This is one of the best moments of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Chris Kreider showed Friday why he’s likely going to be the next captain of the New York Rangers. The Rangers were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the NHL Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena.
Down 3-2 in the series, the Rangers needed a win to stay alive. Pittsburgh took an early 2-0 lead in Game 6 before Mika Zibanejad scored two consecutive goals for the Rangers to tie things up. Unfortunately, Zibanejad took a delay of game penalty shortly after evening the score.
After Zibanejad came out of the penalty box, he received a breakaway pass from defenseman Adam Fox. Zibanejad broke in alone on Pittsburgh goalie Louis Domingue but hit the post with his shot.
Zibanejad was visibly frustrated as he came onto the bench after missing the breakaway attempt. The Swedish forward asked the Rangers’ coaching staff for a tablet so he could watch his breakaway attempt and see what he did wrong.
Zibanejad’s teammate and good friend, Chris Kreider, was sitting next to him on the bench. As soon as Zibanejad reached for the tablet, Kreider ripped it from his hands and threw it onto the ground. Kreider wanted Zibanejad to move on from his mistake immediately.
Check out this awesome clip below. The best part might be Zibanejad being completely unfazed by Kreider’s tablet throw:
Video:
Here’s the hilarious moment in GIF form:
Kreider’s smashing of the tablet seemed to work, as he and Zibanejad combined for the winning goal in the next period. New York won the game by 5-3 score to send the series back to MSG for a Game 7.
Kreider clarified in his post-game interview why he threw the iPad. “He [Mika] was looking at the breakaway and I heard him start second guessing his move and I didn’t really like that. He beat goalie clean, hit the post. No need to second guess.”
Zibanejad likely would have learned something useful from watching his breakaway replay on the tablet, but Kreider just wanted his friend to move on. There’s a famous old saying that we do not heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by living in the present.
Considering Kreider and Zibanejad combined for a goal minutes later, Kreider’s tablet throw can be viewed as an awesome moment of leadership. With the captaincy currently vacant in Broadway, it likely won’t be long before Kreider gets the ‘C’ on his Rangers’ jersey.
