50 Most Embarrassing Plays and Moments in NHL History

The NHL gives hockey fans some amazing moments that are full of excitement, but there are also some embarrassing and humiliating moments and plays that players would rather us forget about. 

Whether it's an embarrassing dive, backing down from a fight, sucker punching someone or missing a wide open net, there have been many embarrassing moments in the history of the NHL.

Let's look at some that stand out the most.

(Interactions between players and fans were not considered.)

Daniel Sedin Is Punched Repeatedly by Brad Marchand

I cannot believe that Daniel Sedin let Brad Marchand punch him repeatedly in the face like this. Then again, his teammates weren't much help, either.

Mike Vernon Almost Drills Referee

San Jose Sharks goaltender Mike Vernon goes to play a puck along the boards and shoots it right in the direction of referee Kelly Fraser. Was it on purpose?

Jaromir Jagr Dislocates Shoulder in a Scrum

Jaromir Jagr should have thought twice before trying to punch New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez, because he dislocated his shoulder doing it.

Andrew Ference Doesn't Like Montreal Fans

Andrew Ference made an obscene gesture to the Montreal Canadiens during the playoffs last season, then said his finger got stuck in his glove. 

Dan Boyle Scores on His Own Team

This certainly is a play Dan Boyle would like to have back; it's always embarrassing to score on your goalie, but in overtime it's even worse.

Steven Stamkos Loses Control

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos is a superstar player, but his third penalty shot attempt of his career is one he'd like to forget.

Todd Bertuzzi Sucker Punches Steve Moore

A lot of people think Todd Bertuzzi should never have been allowed to play professional hockey in the NHL after his sucker punch of Steve Moore, which is one of the worst moments in the history of the sport.

Vesa Toskala, Oh My Goodness

This must be one of the worst moments in NHL history because no one wants a goaltender to go through something like this. 

Steve Yzerman Beats Blues from the Blue Line

Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman beat the St. Louis Blues in double overtime of the 1996 Western Conference Finals with a shot from the blue line, after Wayne Gretzky lost the puck.

Bryan McCabe Scores on His Own Net

With only a couple second left in overtime, Bryan McCabe scored on his own net to allow the Buffalo Sabres to take two points against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mike Ribeiro Embarrasses Himself with Fake Injury

Mike Ribeiro disgraced the game, himself and the Montreal Canadiens by acting like he was seriously injured then laughing about it later.

Jarome Iginla Misses Empty Net

Jarome Iginla is one of the best goal scorers, but he should have done better here. You don't see guys like Iginla miss this badly very often.

McCabe Wants to Go with Chara

Bryan McCabe should have thought about fighting Zdeno Chara before he did it. I certainly wouldn't want to fight the Boston Bruins captain.

Doug Gilmour Is Mad at the Penalty Box

Doug Gilmour breaks the glass of the penalty box after being called for a penalty he didn't agree with. Certainly not something the new Hockey Hall of Famer is proud of.

Sean Avery Annoys Martin Brodeur

If you don't follow hockey and have always wondered why very few people like Sean Avery, watch this video. This was an embarrassment to the game of hockey.

Niclas Wallin Own Goal

I'm not sure what Niclas Wallin was thinking here. His team was about go on the power play, yet he still found a way to send the puck towards his own end and into his team's net.

Canucks Team Up on Shawn Thornton

The Vancouver Canucks needed six guys to take on Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton, and Max Lapierre kept beating on his head from behind. An embarrassing moment for the Canucks.

Dennis Wideman's Disastrous Shootout Attempt

Dennis Wideman is a defenseman, so he's not a regular participant in shootouts, but this attempt was quite embarrassing.

Ryan Miller Scores on Himself

Ryan Miller isn't a terrible puck-handling goaltender, but he made an awful mistake here as he scores on his own net against the Minnesota Wild.

Ondrej Pavelec

Ondrej Pavelec allows a goal from center ice on a tricky shot from long range. To be fair, pucks that skip towards the goal are tricky for goaltenders and can be tough to handle cleanly.

Ron Hextall Drills Chris Chelios

You may think this Ron Hextall check on Chris Chelios is hilarious, and while I would agree with that, it also was a bit embarrassing. There's no need for that.

Dion Phaneuf Takes a Fall

Former Calgary Flames defenseman and current Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf is ready to fight, but he cannot stay on his feet as he takes a tumble down to the ice.

Alex Burrows Is Too Hungry for a Title

Vancouver Canucks forward Alexander Burrows bit Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron in Game 1 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. He was not suspended for the incident.

Eddie Shore Ends Ace Bailey's Career

Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins ended Ace Bailey's career in 1933 with a terrible hit that resulted in a 16-game suspension, which was a massive ban in that era.

Alexander Semin Fails at Fighting

Alexander Semin doesn't know how to fight at all, as evidenced by his slap fight here with New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal.

Steve Smith Costs Oilers a Shot at Another Stanley Cup

Steve Smith cost the Edmonton Oilers a chance at a fifth straight Stanley Cup title when he scored on his own net in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference Finals.

Patrick Stefan Fails Miserably

Patrick Stefan misses a chance to win the game for the Dallas Stars, and the Edmonton Oilers come down the ice and tie the game. 

Patrick Roy Costs Avalanche Shot at Cup Repeat

The Colorado Avalanche never fully recovered from Patrick Roy's blunder against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2002 playoffs.

Dan Cloutier Allows Goal from the Red Line

Dan Cloutier was a tremendous goalie for the Vancouver Canucks, but this goal from center ice by the Detroit Red Wings is one he'd love to have back.

PK Subban Dive

PK Subban is an immensely talented defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens, but it's garbage like this that makes him lose respect among fans and players.

Worst Fight Ever?

This is an embarrassing display of fighting in hockey, and it's a lesson in exactly what not to do if you ever drop the gloves and take on an opponent.

Just Hug It out

Tom Preissing and Brian Campbell give each other a hug while their teammates are engaged in a spirited bout. It's certainly not something you often see during a good bout.

Sidney Crosby Cheap Shot

Sidney Crosby has done a lot of good for the sport of hockey, but this cheap shot certainly is not part of that. 

Zack Stortini Gets His Stick Caught

Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Stortini gets his stick caught in teammate Dwayne Roloson's skate.

Alex Ponikarovsky Loses His Skate Blade

Skating without a blade on one your skates is quite hard, and Alex Ponikarovsky found out the hard way during an actual NHL game.

Dale Weise Won't Fight Shawn Thornton

Dale Weise refuses to fight Shawn Thornton after shaking his gloves and looking ready to go. A cowardly move for sure.

Shea Weber Loses Control

I don't know how Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber hits his own net here, but at least he had the courage to laugh at his mistake.

Keith Ballard Throws Puck into His Own Net

Keith Ballard somehow gloves the puck into his own net while playing for the Florida Panthers. It doesn't get much more embarrassing than that.

Canadiens Score on Own Net

A couple of Montreal Canadiens hit the ice, then Ryan O'Byrne scores on his own net. Certainly a shift to forget for the Canadiens.

Ron Hextall Slashes Kent Nilsson

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall slashes Kent Nilsson of the Edmonton Oilers as he skates in front of him in a cheap shot that was totally uncalled for.

Martin Brodeur Scores on Himself in Stanley Cup Final

Even the best goaltenders of all time can fail miserably on the sport's biggest stage, but fortunately for Martin Brodeur, his New Jersey Devils still won the 2003 Stanley Cup championship despite this awful mistake.

Keith Ballard Injures His Own Goalie

Keith Ballard makes his second appearance in this article with the time he hit his own goalie, Tomas Vokoun, after a goal was scored on his Florida Panthers.

Staged Fights Are Embarrassing

Staged fights are a complete joke and an utter embarrassment to the game of hockey. In this bout, Georges Laraque asks for a bout and gets his wish. Just terrible.

Too Many Men on the Ice

Against the Montreal Canadiens in the 1979 NHL playoffs, the Boston Bruins were called for two many men on the ice in Game 7, then allowed the game-tying goal on that following power play and lost the game in overtime.

James Wisniewski Makes Obscene Gesture

James Wisniewski, now of the Columbus Blue Jackets, makes an obscene gesture towards New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, which was pretty embarrassing for James and the New York Islanders.

Theo Fleury Celebrates Prematurely

One of the most embarrassing things you can do in sports is celebrate prematurely, which is exactly what Theo Fleury did here.

Martin Brodeur Goes Nuts

New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur goes crazy after he was interfered with on a goal by the Carolina Hurricanes at the very last moment of an Eastern Conference playoff match.

It was a bad call, but there's no need to act like Marty did.

Canucks Miss Empty Net Twice

The Vancouver Canucks have two awesome chances to bury an empty-net goal in the above video but somehow were unsuccessful in both.

Marty McSorley Attacks Donald Brashear

Marty McSorley's vicious attack on Donald Brashear was another really bad moment for the NHL, and it certainly embarrassed the sport, and the Boston Bruins.

Down Goes Avery!

Sean Avery gets bumped by Jaromir Jagr, yet he acts like Jagr had charged at him with a full head of steam with the way he dove to the ice.