BOSTON — It isn’t often that you hear comparisons between members of the Bruins and Red Sox.
In fact, you almost never do, as hockey and baseball are diametrically opposed to one another. We’re talking about a non-contact sport and a sport where there’s literally zero way to avoid contact. This is apples and oranges, folks — Canada and America!
That’s why it was so odd to hear Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery evoke the name of a legendary Red Sox pitcher when discussing David Pastrnak’s penalty shot following Boston’s win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
“I liked it. (He put it) right in the top corner,” Montgomery told reporters postgame. “He disguised it, kind of looked like Luis Tiant, right? He brought it back behind him.”
Story continues below advertisement
Tiant, who played for the Red Sox from 1971-1978, was famous for his funky delivery off the mound. The three-time All-Star would twist his body to disguise the baseball, keeping hitters off balance during his wind up. Pastrnak (kind of) did the same thing against the Predators, disguising the puck from Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros before sniping a shot past him to give Boston a lead.
The deception wasn’t quite as dramatic as Tiant’s, but certainly didn’t look like a normal hockey shot. Pastrnak, unfortunately for us all, did not get the idea from watching old Red Sox highlights. He instead developed it when playing floorball with his friends back in Europe.
“I tried a couple of different shots this summer,” Pastrnak said postgame. “I definitely worked on that. It’s a fun shot, a little different… I promised my buddy I would practice (floorball) with them and I went, and honestly I was terrible, but they all shoot like that.
Story continues below advertisement
“I tried to do it there and I was really bad at it, but I tried it on the ice and it was much better.”
Don’t be surprised if the 27-year-old pulls that maneuver out of his bag of tricks again, however. He’s been working hard at it, and has had nothing but success when trying it on teammates.
“It works every time,” Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman said postgame. “He’s real good at it.”
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
