That #1 wasn't as flashy as some of the earlier ones, but what makes it a standout was that the guy was a defensive defenseman with negligible offense and no one would've ever thought he had the hands or moxy or anything to do something like that and it was the shootout winner in the 15th round of the shootout, home team, Madison Square Garden... Shootouts in the NHL are best of 3 and then sudden death, so a 15th round or anywhere near that is very rare indeed. Plus you have to go through the entire lineup before the same guy can shoot again, so if it goes deep, you get some guys who you wouldn't normally see in that scenario.
Important background info for Malik and why his is the best. That shootout was entering about round 15 with no goal. Malik is not a goal scorer. In fact he sucks at scoring. He typically just stays back and plays defence. However before you can have a player go for a second time, each other player has to try in the shootout. Thus, Malik got to try. Nobody sane expected him to score, let alone go between the legs and be so calm about it. Imagine the worst player in soccer (football, whatever) doing a scissor kick to win the game and he acts so calm about it. That’s why Malik’s is No. 1.
I love watching people getting into the greatest sport ever. The NHL is so bad at marketing even though it’s literally the easiest sport to market. Like come on, it’s soccer with sticks on ice with violence at 15km/h
