Whatever Works: Minor League Hockey Player Scores With His Face

There are some rules about what you can use to score a goal in hockey. You can't use your hand, but you can use your foot, so long as there's no distinct kicking motion. And, in case you were wondering, one minor league player has confirmed that you can, in fact, score a legal goal with your face.

The Utica Comets — the American Hockey League affiliate of the New Jersey Devils — on Friday paid a visit to Rochester to take on the Rochester Americans.

Early in the second period, the Comets found themselves with a one-goal lead and a powerplay. Forward Graeme Clark got the puck at the top of the circle. He walked it into the slot and fired a nice hard wrister.

However, that wrister gave his teammate, Joe Gambardella, a mouthful of biscuit... but still wound up in the back of the net.

Oof. I mean, you're happy you and the boys put another one on the board... but you would have preferred it be done in some other manner. One that doesn't leave you with a split lip which was the case for Gambardella.

Minor League Hockey Player Joe Gambardella Is A Certified Hockey Guy

The Comets went on to win that game, but they didn't have too much time to celebrate, because they had a game on Saturday night back home against the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Surely, Gambardella would take the night off.

Nope, Joe Gambardella is a hockey guy. He said, "Give me the fishbowl, I'm playing."

Utica won that game too, which made it a big weekend for the team. They're currently last in the AHL's North Division so they need the points.

However, if the rest of the Comets have even an ounce of the Hockey Guy-ness that Joe Gambardella has, I think they're going to be just fine.

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