During the 10th round of a 15-round pre-season shootout between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, veteran defenseman Paul Ranger was called upon to shoot. Ranger had an ominous smirk on his face before the shootout attempt, and it became clear why after he shot. Ranger literally kicked his stick blade to shoot the puck on Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth. Enroth slashed Ranger after the attempt, clearly upset that Ranger would do something like that.
Enroth told the Canadian Press:
“My first reaction was that he tried to embarrass me there a little bit, but when I look at it now, it’s good (the) guy’s trying to be creative, I guess,” he said.
Ranger said that he wouldn’t have attempted the shot during a regular season shootout and when asked about the slash, he responded with:
“Not the right thing to do? I’m trying to score. Quite honestly it’s fun and, to be honest, I’m not trying to show boat, and if he thought that, then it is what it is. Whatever.”
Personally, I think the shot was hilarious and I was floored that Enroth reacted in such a way. It’s just the preseason and it’s not like Enroth is fighting for a roster spot or anything.
