A goalie scoring a goal is one of the rarest feats in hockey. After all, there are only 14 players in NHL history who have achieved this feat. And Matteo MacDonald can now boast of being one step closer to Martin Brodeur, who scored ten days ago in front of a cheering crowd – aged just 16.
It's hard to say whether the Laval goalie is the youngest to ever put a puck into the opponent's net considering all the hockey leagues around the world.
But one thing is certain: this famous net will long be remembered by visitors to the National Midget Hockey Tournament in Beauport, Quebec in early February (see video above).
“When I threw the puck, everything flashed,” said Matteo MacDonald, who guards the goal for the Laval Senators in the M18 AA and also plays games at the AAA level. I couldn't see anything anymore, but when I opened my eyes the puck was moving in a straight line.
Photo provided by Chris MacDonald
“The whole arena went crazy, it was really incredible! There were players from other teams in the tournament, the family… I couldn’t believe it!”
A deliberate performance
What many in the arena didn't know, however, was that Matteo had been thinking about that famous goal for some time. He has long been perfecting his puck handling, which he considers to be a major advantage in a goaltender's game.
Once or twice a week, he shows up on the ice at 8 a.m. to practice, while his team's practice starts 30 minutes later.
“I told my coach for two years that I wanted to do it, but he always laughed in my face because it was so rare,” explains Matteo. But deep down he knew I could do it, except I had to respect criteria.
Since his team was already four goals ahead with six or seven minutes left in the round of 16 match, the goalkeeper had the expected starting signal. When the Blainville Bastions removed their own goalie during a power play – they had no choice to score in this crucial game – Matteo MacDonald exchanged a knowing look with his coach.
“It was nice to see”
And when his father, Chris, saw his smile as he stopped the puck for the first time, he knew something was wrong.
“I had one of my old teammates who was at the game,” he said. He looked at me and asked if he would try it. I said yes and he actually tried!”
“After the game, there were a lot of people waiting to congratulate him. And several players from the opposing team approached him as they named the three stars. It was beautiful to see.”
His team was eventually eliminated in the next round, but even ten days after his performance, Matteo MacDonald still talks about it with a smile in his voice.
But that doesn't mean he'll try to repeat his weapon feat any time soon. “Maybe. If the opportunity arises. But for now I'm very, very happy with it.”