight reels of goalie Billy Smith.....the dirtiest goalie to ever play the game (1970-1989). High sticking, spearing, slashing, tripping and butt ending were all part of his everyday arsenal. I still am amazed at just how vicious a player Smith was. You young folks should check out the slash that almost ended Wayne Gretzky's career in '83. Smith was just as aggressive off ice as well.

I saw Pekka Rinne get called for tripping as he was coming off the ice for a 6th skater. He collided with an opposing skater and his stick got caught in the blades. Only tripping call I've ever seen against a goalie

I got called for high-sticking because my follow-through passing the puck up the ice clipped their winger that was bearing down on me. I wouldn't say it happens all the time, but it certainly does.

I played and refereed ice and inline hockey in New Zealand and as a goalie I've been called for high stick in both and handed it out a goalie in a inline hockey game once in 25 years.

I remember Olie Kolzig getting one against Buffalo (I think) on a very exaggerated follow through breakout pass.

gotta love the fuckload of moving black small shit on the boards at 1:32 just as you're trying to track a black small object against it. love it.

I once took a major high sticking penalty. I clothesline the guy as he was cutting in front of the net. got him on his back and knocked him out cold. I tried arguing with the ref that I never hit him with my stick, but he wouldn’t budge. The guy had been hacking me and interfering with me all game and I just figured I’d let them have it when I had the chance.

Cousins sold that extremely hard. You forgot to mention that he was laughing and hiding his face when he got back on the bench.

I'm sure Ed Belfour, Ron Hextall, or Billy Smith have high sticking penalties in their resumes, lol. Those three had nasty moods on occasion.

this was 110% unintentional. as a goalie, after playing the puck I would almost always lift my stick like this and let gravity bring my stick back to position. Vejmelka proibably didnt even see him either

I've seen it before, it does happen. It was also entirely the right call.

My Islanders had it happen as well against our gentle Billy Smith.

Panthers 🐆 very good and perspective young team, I think 2-3 years and they will be able to reach to the Cup.

Billy Smith with the knob

In the Finnish league the very same thing happened, but the goalie stick did a bad cut to the players face and the goalie got 5mins and was ejected from the game

Never seen that either, but imagine if a goalie gets all the penalties a regular player can get in a single game aside from a game misconduct? xD

Ron Hextall got quite a few high sticking calls

It;s over the cross-bar, a no-brainer !

It's about time he delibratly lifted his stick into the players face

In a Stanley Cup playoff game, Olie Kolzig got called for high sticking on what was a follow through and thus shouldn't have been called a penalty and was assessed 5 minutes (at the time they had it as a minor or a double minor).

Vejmelka 😎🇨🇿❤️

A HIGH STICK is a HIGH STICK

The reason goalies tend to raise their stick when playing the puck around the net is that they want to be 100% sure the referee doesn`t call them for handling the puck in the stupid anti-Brodeur/Roy/Price forbidden zone in the corners.

Although I don't think it was intentional at all, just the goalie lifting his stick after shuffling the puck off as they do every time, he did catch the player right in the face, so, justified penalty.

Panther absolutely skates into the stick rather than Veg taking a swing or whatever, but what’s sealed it for the ref is that the stick is kind of in an unnatural position. Like he held it there for a reason.

:Puts his hand up: Uh, yeah, way back in the day when I was playing with a travel team I was that goalie who got a high sticking penalty. Good chance that goalie just lost his nerve, looked like he was trying to mess with the forward's eyes so he couldn't get a hold of the puck. Ref sees that and if it's up to your shoulder it's a high stick. Goalies are not immune to penalties and I earned my fair share of them.

I am very impressed with you ability to highlight both sides and be nonbias. Just telling like it is and breaking it down

Billy Smith and Ron Hextall have entered the chat.

Anyone else notice the Goalies on their knees for every goal?

goalie knew what he was doing............

German DEL2 has one often from Krefeld

That was intentional High stick. Finally, the Ref got one right for a change.

That goalie knew exactly what he was doing 🤣🤣 being not happy with that call is laughable 🤣🤣

2 more words: Billy. Smith. (and I’m an Islanders fan)

have seen this numerous times at all levels including the NHL . Careless use of the stick

right there, in the "open your f**king eyes section"

Wow

Let’s skate directly at the goalies stick, surely it’ll be called right

ever see ed belfour play? lol pat roy hextall, brodeur. all of them were violent

One thing I want to note before I get a bunch of replies saying "it is still a high stick, intentional or not" I agree with the call Not sure why everyone is saying that it was intentional because when the goalie goes to lift his stick up to slide it back into the default position, he isn't even looking t the player, he is looking at his teammate with the puck.

Lmao I was at this game

i've taken a goalie stick to the neck before. those sticks are no joke, they can do some real damage

Intention has nothing to do with high sticking; get your stick up on a player, get a penalty.

Right call!

he knew what he was doing

It's a high sticking penalty. I could have called that, it was that obvious. Same as a skater, a player has to be responsible regardless of the unintended result.

Watch where his eyes are, watching his team mate grab the puck, and place yourself there. He didn't see the other player, and just out of habit raised the stick, which then got picked up by the other player. You can see it in his after actions that he screwed up and knew it.

I'm thinking Jordan Binnington has probably been guilty of this before.

I’ve seen a goalie high stick before

Hextall, Smith.

Just curious, but who is your favorite team?

"Absolutely the right call" thank god I thought I was gonna have to start a fight in the comments section

They’re fighting like cats and dogs.

Ron Hextall got a handful of these penalties in his career

Saw it live last night and called it before refs did

Goalies become over protected so they think they can get away with little things like that. Good call on the play as it definitely was intentional. If he left the stick around the body and not the head then he likely would not have been called.

2 more words: Billy Smith

he raised his stick to slide it back down in his hand, the offensive player literally skates right into it...

Ohh where does it catch him up high?

He was careless with his stick….when the high stick penalty infraction was committed

Careless. And something out of the Billy Smith playbook.

Goalie for 30+ years: I've been thrown out of a game for high sticking. It was an accident but I did do it. >.

It's 2023 now goalies trying new things

Goalies should serve their own penalties

Well that belongs in a Dang Its video if I've ever seen one...

His name is Ron Hextall.

If goalies can get the penalty on players, players should also get them on goalies when they try the lacrosse move and smack the goalie in the face on the attempt. easy way to stun the goalie without consequence.

Newbies won't understand the high stick is intentional to slow the forechecker down.

See This way too often now. Why does Everyone carry their stick way above their waist and even their shoulders. In My 45+ Years of Playing I've Noticed this More in the past 15 Years or so. I'm Old School Two (2) Hands on YOUR Stick And Stick ON The Ice. YOU Are Responsible for YOUR Stick. Blade Down !! WHY.... Closer to the Ice. Even ON The Bench So You Don't Take Your Teamates Eye Out. ❤👍😊

surprised you didn’t even mention cousins sitting on the bench laughing and covering his face directly after the penalty

I'm gonna disagree with others after watching the replay several times. It looks completely intentional to me. Maybe it wasn't, but it looks like it to me. I think mist goalies get called for interference instead of high sticking most of the time

The other guy blocked it with his stick, so is that not high sticking too? Nothing happened to anybody so what is the problem?