The I-5 Corridor

Share this post
Portland's Cross Hanas and James Stefan get in on wave of 'unreal' hockey goals
www.i-5corridor.com

Portland's Cross Hanas and James Stefan get in on wave of 'unreal' hockey goals

Hanas already has a reputation for circus goals. He outdid himself on Saturday and landed up on SportCenter's Top 10. "You takes risks and see what happens."

Tyson Alger
Dec 21, 2021
Comment
Share

(Photo courtesy of the Spokane Chiefs)

The “Michigan” used to be the king of hockey moves. 

You may have seen the highlight from 1996, when Michigan’s Mike Legg picked the puck up on his stick behind the net and wrapped it in above the Minnesota goalie’s shoulder for a goal in the NCAA Tournament. 

This is a football-heavy newsletter, I know, but this thing went about as viral as hockey could go back in the day. 

From the moment that puck went in the net, ice rinks across America were filled with kids trying out “The Michigan.” Most, with bad hands such as myself, couldn’t even get the puck up on the stick. But even the best players mostly refused to try and pull off the move in games. A mistake could prove embarrassing — and painful. But in recent years, a wave of players have started pulling it off relatively routinely.

And that’s led to the next evolution, as exhibited by this alley-oop from Trevor Zegras to Sonny Milano two weeks ago.

Twitter avatar for @BradyTrettBrady Trettenero @BradyTrett
Trevor Zegras oh my god

December 8th 2021

5,039 Retweets27,795 Likes

Again, that one went about as viral as a hockey clip can go.

Portland Winterhawks winger Cross Hanas saw it. He thought it was “unreal.” Then he tried it himself and the result landed the 19-year-old from Texas the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Saturday night. 

Twitter avatar for @pdxwinterhawksPortland Winterhawks @pdxwinterhawks
Anyone happen to catch @SportsCenter last night? 😉

December 19th 2021

26 Retweets141 Likes

In Portland’s 4-1 win over Spokane, Hanas said he noticed in the second period Spokane’s defense was giving him too much cushion with the puck behind the net. With two “Michigan” goals under his belt already in his career, Hanas and teammate James Stefan talked between periods about trying out the “Zegras.” 

Midway through the third period, Hanas got his chance and Stefan buried the goal home between traffic.

“That’s all about hockey — you kind of take risks and see what happens,” Hanas said. “I picked it up and took the risk and Stef, thankfully, batted it out, or else I would have looked a little stupid.” 

The SportsCenter appearance was a nice signal boost for the Winterhawks, who are in their first year under new ownership. The team rebranded with a new logo this summer and is currently fourth in the Western Hockey League’s 10-team Western Conference.

Hanas, a second-round selection by Detroit in the 2020 NHL Draft, is tied for the team lead with 27 points in 28 games. 

— Tyson Alger

CommentComment
ShareShare

Create your profile

0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit)

Skip for now

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.

TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2022 Tyson Alger
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Publish on Substack Get the app
Substack is the home for great writing