Last week’s votes are in and while Angry Oates made a run for it, your favorite GIF was none other than this move from Graceful McTwinkletoes:
Instant classic.
So who will emerge victorious this time around? Another week’s worth of games done and we’ve got plenty of potentially magic moments for your viewing pleasure. And away we go…
Sometimes the cameras catch things that really require several viewings in order to take it all in (which is where we come in, and you’re welcome). The most common such occurrences are usually shots of the bench celebrating – especially after games in which the team probably didn’t expect a win, like Tuesday’s match in Winnipeg:
You really have to start at one end and work your way down the line to appreciate all of the goodness baked into this one. Some highlights, from left to right:
- Michal Neuvirth being seated next to Steve Oleksy at this particular moment basically means the neck of his jersey will never quite be the same again.
- Poor Mike Green. “Hey, we won! Big hug, everyone, BIG HU-oh. No? Guys? Okay. I’ll just… go out on the ice, then.”
- Karl Alzner: esteemed shutdown defenseman, handlebar mustache-enthusiast, amateur archer.
- Jason Chimera and Joel Ward rockin’ the rally helmets. Sort of.
- Notice that Tom Wilson is about to leap onto Joel Ward… before realizing that he’s actually about 6 inches taller than Ward and that would probably not end well. So, smart young man that he is, he opts for a little jump-hug combo instead, and we approve.
- Something tells me Mikhail Grabovski and Green would have been happier to sit next to each other. Way to leave a guy hanging on that fist-bump, Alex Ovechkin.
Moving on…
Hockey players are truly entertaining.
Know who can, at times, be even more entertaining? Hockey fans. We’re a strange, strange bunch. But ultimately we are full of love, and that’s what matters:
Yup, that’s a camera pointed right at you, buddy. And merrily we roll along…
John Erskine in the penalty box isn’t a wholly unfamiliar site to Caps fans. Unfortunately.
But… dear god.
This time he’s not alone.
And that thing on that man’s head looks mighty hungry:
Quickly we move away from the scary to the scary good, as Nicklas Backstrom provides us with a crucial reminder that he is, in fact, a Swedish ninja:
Holy guacamole.
Of course, Backstrom’s not the only Cap who can dangle his way toward the net. He’s not the only guy on the roster with the slickest hands this side of the Mississippi. Behold, that well-known stickhandling genius… Steve Oleksy?
And finally…
The best part about this two-for-one special isn’t the hockey players in the hats (although admit it, that alone is pure gold). No, the best part is that each dog is very clearly stating his opinion on the situation, whether it’s Karl Alzner’s mustachioed pup attempting to eat his costume or Troy Brouwer’s dog managing to express utter bemusement with just a single head-tilt.
And there you have it! So… what’s your pick?