NHL Power Rankings: Sean Avery Rule and the 13 Most Creative Moments in Hockey

Oftentimes, it's good to get creative while on the job. After all, it shows that you have your own mind and shows initiative.

However, sometimes it's best to just do as everyone else because in some jobs, there's really no room for creativity.

Hockey is somewhere between the two. Sometimes it's good to get creative; one example is creating an easier scoring opportunity, particularly during shootouts, it seems.

Other times, getting creative in a hockey game can backfire.

Here are the 13 most creative moments in hockey.  

13. Brian Campbell Should Play Football

Uh, it looks like Brian Campbell should be blocking for the Buffalo Bills instead of playing hockey for the Buffalo Sabres after he laid that hit on R.J. Umberger of the Philadelphia Flyers.

12. Marek Malik Scores Between His Legs

New York Rangers Marek Malik fakes Olaf Kolzig in the shootout to score the winning goal.

He skates up, and when it seems like he's about to shoot, he slips it behind, between his legs and then shoots.

Kolzig was prepared the first time and not the second, so Malik scores.

11. Pavel Datsyuk Changes His Game Up

Pavel Datsyuk is known for his dekes and his ability to quickly maneuver pucks past goaltenders, sometimes before they even realize he's there.

Speed is his strength.

So, it was surprising when Datsyuk got a little creative and went slow-motion in the shootout against Antii Niemi.

Players don't often go slow-motion; they prefer trying to beat the goaltender rather than waiting for him to grow impatient.

Yet another example of Datsyuk's skill.

10. Steven Stamkos Shoots from Behind His Back

Steven Stamkos scored a memorable penalty shot again Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, remembered for the snow going into Price's face after Stamkos' spin-o-rama.

But before scoring in the NHL, Stamkos was perfecting his creative shootout moves.

One such move had him skating towards the goaltender, faking the backhand shot and shooting from behind his back.

He scored.

9. Kaspars Daugavins Unique Shootout Technique

Kaspars Daugavins of the Binghamton Senators scored a shootout goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs, but what was impressive was his technique.

He used the tip of his blade to handle the puck as he skated towards the net.

Then, he used the spin-o-rama move and scored. That's a creative move gone right.

8. Guys Don't Usually Punch Each Other There, Sidney

This is an innovative fight for two reasons. One, Kris Letang is holding an Atlanta Thrasher down for Sidney Crosby to punch.

Two, Crosby doesn't punch in the typical areas to aim for. Instead, he aims for the Thrasher's private parts.

The guy's wearing a cup, so it probably isn't as painful as it is awkward.

7. It's Not Soccer, People

The NHL has a rule, Rule 49.2, negating any puck that is kicked into the net. Apparently, too often players were trying to kick the puck into the net if they couldn't get a stick on it.

Creative solution, but remember what sport you're playing here, people. Hint: It's not soccer.

Scroll to the 2:30 mark of the video for the distinct kicked goal.

6. You're Not a Quarterback, Alexander Semin

What do you do if you can't get the puck into the net?

Well, if you're Alexander Semin, you pick up the puck and throw it into the net.

Or, try at least and watch it bounce off the post. See? That's why you're a hockey player and not a quarterback.

5. Bobby Ryan Scores with Mikko Koivu's Stick

Who says you have to score with your own stick?

Mikko Koivu steals Bobby Ryan's stick right out his hands, but Ryan picks up Koivu's stick and goes on to score.

Koivu was creative, stealing Ryan's stick in an attempt at keeping him from scoring, but Ryan got creative too and decided to pick up Koivu's stick and try his luck with it, rather than going without.

It worked.

4. Alexander Semin Plays the Bongos

Alexander Semin is not a fighter, as he made painfully clear in his one NHL fight against New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal.

Semin created the "playing the bongos" fighting strategy.

Obviously, it wasn't a great one, since the phenomenon has yet to catch on in NHL fights.

3.Rob Schremp Stickhandling in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Skills Competition

Dan Bylsma challenges the blue team at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins skills competition to have one of their players against their goaltender in the shootout.

They go with Rob Schremp, and it's easy to see why.

Schremp picks up the puck and handles it on his stick before throwing it into the net. Three shots and he scores two out of three.

2. Evgeny Artyukhin Helmet Hit

In a 2006 game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, Tampa's Evgeny Artyukhin and Ottawa's Antoine Vermette were involved in a scrum.

The officials were blocking the two from fighting, so Artyukhin was forced to get creative.

He rips Vermette's helmet off and whacks him in the head with it.

Artyukhin received a two-game suspension for the hit with the helmet, as well as notoriety for doing something no one had ever seen before.

1. The Sean Avery Rule

Most people screen goaltenders with their back facing the goalie.

Not Sean Avery.

He chose to face Martin Brodeur when screening him and wave his arms and stick in front of Brodeur's face, screening him from the play.

After review, the strategy wasn't illegal by the rule book. So, the NHL had to make it a part of the rules.

Via NHL.com, here was Colin Campbell's new interpretation of Rule 75 (Unsportsmanlike Conduct): "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."

Or as it is more commonly known: "The Sean Avery Rule."