Origin of bench skate-by glove-tap after a goal?

[LannysStach]

Three now-common "traditions" in the NHL were not around when I grew up watching the game in the '60s, '70s and '80s —

It was in 1988, at the conclusion of his final Cup-winning game with Edmonton, that Wayne Gretzky began one of them when he first grabbed the Cup and got his teammates to lie down at centre ice for a team photo — and now it's the norm.

I think it was the season after the lock-out in the fall of 2005 that Darius Kasparaitis and the Rangers gathered at centre ice to salute the home fans with raised sticks — I think the first time was after that 13-round shoot-out win. Now it's fairly common around the league.

But where did the skate by the bench and tap gloves after a goal come from?

It definitely was not the norm or done at all (except maybe under exceptional circumstances) back in '60s, '70s, '80s.

 

[MS]

I'd say it started to become a thing in the early 2000s.

One of the most jarring things for me watching old games/highlights from the 1970s is when the entire bench would empty to celebrate a big goal. I'm guessing it was something that was ended along with the rules to prevent bench-clearing brawls, but it looks so weird seeing it now with 18 guys on the ice patting each other on the head for a 2nd period goal.

 

[Killion]

Dont know where it came from but I cant stand it.

 

[The Pale King]

Fairly sure it was the league innovator Matthew C. Cooke who started the bench glove taps. The weird thing is that it was actually after a fly-by elbow early in calendar year of 2002 while he was with the Nucks. The team later adapted it to the (in my opinion) better suited purpose of using it to celebrate a goal, and the rest is history.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

Benches emptying to celebrate a goal was stopped by Ziegler during the Boston/Montreal 1979 semifinal if memory serves.

 

[Mayor Bee]

I seem to remember it a handful of times during the 1995 playoffs. I'll try to find video evidence to support this though.

 

[reckoning]

Benches emptying to celebrate a goal was stopped by Ziegler during the Boston/Montreal 1979 semifinal if memory serves.

Cherry thought Montreal was doing it too often; so in one game when the Habs bench emptied after their first goal, Cherry had all the Bruins empty the bench and skate over to Cheevers to tap him on the pads and console him.

 

[Big Phil]

Three now-common "traditions" in the NHL were not around when I grew up watching the game in the '60s, '70s and '80s —

It was in 1988, at the conclusion of his final Cup-winning game with Edmonton, that Wayne Gretzky began one of them when he first grabbed the Cup and got his teammates to lie down at centre ice for a team photo — and now it's the norm.

I think it was the season after the lock-out in the fall of 2005 that Darius Kasparaitis and the Rangers gathered at centre ice to salute the home fans with raised sticks — I think the first time was after that 13-round shoot-out win. Now it's fairly common around the league.

But where did the skate by the bench and tap gloves after a goal come from?

It definitely was not the norm or done at all (except maybe under exceptional circumstances) back in '60s, '70s, '80s.

I like the center ice picture after a Cup win. Sort of captures the moment.

What I hate are the other two "traditions" in the NHL.

I like the old-school way of scoring a goal and acting like you've been there before. The first time I saw this glove tap along the benches was in junior hockey sometime in the 1990s. Maybe late 1990s. I thought it was odd because I didn't really see it in the NHL at that time. I just find it too scripted.

Same thing with the "salute" at center ice. I remember Jeff Jackson of the Guelph Storm in the OHL having his team do that after every game win or lose. This would be late 1990s as well. I remember thinking..............really? After a loss? I guess I am an unusual fan these days because I don't need to have the players pay attention to me. They are there to play and win, the less they know we're there the better. This is why I don't get this fuss about the Leafs "snubbing" the fans in last night's game because they didn't salute them after a game. Oh boo-hoo!

Cherry thought Montreal was doing it too often; so in one game when the Habs bench emptied after their first goal, Cherry had all the Bruins empty the bench and skate over to Cheevers to tap him on the pads and console him.

That's right. The ref said to Cherry that he couldn't do this. Cherry said if Montreal is emptying their bench so will we. The ref said neither team can do it and the next year the rule was put in.

 

[LannysStach]

The first time I saw this glove tap along the benches was in junior hockey sometime in the 1990s. Maybe late 1990s. I thought it was odd because I didn't really see it in the NHL at that time.

Thanks for that background, Phil.

Here's an article by Damien Cox who also cites it as starting in the Juniors in the '90s ...

Sometime during the early 1990s, however, the theory is that going to the bench en masse for high-fives became popular in the junior game, perhaps, and then graduated to the NHL.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/the_spin/2013/11/beginning_of_the_end_for_an_awful_hockey_tradition.html

Then ...

Originally Posted by acrethrills
Fairly sure it was the league innovator Matthew C. Cooke who started the bench glove taps. The weird thing is that it was actually after a fly-by elbow early in calendar year of 2002 while he was with the Nucks. The team later adapted it to the (in my opinion) better suited purpose of using it to celebrate a goal, and the rest is history.

... could it really been Matt Cooke who first did it in the NHL?!?!?!

 

[Barnum]

First time I ever saw the first bump after a goal was a WHL game in Portland Oregon (Winterhawks) late 80s to early 90s. Having gone to tons of games in New England NHL, NCAA, and WHA in the 70s and 80s, I never saw it there,so I thought it was a west coast minor hockey thing.

 

[Big Phil]

I was just watching the 1996 World Cup between Canada and USA checking out the goals. 7 goals in that final game, no scripted "fist pump" going down the row at the benches. Some hugging after some goals at the bench by the players, and Lindros comes over and Gretzky gives him a big hug and such, as well as Amonte's goal he just comes over to the bench and is mauled by a few Americans. So none of it then in the NHL at least.

Who remembers the 2009 World Juniors when the Canadians and Americans had a little brouhaha because the Canadians were going right by the American bench (seemed like purposely) before going to the Canadian bench?

Yeah, I don't care for it.

 

[steve141]

Fairly sure it was the league innovator Matthew C. Cooke who started the bench glove taps. The weird thing is that it was actually after a fly-by elbow early in calendar year of 2002 while he was with the Nucks. The team later adapted it to the (in my opinion) better suited purpose of using it to celebrate a goal, and the rest is history.

Definitely not invented by Matt Cooke. Watch Nedved (0.36) and Kariya (2.00) doing it during the 1994 Olympics:


I don't know if the shootout contributed to it or not, but it's definitely there.

 

[blogofmike]

It feels like something a junior team would have started, then a bunch of them did it, and then all of them grew up and started doing it in the pros.

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

It feels like something a junior team would have started, then a bunch of them did it, and then all of them grew up and started doing it in the pros.

I think you might actually be right. I remember on Coach's Corner years ago Cherry bellyaching about it (to be fair, I hate fun too) and he menioned something about it starting in the juniors and making its way up.

Wow, hearing Paul Morris on the PA really hit me in the nostalgia...

 

[Big Phil]

Definitely not invented by Matt Cooke. Watch Nedved (0.36) and Kariya (2.00) doing it during the 1994 Olympics:


I don't know if the shootout contributed to it or not, but it's definitely there.

Yeah, the shootout definitely contributed to it. Nedved was an NHLer at this time, and it wasn't happening in the NHL in 1994.

 

[Burke the Legend]

does anyone actually do this in beer leagues?

 

[connellc]

I was a season ticket holder for the Windsor Spitfires in the mid 90's and it was occurring at that time period. It was always a bit quizzical to me why it wasn't happening in the NHL at the time because I never saw it.

 

[Mayor Bee]

Video evidence of it existing in the NHL to at least some extent in 1995.

This is Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The play in question begins at 0:34 of the video.



Here's another from the Devils' previous goal, same game. It's cut off, but it looks like around 0:33 has the tail end of one of these celebrations.



Is it possible that the Devils brought this to the NHL at the same time as nearly everyone rocking a playoff beard?

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

I thought we had a thread on this awhile back with evidence that the Oilers started this in the 80's.

 

[Primary Assist]

Cherry thought Montreal was doing it too often; so in one game when the Habs bench emptied after their first goal, Cherry had all the Bruins empty the bench and skate over to Cheevers to tap him on the pads and console him.

I was hoping you were gonna say Cherry had all the Bruins hop on the Canadiens bench real fast when they were all on the ice

 

[gcdc14]

Teams used to do these in Michigan when I was 5 or 6, which would be back in 93-94.