You’ve got to see some of these saves by Boston Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak.
The NHL offseason is only *checks notes* two months old, and it already feels like an eternity.
With the first wave of free agency long since past and only the occasional piece of exciting news for fans to sink their teeth into, teams, pundits, and writers have to get creative to continue to keep fans engaged.
Is it a taxing endeavor? Most definitely, but someone has to do it.
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Fortunately, our friends over at the NHL have found a fun way to keep hockey in the middle of what should be the season’s opening month, with a slew of interesting compilation videos, what-if scenarios, and most fun of all, top-10 videos.
And if you happen to be a fan of the Boston Bruins, it’s safe to say you’re going to love this one.
Since joining the Bruins in 2018 on a two-year, $5.5 million deal, Jaroslav Halak has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. The winner of the 2020 Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals scored against in a season, Halak was shot on 905 times last season but only allowed 73 goals, good for a 91.9 save percentage.
Though the Bruins’ season didn’t exactly go as planned – as no one prepares for a season to be postponed, moved to a bubble, and played well into September only to lose in the second round to the eventual Stanely Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning – Halak’s play was so impressive that Boston offered the 35-year-old a one-year contract extension to remain with the team through the end of the 2021 seasons – whenever that may be.
Well, for your viewing entertainment, the fine folks over at the NHL painstakingly combed through all 905 of those shot attempts and picked out Halak to best saves from the 2019-20 season, which you can check out below.
Did you see number two? My goodness, how was that not number one?
While goal scorers oftentimes get the brunt of the love from fans of hockey, the art of the save is a really underrated aspect of the game that I think deserves a tad more love – outside of the playoffs, of course. Who knows, maybe if the NHL continues to put out content like this, it’ll go a long way to making that happen.
Which of Jaroslav Halak’s goals was your favorite? Think your team’s goalie is better than the Boston Bruins’ top man? Let us know in the comments section below!