Since its formation in 1917, the NHL has showcased to the world the peak of hockey talent and skill.
Some of the most intelligent and experienced people manage million-dollar hockey franchises that draw massive fanbases from all over the world. Some of the most knowledgeable and courageous people coach the NHL teams that clash year after year, each contending to win the coveted Stanley Cup. Some of the most athletic and skilled people play on those NHL teams, working tirelessly day after day to hone their hockey skills so that they can help drive their team to victory.
But sometimes a general manager makes a trade that destroys any hope of their team winning. Sometimes a coach can’t avoid their team losing 15-0 despite their best efforts. Sometimes a player scores on his own net.
Even though the NHL is the apex of hockey skill, managers, coaches, and players are far from perfect. Mistakes happen, and when they do, we love it.
Here are 5 of the biggest blunders in NHL history:
5. The Rangers Lose 15-0 to the Red Wings, 1944
The worst loss in NHL history belongs to the New York Rangers when they lost 15-0 to the Detroit Red Wings on January 23, 1944. This loss was so outstanding that the record has stood for 76 years, despite tens of thousands of NHL games having been played since.
Most hockey fans today couldn’t fathom the terrible performance it would take to let in 15 goals in a single game—double-digit-goal games are incredibly rare. To be fair, it couldn’t have been any easier for Frank Boucher, the Rangers’ coach at the time, to watch an endless stream of pucks fly into his net.
To make matters worse, most of the 15 goals were scored in the second half of the game, during which the Red Wings averaged nearly one goal every two minutes.
After the Red Wings were finished pommeling the Rangers, New York didn’t win another game for the rest of the season. Talk about performance anxiety!
4. Brian Burke Trades the World to Have Phil Kessel on the Leafs, 2009
On September 19, 2009, the Maple Leafs’ general manager Brian Burke made a questionable trade that he thought would finally get the Leafs back into the playoffs after 5 years.
At the time, Boston Bruins newcomer Phil Kessel looked like a shining star. In his breakout season with Boston, Kessel scored 36 goals, and his performance was only predicted to improve in later years.
So, what made the trade such a terrible blunder?
Burke’s mistake was the price he paid to acquire the breakout star. In exchange for Kessel, Burke gave the Bruins his first- and second-round draft picks for the 2010 draft and his first-round pick in the 2011 draft.
At the time, Burke figured that if Kessel could help lead the Leafs to the playoffs (and to a Stanley Cup victory), then the price would be well worth paying. Unfortunately, although Kessel played well while on the Leafs, his performance wasn’t enough to lead the Leafs anywhere promising—the very season they acquired Kessel, the Leafs finished last in their division.
Worse yet, the Bruins used the draft picks that Burke had given them to their advantage. In the 2010 draft, the Bruins picked up Tyler Seguin and Jared Knight. That season, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup while the Leafs were left in the dust.
3. Marc Bergevin (St. Louis Blues) Tosses the Puck into His Own Net, 2000
What’s worse that scoring a goal on your own net with your stick? Scoring on your own net by casually tossing the puck with your hand.
Playing for the St. Louis Blues, Marc Bergevin accidentally scored on his own net while trying to glove a puck out of the way in a game against the San Jose Sharks on December 7, 2000. Bergevin caught the puck in mid-air, but rather than guiding it away from the only spot you don’t want the puck to be, he accidentally tossed the puck behind his goalie. It was the easiest goal that San Jose ever scored.
At first, none of the players or officials realized that the puck was in the net. After all, nobody had taken a shot. It looked like the puck had just disappeared or that Bergevin had held onto it for way too long. But, once the officials reviewed the tape, they confirmed that Bergevin had indeed guided the puck into his own goal.
2. Steve Smith (Edmonton Oilers) Scores on His Own Net, Costing Oilers the Game, 1986
One of the earliest-known blunders in NHL history is when Steve Smith of the Edmonton Oilers scored on his own net during a game against the Calgary Flames on April 30, 1986.
At the time of Steve’s mistake, the score was tied 2-2 in the third period. The Oilers goalie, Grant Fuhr, gave the puck to Smith just behind the Oilers’ net. Smith then attempted to clear the puck by making a long outlet pass to a teammate. Attempted is the key word. Smith botched his aim on the pass, and rather than make it to his teammate, the puck only travelled one or two feet before bouncing off one of Fuhr’s feet and into the goal.
Smith’s mistake gave the Flames a 3-2 lead, which the Oilers couldn’t overcome.
1. Patrik Stefan (Dallas Stars) Whiffs Easy Goal on Empty Net, 2007
Missing a shot on an open net from far away is bad. Missing a shot on an open net from right in front of it is worse. Missing a shot on an open net from right in front of it and then falling down is the worst blunder in NHL history. Thank you, Patrik Stefan.
On January 4, 2007, Dallas Stars player Patrik Stefan whiffed an easy goal on the Edmonton Oilers’ empty net.
The score was 5-4 for the Stars at the time when Stefan managed a breakaway approaching an empty net. He confidently skated up to the net in what looked like a guaranteed goal, but somehow fumbled the puck as he skated right by, failing to even take a shot. As soon as Stefan realized his mistake, he tried to turn himself around to take another shot, but his disorientation led to him simply crashing onto the ice as he lost control of the puck.
If Stefan had made the goal, the score would have been 6-4, likely ensuring the win for the Stars. Instead, once Stefan fell, the Oilers regained control of the puck and tied the game literally 10 seconds later.
Coincidentally (or not), Stefan’s playing career ended a mere 13 games after his colossal mistake
