The best hit of the 2014 Winter Olympic hockey tournament was made Sunday — by a goalie.
The player delivering that hit was Slovakian netminder Jan Laco, who held Russia scoreless in regulation before Ilya Kovalchuk won it for the host nation in a shootout.
Laco’s play in net was impressive, but his check on Russian forward Alexei Tereshenko was even better.
Laco lost control of the puck behind his own net, prompting Tereshenko to swoop down in an attempt to capitalize on the goalie’s mishap. He instead found himself flat on his back, as Laco used his booty to level Tereshenko into the end boards.
Legal? Maybe not. Awesome? Definitely.
See the hit in GIF form right here, courtesy of @myregularface.
