The ‘Michigan’ Goal: The move by Michigan has shocked the hockey world. Every player, from the NHL to the youth leagues, wants to do one of the coolest and hardest moves in the game.
The NHL has changed its style to be faster and more skilled, so the Michigan move has been seen a lot in the NHL. Many people have tried it, and some have even been able to do it.
The most recent case came from Kent Johnson, a rookie for the Blue Jackets. The No. 5 pick in the 2021 draft scored Michigan’s first goal on the 27th anniversary of the school’s first goal.
Johnson has pulled off this smooth move before. The 20-year-old guy, who went to the University of Michigan, did it with Team Canada at the 2022 World Juniors last summer. Also, we’re pretty sure that this amazing move will happen again at the NHL level.
But why is it called the Michigan? Who was the first person to do it? The Sporting News has information on where the deke came from.
What does a Michigan goal look like?
If a player is standing behind the net and scores a Michigan goal, it looks like a lacrosse goal.
A skater will pick up the puck and put it on the blade of their stick. They will then whip their stick around the net and try to tuck the puck in a top corner over the goalie’s shoulder while the puck is still on the blade.
The move has changed over time. At first, players would only try the move while they were standing still. Now that NHL players are so skilled, they can move quickly while skating around the net, giving goalies and defenders less time to react.
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How did it get its name?
Even though the Michigan only joined the NHL in the last few years, the move has been planned since the 1990s.
In 1996, Mike Legg, a forward at the University of Michigan, scored the scoop-and-score goal during a game. He used the blade of his stick to pick up the puck. Then, he whipped his stick around the net and threw the puck into the empty net.
It’s been called “the Michigan” since then because Legg played for Michigan. At that time, there was no such move in the NHL because it was likely that a player would have been hit and killed.
Mich scores in the NHL
They’ve been able to pull it off more than once now that the NHL is full of skilled players.
The first person to do it was Andrei Svechnikov, a forward for the Hurricanes. He scored the goal against the Flames in 2019. Late in the season, he did it again, this time against the Jets.
Filip Forsberg, a forward for the Predators, was the second player in an NHL game to break the Michigan. Forsberg did it against the Ducks during the same season as Svechnikov’s two goals.
Trevor Zegras, a forward for the Ducks, has already shown what he can do in the NHL. During his first season, he did it twice, and he did it again this year, but the goal was called back because the player wasn’t onside.
Zegras and Sonny Milano also worked together to make what is known as the “Michigan assist.” Zegras was behind the net. He picked up the puck on his stick and threw it over the net to Milano. Milano hit it out of the air and into the net.
Johnson was the last player to do it, and he did it in his first full NHL season.
