NHL: Forgotten Celebrations

The NHL changed the rules in their game to create more scoring in hope that fans would start watching more hockey. I, for one, love a 7-6 game as much as I love a 1-0 game, with the exception of one thing.

"Dirty cellys."

I’m not talking about the basic hands in the air screaming, I’m talking the celebrations where there is some thought put into it. Alex Ovechkin is a prime example of someone in the league who absolutely loves to score and shows it in his celebrations.

I know Don Cherry doesn’t like when players showboat after they sniped a rocket, bar and in, but I do. I would love to see the same enthusiasm put into celebrations for open net goals that go into celebrations for game winning goals.

I would also like to see more controversial celebrations because everyone seems to be doing the fist pump and jumping into the glass.

So here my top-five forgotten about celebrations that we as hockey fans should be seeing every night in the NHL.

5. “Duck Hunting”
This celebration is often seen in road hockey games opposed to on the ice. It begins with the player ripping his glove off of his one hand and throwing it up in the air in front of them. This is followed by the player using their stick as a gun and pretending to shoot down the glove at its highest point.

Not a bad celly, really, but there are many out there more creative and not to mention you leave your hand exposed for the opposing team to break some bones.

Scoring:
Dirtiness scale —5/10
Risk factor—2/10
Chance of getting “Chris Simoned” afterward—7.5/10
Total Score—14.5/30

4. “The Swim”
Many young aspiring NHL stars have attempted to “go for a dip,” if you will, in many practice shootouts.

Not very often do you see something along the lines of “The Swim,” as it is most suitable for an overtime winner, where in most cases you aren’t really prepared to perform the move and the lack of room on the ice attributes to its rarity.

A common question that comes along with “The Swim” is whether it is breaststroke or freestyle. Just don’t even think of attempting the backstroke.

Scoring:
Dirtiness Scale—6/10
Risk Factor—3/10
Chance of getting “Chris Simoned” afterward—7.5/10
Total Score—16.5/30

3. “Paddling the Canoe”
“Paddling The Canoe” has been a classic in minor hockey practices after shootouts for ages. The player skates as fast as they can, usually to the blue line or red line and drops to their ass with their feet out in front and grabs their stick like an ore and begins to paddle as fast as possible.

Players who attempt to go down the red river should be careful not to catch their skate blade on the ice as it could turn the canoe around before you go anywhere, which will take away from a solid celebration.

Scoring:
Dirtiness Scale—7/10
Risk Factor—4/10
Chance of getting “Chris Simoned” afterward—8/10
Total Score—19/30

2. “Riding the Stick”

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