There’s taking one for the team, and there’s putting your face on the line like James van Riemsdyk did on this goal. On Thursday’s game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, van Riemsdyk inadvertently became a goal scorer after a Travis Konecny shot redirected off of his face and into the net.
With the Flyers down a goal in the second period and the team pushing the play, Konecny took a seemingly shot on Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. At the same time, van Riemsdyk was standing by the front of the net looking for a deflection.
And he got one, taking the puck right off his face as it bounced below the standing Shesterkin and into the net for the tying goal.
Flyers make it a 1-1 game, but it comes from a brutal shot to face off James van Riemsdyk: pic.twitter.com/1sO0Fz4cfR
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 23, 2021
One of the most painful goals ever. JVR scores with his face pic.twitter.com/Qgl86SybiR
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 23, 2021
Talk about painful! Van Riemsdyk himself was down on the ice after the play, for good reason, and went to the locker room to get checked out for signs of a bigger injury.
Thankfully, van Riemsdyk returned in the early goings of the third period, this time wearing a jaw shield to protect the lower half of his face.
Hockey player doing hockey things. #PHIvsNYR | @JVReemer21 pic.twitter.com/Eu0RlpoHOU
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 23, 2021
And that wasn’t all! Mere moments after returning, van Riemsdyk added to the Flyers lead with his second goal of the night, but this time using his stick instead.
scores a goal off his face.
*leaves ice*
comes back and scores one off his stick. pic.twitter.com/95Ly4oVdgP
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 23, 2021
You don’t get much more poetic than this in hockey.
