Ice Hockey: Two Minutes for Breaking All-Time Goal Record
Confusion reigned over Slovak ice hockey Tuesday night as Arne Krotak was sent to the penalty box for two minutes for celebrating the goal which made him the leading goal scorer in the history of the country, according to a report in the Slovak newspaper SME.
Krotak, who plays for the Slovak side Poprad, scored his 394th career goal during an away game in the city of Kosice, and placed himself ahead of Vincent Lukac, as the player with the most goals in the history of the Slovak Extraliga.
After the puck landed in the back of the net, Krotak’s teammates got up off the bench and rushed to the ice to congratulate him. While on the ice, each Poprad player proceeded to take off his jersey — under which was a shirt with the words “Krotak 394″ inscribed on it.
The Kosice crowd, however, was apparently in no mood to join in the celebration or ponder the historical significance of the event. After a couple of minutes, they started to jeer Krotak. The referee then skated over to the ecstatic huddle around Krotak and directed the player to the penalty box to sit out two-minutes for disrupting the game.
Officials from Poprad insist that the referees were apprised that there would be an extensive celebration should Krotak break the Slovak goal record in Kosice, and they claim that the referees had agreed to let the celebration take place.
The report in SME states that the referee avoided reporters question after the game and left the arena through a side exit.
Krotak played four seasons with Kosice but was traded to Poprad in 2006.
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