NHL: The 50 Most Embarrassing Moments in Hockey History

We all enjoy amusing hockey bloopers, from goals that goalies never should have allowed to players tripping over their own feet and everything in between.

Some embarrassing moments are embarrassing for the player, some for the team and some for the league in general. Some are embarrassing because of the incident, and others are embarrassing for the negative publicity.

There's plenty of all kinds of embarrassment on this list.

Here are the 50 most embarrassing moments in hockey history.

50. Colin Campbell Email Controversy

In November of last year, the Internet uncovered some emails that questioned Colin Campbell's bias in decision-making.

The league brushed it off, but it was embarrassing, especially since many people question the NHL's disciplinary system.

49. Tie Domi Backs Down from Bob Probert

Tie Domi and Bob Probert have a long history, as shown in this video.

However, Domi at one point in time backed down from a fight with Probert. It didn't work out so well, the next time the two actually went at it.

48. Alan Eagleson Rips off Players He's Supposed to Be Protecting

Alan Eagleson helped form the NHLPA and served as its first executive director. His job was to represent players' interests.

It turned out that someone needed to protect players' interests against Eagleson, as he was scamming them of their pensions.

Photo Courtesy Of: The Seattle Times

47. Rick Tocchet Gambling Scandal

Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet was involved in a gambling ring.

The silver lining though was that he wasn't betting on hockey, he was betting on football.

46. Marian Gaborik Injures Himself Playing Hacky Sack

When Marian Gaborik played for the Minnesota Wild, he was out with a lower body injury.

The cause of his LBI? A game of hacky sack.

What an embarrassing reason to be sidelined.

45. The Vancouver Riots

After the Vancouver Canucks lost in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins, some in Vancouver chose to mourn by tearing up the city and starting a riot.

This wasn't anything that the team or league could control; however, instead of reporting upon the series, many news outlets instead focused on the negative riots.

44. Jaromir Jagr Dislocates Shoulder Trying to Punch Scott Gomez

This is why teams don't like their superstars fighting.

Jaromir Jagr dislocated his shoulder attempting to punch Scott Gomez. Obviously, he failed miserably.

43. Erik Johnson Versus the Golf Cart

Erik Johnson was the first overall draft pick and the St. Louis Blues were looking forward to the large defenseman joining their blue line.

They would have to wait though, after Johnson injured his ACL getting out of a golf cart.

42. Dan Boyle Scores on His Own Goaltender

It's a great feeling when you score the game-winning goal in overtime of a Stanley Cup playoff game.

However, it is the opposite when you score the GWG for the other team in OT of a playoff game.

41. Todd Bertuzzi Vicious Attack on Steve Moore

Todd Bertuzzi's vicious hit on Steve Moore was one of the most brutal hits in hockey history.

It didn't help the opinion by some that hockey is a dangerous and violent sport that shouldn't be played.

40. Marty McSorley Hit on Donald Brashear

Marty McSorley viciously attacked Donald Brashear with his stick.

This didn't help the opinion held by some that hockey is a dangerous and violent sport because players are armed with a weapon.

39. Theo Fleury's Celebrates a Little Too Much, a Little Too Early

Theo Fleury has a very unique celebration after scoring the GWG of Game 6.

Maybe he should have waited to use that particular celebration for a Game 7 GWG, because his team lost the next game.

38. Brent Sopel Injured by a Cracker

Brent Sopel injuring his back is not funny, nor is it embarrassing.

Sopel injuring his back reaching for a cracker that his daughter dropped is both funny and embarrassing.

37. Dan Cloutier Allows Goal from Center Ice

Dan Cloutier has probably made more saves than allowed goals in his career.

Yet, he'll only be remembered for this goal he allowed from center ice.

36. Bryan McCabe Scores on His Own Net

Defenseman don't usually score that many goals.

That must have made it even worse when defenseman Bryan McCabe scored on his own net.

35. Mike Ribeiro Fakes an Injury

Mike Ribeiro appears to be in a lot of pain on the ice, but seems all better on the bench.

That has to be one of the fastest recoveries ever.

34. Jarome Iginla Misses an Empty Net

It's embarrassing to miss an empty net goal because it would've helped seal a victory for the team.

Jarome Iginla knows that feeling.

33. Bryan McCabe Tries to Fight Zdeno Chara

We all make decisions sometimes that we later regret.

I bet Bryan McCabe feels that way when he remembers trying to fight Zdeno Chara.

32. Jordan Staal Arrested at His Brother's Bachelor Party

Eric Staal was looking for a quiet bachelor party in a small town in Minnesota. He didn't get what he wished for, though.

The night ended in arrests for drunken and disorderly conduct and his younger brother, Jordan, was arrested for underage drinking because he was underage.

What's ironic though, is that he wouldn't have been drinking underage if they had held it in Canada.

31. Shawn Antoski and Steve Martinson Penalty Box Brawl

Penalty boxes are supposed to separate players.

It did not work in this case, from an IHL game.

30. Doug Gilmour Breaks the Penalty Box Glass

Doug Gilmour is not happy that he is headed to the penalty box. Once there, he slams the door in frustration.

And shatters the glass.

The best part, is it doesn't even register on his face, he seems to still be thinking about the play that sent him to the box.

29. New Jersey Devils Brawl by the Penalty Box

Another brawl by the penalty box.

That has to be embarrassing when these guys look back on this; one team versus one guy. That probably wasn't the best decision.

28. Kip Brennan Versus a Fan

Penalty boxes are meant to isolate players.

We've seen that it sometimes doesn't work, including between Kip Brennan and this fan.

It's pretty embarrassing for a team to see their player getting into a fight with someone in the stands.

27. Rick Rypien Wants a Piece of Someone in the Stands

Another player trying to take on someone in the stands.

This time, it's Rick Rypien going after a Minnesota Wild fan.

26. Niclas Wallin Scores on His Own Empty Net

It's pretty embarrassing to destroy your team's chances at a comeback.

That's exactly what Niclas Wallin did. The Carolina Hurricanes yanked their goaltender for an extra attacker, but Wallin scored in their empty net.

25. Dennis Wideman Shootout Fail

St. Louis Blues Dennis Wideman is trying to score in the shootout.

He fails, tripping over his own feet in the process.

24. Dion Phaneuf Wants to Go, but Falls over Backwards

Dion Phaneuf is ready to drop the gloves, except he falls over backwards, tripping over his own two feet, before he can fight.

23. Sean Avery Sloppy Seconds

Sean Avery would have embarrassed himself with his comments on his ex-girlfriends, but he would have to be capable of being embarrassed.

The NHL was embarrassed and upset by his remarks though, as evidenced by their suspension of him.

22. Sidney Crosby Appears to Punch Guy in a Sensitive Area

Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang are pairing up to fight this Atlanta Thrasher.

One of Crosby's punches appears to land in a private area. Was it on purpose? Only Crosby knows.

Either way, it's pretty embarrassing for both Crosby and the people watching.

21. The Scott Hartnell/Kris Letang Biting Incident

Before Alex Burrows, there was Scott Hartnell and Kris Letang.

It's no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins don't like each other. It went to another level when Scott Hartnell supposedly bit Kris Letang.

It didn't end there. In a later game between the two teams, Pittsburgh's Craig Addams supposedly retaliated by biting Arron Asham.

The players should be embarrassed by this behavior. After all, they're not in kindergarten anymore.

20. Alex Burrows Bites Patrice Bergeron

The Alex Burrows biting incident was worse, because his behavior was showcased on a larger stage since more people typically pay attention to the Stanley Cup Finals than the average hockey game.

This behavior is embarrassing for the NHL, the team and should be embarrassing for the player as well.

19. Eddie Shore Hit on Ace Bailey

In 1933, Eddie Shore hit Ace Bailey and ended his career. The hit almost ended Bailey's life as well.

After such a vicious hit, Shore was suspended 16 games.

It seems like too little, when considering that Marty McSorley got 23 games for clubbing Donald Brashear, Todd Bertuzzi got 20 games for sucker-punching Steve Moore and Chris Simon got 30 games for stomping on Jarkko Ruutu.

18. Harold Ballard Fires and Then Re-Hires Roger Nielsen

Harold Ballard fired Roger Nielsen and then re-hired him shortly after.

Supposedly, it was because of Darryl Sittler, that Nielsen was rehired so quickly.

Some joked that Ballard wanted to make Nielsen wear a paper bag over his head when behind the bench.

17. Marcel Aubut Tries to Trade Eric Lindros Twice

Eric Lindros didn't want to play for the Quebec Nordiques so Marcel Aubut was forced to trade him to get something in return.

He decided to play the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers against each other, without them knowing, or so he thought.

He told the Flyers he'd trade Lindros to them, even putting the team in touch with Lindros. Then, he went behind the Flyers to get a better deal from the Rangers.

The Flyers were understandably furious and a court awarded Lindros to Philadelphia.

16. Brett Hull Scores the Game-Winning Goal with His Foot

In the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, Brett Hull scored the game-winning goal-- with his foot.

For those wondering why it was allowed, the explanation was that since his foot entered the crease legally, it was a legal goal.

15. Tom Webster Punches Doug Gilmour

The Los Angeles Kings coach Tom Webster punches Doug Gilmour during a scrum near the benches.

It's embarrassing that a coach would get involved and punch an opposing player during a fight.

14. Alexander Semin Slaps Marc Staal

You know, slapping is really under-used in fighting in the NHL.

Enter Alexander Semin.

He should really leave fighting to the experienced fighters.

13. Tie Domi Fights a Fan in the Penalty Box

Another case of the penalty box not doing a sufficient job of separating a player from others.

This time, a Philadelphia fan wants a piece of Tie Domi and he gets it.

12. Aaron Downey and Brad Norton Drop the Gloves and Then....Nothing

Aaron Downey and Brad Norton drop the gloves, preparing to fight.

It doesn't start well, as Downey trips, but he comes right back up.

Then, they circle for about 45 seconds until the officials break it up and stop wasting everyone's time.

11. Patrick Kane Is Arrested

Patrick Kane was arrested for allegedly assaulting a cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.

Yes, a rich professional hockey player assaulted a cab driver over 20 cents.

This created Kane's nickname of "20 Cent."

10. Jim Schoenfeld, Don Koharski, the Walkout and Where's John Ziegler?

Jim Schoenfeld goes after offical Don Koharski. Schoenfeld is suspended, but appeals and is allowed back to coach the next game.

The officials walk out in protest and the back-up officials come in.

During all this, no one knows where John Ziegler, the head of the NHL is.

That's a ridiculous situation.

9. Ottawa Senators at the 1992 Expansion Draft

The Ottawa Senators didn't have a great experience at the 1992 Expansion Draft.

Somehow, they lost every copy of their draft list.

When they were picking, they tried to draft multiple ineligible players, which was very embarrassing for the organization.

8. Ryan O'Byrne and Tom Kostopoulos Arrested for Stealing a Woman's Purse

While in Tampa to play the Lightning, two Montreal Canadiens players were arrested in 2008 for allegedly stealing a woman's purse at a bar.

Police said $20 was missing.

It's embarrassing that two professional hockey players needed to steal $20 from someone at a bar.

7. The Boston Garden Blackout in 1988

During the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Garden lost power.

The game was rescheduled to finish in Edmonton and the Bruins lost the series.

It's impossible to know if the Bruins would have won if they could have finished that game at home, but the home ice advantage often helps.

6. Bob Clarkes Forgets Who He's Drafting

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At the 2006 NHL Draft, Bob Clarke and the Philadelphia Flyers are drafting Claude Giroux.

Except, Clarke momentarily forgets who he is drafting.

Now that Giroux is one of the team's best players, I bet its easier to remember his name.

Or perhaps, it served as motivation for Giroux to make sure that no one forgot his name again.

5. Boston Bruins Lose the 1979 Playoffs Because of Too Many Men

The "too many men on the ice" penalty is annoying for team's to be penalized for. It's even more annoying and embarrassing when that's what costs your team a game.

Especially a very important playoff game.

That's what happened to the 1979 Boston Bruins.

4. Steve Smith's Own Goal Costs the Edmonton Oilers the Cup

Steve Smith scored an own goal that cost his team, the Edmonton Oilers, the Stanley Cup.

It also cost the team their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

3. Patrick Stefan Misses the Empty Net and Turns the Puck over

Patrick Stefan has the puck and has nothing stopping him from sealing the 5-4 lead for the Stars.

Except himself.

He trips and turns the puck over, then the Oilers go back down the ice and score the tying goal, forcing overtime.  

2. Patrick Roy Statue of Liberty Play

Patrick Roy has made a save on the Detroit Red Wings and lifts his arm up, in what is dubbed as the "Statue of Liberty play" to show off.

And subsequently, drops the puck into the net, scoring for the Red Wings.

1. Vesa Toskala Allows Rink-Length Goal

The New York Islanders clear the puck from behind their net down to the Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltender who is all alone on the other side, with nothing stopping him from making the save.

Except, somehow he doesn't make the save and the puck slides past him, for a 197-foot goal.

That's an embarrassing goal to let in. Period.