As a defenseman in hockey, your main job is to prevent the other team from scoring. On the first day of the 2018 World Junior Championships, Canada defenseman Cal Foote embraced that message with what could be the best save of the entire tournament. Again, he’s not a goaltender.
Look at this play:
Oh my god what a save by Cal Foote pic.twitter.com/GzjXLTYmn7
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 26, 2017
Finland was clearly going to score a goal on this play, and it seemed like there wasn’t going to be anything Foote could do about it. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect miraculously dove across the blue paint to swing the puck away and save a goal.
When this happened, Canada was leading, 4-2, in the third period. That goal by Finland would’ve cut the deficit to one and put some major pressure on the Canadians for the duration of the game. Instead, Foote’s stunning hand save allowed them to retain their breathing room en route to victory.