Between The Legs Plays Are All The Rage In The NHL

Putting pucks between your legs: so hot right now

Early in the year, San Jose Sharks rookie Tomas "Teenage Mutant Ninja" Hertl went dangled between his legs and fired one past Martin Biron. It was a goal so beautiful it ended Martin Biron's career (sort of, he did retire after being sent down to the Wolfpack a few weeks later.) It was apart of a 4 goal night for the kid and old salty hockey writers scoffed at the young forward for making a mockery of the game. Sharks forward and captain Joe "Jumbo" Thorton said if he ever scored 4 goals in a game he would celebrate by petting his rooster on the ice (you can read between the lines on that one.) With the hockey world divided, how would the players respond to such showmanship? Surely Hertl would become a marked man, punches and cheap shots to follow him everywhere he went. well you'd be surely wrong. Players all over the league have been following suit and the results are damn beautiful. The old guard can enjoy chewing on nails, board-play and "grinder hockey", I'll take a beautiful Hertl any day of the week; so long as "Jumbo" keeps "Little Jumbo" in those pants.

San Jose Sharks Youtube page / Via youtube.com

This is the beauty that sent Martin Biron into the MSG studios and launched a ton of god awful opinion pieces on the "integrity of the game." Other than the incredible balls (I believe that is the technical term) it takes to pull this move mid game; you can clearly see its effectiveness. Get the goalie moving laterally left or right, a quick move between the legs and all of the sudden you're shooting at the recently vacated space. But there is still no way this incredibly effective move catches on... right?

Oh hey, author planned foreshadowing! nice to see you here. Here is a nice, fun, awesome timeline for you: October 8th 2013, Tomas Hertl shoots between his legs. October 9th 2013, everyone freaks out, picks a side, and starts sharpening their axes and lighting torches. October 10th 2013, Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek does this. October 11th 2013, nobody cares anymore (sometimes hockey is REALLY dumb). This video shows us the versatility of the "Hertl" off a beautiful feed from Steve Ott, Vanek lifts his leg as if to say "pre-game chili is a terrible idea" and instead lets the puck trickle a bit past him before getting the ultimate Croquet score and putting it through two separate wickets. oh right this is hockey... he uhh, dangles it through Bobrovsky's five-hole, and then begins his celly. If you actually read this far down, maybe I could interest you in some more foreshadowing? No? Come on! its my only writing skill. You can definitely score via the "Hertl" but can you pass from it? (thanks, I appreciate it.)

In a word "YES." In a few more words "OH SHIT YEAH YOU CAN!" But in the interest of naming moves that have been seen in games before after teenagers (see also: I'm drunk with power) this shall henceforth be known as "the Domi." as you can see above, during an OHL game Max "Son of Tie" Domi, decided to go between the legs for a pass in an area that would seem like a terrible idea. You know what, I'm done keeping my mouth shut; all of the videos you see on this post are TERRIBLE IDEAS. But they all worked so no one cares. Do you not believe me? Every single one of these players post game quotes reads something like, "If that didn't go in my coach would have tied me naked to the goal and let my teammates shoot slapshots at me." (Paraphrasing, maybe) That is what makes them so beautiful. Okay no more foreshadowing, and I sure as hell don't think backshadowing is a term given the squiggly red line underneath it currently so...

... More betwixt the leg passing! The Domi does in fact work at the NHL level, and given the positioning of the defense, was really the only way that pass would have worked. You can see as he pulls the move, Clarke MacArthur is clearly thinking DOMI ARIGATO MR- THIS JOKE IS STUPID AND I HATE MYSELF FOR MAKING IT.

youtube.com / Via NHL Offical Youtube Page

Nick Foligno adds his name to the list of recent "Hertl-ers" in what seems to be the clearest video of its effectiveness. Look at the net-minder try his damndest, and he plays it about as well as he can, but the puck still gets by him. This was easily the balliest (again technical terms only here, folks) as it was in the first period of a 0-0 game. The game ended 1-0, so you can imagine the shit-storm (seriously, these are all the technical terms) if he flubbed it in any way. So there you have it. Hopefully "The Hertl" and "The Domi" are here to stay because they are amazing to watch. Just don't screw it up.

PS. Joe Thorton, seriously never score four goals in a game