Sat Dec 11 01:23am EST
Making his NHL debut Friday night, Edmonton Oilers rookie Linus Omark(notes) had to live up to the legend he'd written on YouTube: That of a sensational, highlight-reel scorer in the shootout, thanks to inventive tallies like this.
He didn't disappoint. Omark not only won the game for Edmonton in the shootout over the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, but did so with a gaudy center-ice spin-o-rama leading into an exhilarating goal:
It was a thrilling moment for everyone watching ... except the Lightning. Via the St. Pete Times, here's their postgame reaction:
"A ... joke," left wing Ryan Malone(notes) said.
Asked if it was disrespectful, defenseman Mattias Ohlund(notes) said, "Absolutely."
Omark, in his first NHL game, picked up the puck at center ice and did a spin-o-rama at the blue line before skating down the slot, smacking his stick on the ice and firing through Dan Ellis'(notes) legs.
"It's embarrassing for him," Ellis said. "You come into a league, a respectful league like this, and you try a little move like that. It's not a very classy thing. That's just the kind of person he is."
Oy, these kids today like Linus Omark and PK Subban(notes): Cocky and disrespectful to their elders! No class!
Yes, shame on you, Linus Omark, for breaking the No. 1 rule of decorum in a skills competition for rookies, even if that rule is unwritten and was just invented by the Lightning. Clearly, this should have been a 15-foot wrist shot into Dan Ellis' chest instead of an electrifying game-winning goal whose initial move had the Bolts goalie out of sync and position. Where's the class, Linus? Don't you know the man has enough problems?
Here's Omark on his goal, and the Oilers defending their Swedish rookie:
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