When Thomas Hickey scored his first NHL playoff goal Sunday night, he was all alone in front of the net.
Some pointed to 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr as the skater who last his man, but Don Cherry has other ideas.
“Everybody blamed Jagr and he didn’t have a chance,” Cherry said on Monday’s Coach’s Corner.
He instead tabbed Florida Panthers defenceman Brian Campbell as the culprit. “Never, ever go behind the net.”
During the Coach’s Corner segment, Cherry highlighted a moment from earlier in the game when Hickey himself looked behind him as he entered his own zone, picking up the late Florida Panthers skater. Campbell, on the OT goal that gave the Islanders a 2-1 series lead, neglected to look back as he charged Brock Nelson, leaving the front of the net wide open.
Keep in mind that Sunday’s Game 3 was the third in four nights for these two teams.
If you’ve ever watched a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em VHS tape, you’ll know Don has been saying this for years: “Take the last man coming back!”
