The Other Uncalled High-Stick

I’m only going to say this once: if you value your sanity don’t read any further. Being a Leafs’ fan you probably don’t value your sanity very much so I suspect you’re all still with me. Good. Today I’m going to show you something that will ruin your life all over again.

I don’t know how we’ve missed this all these years, perhaps we all managed to repress the same 45 or so seconds between when Darcy Tucker laid out Sami Kapanen and Jeremy Roenick scored the last goal in a playoff game against the Maple Leafs. Regretfully, I cannot maintain the illusion any longer. Darcy Tucker appeared on M vs. W this week and dropped the following bombshell—Mats Sundin was highsticked and cut to the tune of 6 stitches moments before Roenick scored that goal. There was obviously no call.

Let’s all take a moment to collect ourselves. WHAT?!?!?! You must all be thinking right now. That goal is etched into my memory. Surely Leafs fans would never forget about an uncalled, blatant high-stick that drew blood in a pivotal playoff game. Ever. But we all did. Check out the video below. Start at about the 1:00 mark. The high stick occurs at the 1:49 mark.

WHAT THE FREAKING HELL IS THAT?!?!?!? Are you serious? 

Further research shows that it was #23 Jim Vandermeer (UPDATE: I’m dumb, it was apparently Alexei Zhamnov, so hate him) that high sticks Sundin causing him to turn the puck over and allowing Roenick to break out 2-on-1 with Amonte. We’ll just stop the tape there. Nothing else happened ever again. 

There are a couple things worth talking about here that may have gone either unnoticed or forgotten in the years since this game. After all you can only repress so much. 

Holy hell did Darcy Tucker nail Kapanen. 

The Flyers commentators thought play should have been stopped after Kapanen was hit. If only.

The ACC is loud as shit and not a single person was sitting down the entire OT. 

The Leafs were dominating the Flyers for most of the OT, don’t tell me they wouldn’t have won Game 7. 

I have no idea how I missed this. I remember that I was so mad after the goal that I punched a hole in the drywall of my entrance way. My mom was not impressed. I’m so sorry that you all had to find out about it this way. On the bright side at least we have a new excuse, and a new mortal enemy, Alexei Zhamnov, but you can probably hate Jim Vandermeer too. Can we get a do-over on the last seven seasons?