Having a hard time with this whole “social distancing” thing? Yeah – us too. Especially when it comes to the lack of sports. So, we here at The Turf thought we’d offer a way to help ease the pain and suffering. While we may not have any of the current sports leagues to watch live, there is PLENTY of archive footage available at our fingertips. We’ve scoured the internet and assembled some of the most iconic, noteworthy, and remarkable sporting events we could find. We also found some mundane, run of the mill matches and contests, that seemed banal at first watch. However, at this point, we’ll take anything that resembles sports, right? Each day, we’ll feature one of the contests and provide you a link where you can relive the glory, exhilaration, and thrill from the comfort of your couch.

Today: The NHL’s rarest moments from recent memory

The Bruins score 3 shorthanded goals… on a single penalty kill

If the Boston Bruins of the 2010s were known for anything, it was a solid defensive game and top-end penalty kill. On April 10th, 2010, against the Carolina Hurricanes, they put their prowess on full display. Boston scored 3 short-handed goals in 64 seconds while killing a SINGLE penalty. Danny Paille, Blake Wheeler, and Steve Begin combined to accomplish the feat and send announcer Jack Edwards into a trademark frenzy.

Sam Gagner’s 8-point night

Try to think of guys who may have scored 8 points in a single game. You might name a few correctly: Maurice Richard, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux. But it’s Sam Gagner that is the only player to pull it off in the last 30 years. He did so while playing for Edmonton in a game on February 2nd, 2012, against the Chicago Blackhawks. His 8 points (4 goals and 4 assists) tied the Edmonton Oilers’ team record, shared with the Great One himself.

Ben Scrivens saves all 59

Likewise, If I asked you to name a goalie who has recorded 59 saves in ANY game, let alone a shutout, I doubt you’d come up with Ben Scrivens. But the journeyman netminder did just that on January 29th, 2014. He made all 59 saves in a 3-0 Edmonton Oilers victory over the San Jose Sharks. It’s an NHL record for most saves made in a regular season shutout, and a record for most shots the Oilers have allowed in a single game.

The Hurricanes win with an emergency backup

A 42 year-old Zamboni driver, to be specific. Back in February of this year, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves in an unusual, but not totally unique NHL predicament in a game at Toronto: both their starting and backup goalies were lost due to in-game injuries. They had no choice but to turn to the designated emergency backup assigned to that night’s game… one David Ayres. And while we have seen such instances of this recently (shoutout to Scott Foster), this game stands apart. For one thing, Ayres entered the game for Carolina midway through the second period- an unheard of amount of ice time for an emergency backup.

But because he lasted 29 minutes between the pipes, and stopped 8 of 10 shots in a 6-3 Carolina victory, Ayres is credited with the win. The only emergency backup to earn a W. If you need something to bring a smile to your face, just think about the fact that David Ayres now has his own hockey reference page.

See You Tomorrow. Stay Safe. Stay Smart. Wash Your Hands.