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Cale Makar's Goal of the Year candidate sends hockey world into hysterics

Cale Makar set the hockey world ablaze with his OT winner on Tuesday. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
Cale Makar set the hockey world ablaze with his OT winner on Tuesday. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports) (USA TODAY Sports)

If he isn’t already, Cale Makar is quickly becoming a household name.

The Colorado Avalanche defenseman is in just his third season, but seemingly every single game he does something on the ice that makes you stop in your tracks and go all gooey-eyed. Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks was no different.

With the score tied 3-3 in overtime, Makar pulled off a potential Goal of the Year — just four days into 2022.

There is no possible way you can watch that goal just once.

Makar takes the pass from Nathan MacKinnon at the half boards on the right side of the offensive zone, drags in Chicago forward Kirby Dach to chase him around the back of the net, and completely tricks him. If you’re going through the motions, that would be a simple return to the point for a blueliner to then try and set up the play that way, but Makar isn’t some regular defenseman. With his immense skating ability, he spins on a dime, making a fool of Dach, and dekes the pants off Marc-Andre Fleury to roof the game-winning goal backhand over his blocker.

This is art.

Twitter was instantly set ablaze with people not being able to contain themselves after watching the Makar magic.

The 23-year-old Makar humbly just sees it as a fortunate goal.

"For me, it was a little lucky to be honest,” he said after the game. “Their D, whoever their name was, he overcommitted a little on me."

Despite the bashful response to his own goal, Makar’s teammates had to mention it after they walked away with the two points.

“It was sick,” Erik Johnson said. “He’s pretty modest and humble, but that was in my mind one of the best goals of the year. …He’s only going to keep getting better, too, which is the scary part.”

Through 25 games this season, Makar has the most goals of any defenseman in the league with 14, and 28 points. With him in charge from the back, the Avs are looking to make up for a slow start to their season as they are currently third in the Central Division, but have an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games.

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