Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesWhen Ilya Sorokin scored a goal on March 1, 2025, his good friend Igor Shesterkin wasn't particularly pleased that Sorokin scored an NHL goal before he did.
Shesterkin had previously joked that Sorokin’s goal should not have counted.
In the New York Rangers’ home-opening 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Shesterkin finally scored his first goal, launching the puck all the way from just above his crease into the empty net.
“This one counts,” Shesterkin said.
Since Shesterkin scored a goal as a 19-year-old in a junior league in Russia, he’s been desperately craving to score a goal again, and it took him over ten years.
The Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender has always had some of the best puck handling skills for a goalie, and he came pretty close to scoring on a number of occasions.
“I feel like probably a dozen times I've been on the bench thinking, okay, this one goes in and he barely misses,” Zibanejad said.
When Shesterkin shot the puck from his own zone, and it was inching towards the goal, it was a perfect bullseye, and there was no doubt from everyone at Madison Square Garden that it would cross the red line.
“Probably when it was at the peak,” Sullivan said about when he knew Shesterkin’s shot would go in the net.
Shesterkin made history, becoming the first Rangers goaltender to score a goal. The celebration after Shesterkin’s history-making goal trumped the impressive feat itself.
The 30-year-old goaltender was swarmed by his teammates and led the handshake line to the bench, as the crowd went into a frenzy, with the mood and excitement around Madison Square Garden palpable.
“Everyone started jumping on me," Shesterkin said. "Unbelievable feelings… It was a long time in my head so I thought I would celebrate in a different way, but like I said I didn't see the puck go across the line and I was just a little bit shy and didn't know what I can do," Shesterkin said. "Maybe next time. I will keep trying to score one more time.”
