#1 NHL Craziest Moments In History

When every North American sports league (NHL) is considered, there’s no question that the craziest moments take place on the ice of a hockey rink. They range from ridiculous to explosive and often involve the fans just as much as the players themselves. Today we’re looking at some of the weirdest and most shocking moments in the history of the NHL.

These moments show how unpredictable ice hockey can be. If you do have a knack for predicting what happens in ice hockey games, you may want to try your hand at betting. To become part of the action, you should check out Stanley Cup odds and the odds for other important events in the world of the NHL.

Bobby Orr Takes Flight for NHL Craziest Moments:

Let’s start with perhaps the most famous photograph in ice hockey history. The Boston Bruins are a fierce force in the NHL but there was once a time where they had a thirty-year-long dry spell, having missed out on the Stanley Cup since 1941.

That changed in 1970 with The Goal. This was where Bobby Orr, defenseman for the Bruins, scored forty seconds into the overtime of a tense 3-3 Stanley Cup showdown against the St. Louis Blues. The goal took the score to 4-3 and won the Bruins their first Stanley Cup in generations.

Upon approaching the goal, the Blues were in hot pursuit. After scoring the goal, they were so close that they tripped Orr and he flew through the air, turning horizontal, with his arms spread in the air with celebration. That moment was captured in the now-iconic photograph that shows hockey at its best.

NHL Craziest Moments: Bob Baun Breaks A Leg:

Next, we have another classic Bob, who’s also a defenseman, but what Bob Baun did in 1964 is much more inspiring. At the ’64 Stanley Cup finals, during game 6, Bob Baun was removed on account of a broken leg. His team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, were up against the Detroit Red Wings. The game went into overtime at 3-3 and the Red Wings were beating the Maple Leafs at 3-2 games across the finals.

Next, we have another classic Bob, who’s also a defenseman, but what Bob Baun did in 1964 is much more inspiring. At the ’64 Stanley Cup finals, during game 6, Bob Baun was removed on account of a broken leg. His team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, were up against the Detroit Red Wings. The game went into overtime at 3-3 and the Red Wings were beating the Maple Leafs at 3-2 games across the finals.

With it all to play for, the overtime started and then Bob Baun took the ice once again, on a broken leg. You should know that across seventeen years, Baun only ever scored eight goals. He was a staunch defenseman who stuck to his zone. In these circumstances, however, Baun led the Leafs into scoring the game-winning goal. What’s more, the Leafs went on to beat the Red Wings at game 7 too, winning the entire finals at 4-3 games.

The NHL Eight-Legged Omen

While we’re talking about the Detroit Red Wings, let’s talk about their crazy tradition of throwing an octopus onto the ice. It all started in 1952 where brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano threw the dead octopus from their market store into the rink.

The Red Wings were up against the Montreal Canadiens and had shocked the world when they beat them 8-0 across the series. The octopus gesture was apparently to symbolize this performance – eight legs, eight wins, no losses.

Bruins Swiped Ace Bailey:

The craziness in ice hockey isn’t just found in daring, inspiring plays. Hockey is known for its fighting but on December 12^th, 1933, it went too far. Eddie Shore of the Bruins swiped at Ace Bailey of the Maple Leafs, hitting him in the back of his head. Falling to convulsions, a brawl broke out that saw Shore punched unconscious too.

When all was said and done, Bailey’s career was over and he almost died from brain damage. Having been read his last rites, Bailey miraculously recovered. Then he made the inspiring decision to shake Eddie Shore’s hand at the first-ever NHL All-Star game to raise funds for Bailey’s medical expenses. It’s a testament to the sportsmanship shared by the hockey players, but also a testament to how much the game has changed.

Story written by Heather Miller for Destination Tampa Bay from content provided by Fantasy Sports and the NHL. All videos and photos are for editorial purposes made available by Utube and the NHL.

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