The Artemi Panarin high kick and other cellys
The NHL has embraced the concept of he “Celly.” The league is promoting goal celebrations as they try to improve the appeal of the game to a younger audience. Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers as adopted his own version and it’s unique.
When the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin started scoring goals by the bushel, there was a need for a unique way of celebrating. Panarin is a showman and he decided to adopt his own version of the “Celly” and the resulting high leg kick has become something to look forward to.
Before he joined the Rangers, Panarin had a different celly, sort of a punching motion. It was pretty ordinary and he probably got the idea to do something special when the Blue Jackets played the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2018. Evgeny Kuznetsov has one of the most unique moves when he scores a goal, doing the “bird.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov doesn't care if his bird celebration is rubbing some people the wrong way. (Via @lukefoxjukebox)https://t.co/lBSKVthkXh pic.twitter.com/qk5EYOaR4o
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2017
Kuznetsov actually stopped doing the bird doing the playoffs after Panarin scored an overtime winner and the entire Columbus arena erupted in mocking the bird. It had to give Panarin the idea that he needed a new form of celebration, especially now that is a $10 million man playing at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
No doubt, Panarin got the idea over the summer while he was vacationing with his buddy Sergei Bobrovsky.
Shortly after the season started, Panarin unveiled his new high kick celly. At first, fans thought he as doing it because the Rangers are owned by the same folks who own Radio City Music Hall and it was a Rockettes promotion. Nope, it is just a one of a kind hockey player doing his own one of a kind goal celebration.
Here is the high kick celly in slow motion in all of its glory:
The Panarin leg kick IN SLO MO is all you need!!!
— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) January 14, 2020
5 points for this cat tonight!!! #LGR #NYR pic.twitter.com/Tcm58Buj2S
The good news is he has been doing it a lot and shows no sign of slowing down.
The High Kick ™ pic.twitter.com/YYcD7imPg8
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 26, 2019
As for other Rangers, they are getting into the act. Brady Skjei had some fun with it after Panarin’s hat trick against the Islanders.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? 🤷♂️@BradySkjei | @artemiypanarin pic.twitter.com/2NKQ36YxSs
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 14, 2020
As for other Rangers, Filip Chytil is working on perfecting the kneeling air punch celly.
Chytil with the 👌 celly after tying it in the 3rd! pic.twitter.com/sr51bguReV
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 7, 2019
That’s a move that Mika Zibanejad has been using for a while.
MIKA OT WINNER AND #NYR CELLY FROM ICE LEVEL!! https://t.co/BjLAaCawaz
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 15, 2018
While most of the time the players just jump into each others arms, the Rangers have an interesting history when it comes to goal celebrations.
Riding the stick
Tie Domi was one of the most memorable New York Rangers and he was better known for his pugilistic skills than his scoring, but when he scored, look out! Domi would imitate one of his idols, Dave “Tiger” Williams and go for a ride on his stick. It’s hilarious.
The Jagr salute
Jaromir Jagr never did the salute while he was with the Rangers, but Mike Rupp made sure to mimick him at the 2012 Winter Classic. Rupp scored a second period goal to get the Rangers within a goal in a game that they would win 3-2. Rupp actually added a second tally and Henrik Lundqvist stopped a Daniel Briere penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left in the game.
After the game Rupp played dumb, telling reporters that it wasn’t his intent, but it was obvious that Rupp was making fun of Jagr’s patented goal scoring salute. As for Jagr, he wasn’t insulted, telling NBC “We’re still gonna play them three more times,” he said, “and I think I’m gonna score and salute him back.” It did rub a number of the Flyers the wrong way coming from a player who finished his career with 54 goals, compared to Jagr’s 766. And Ranger fans remember that Jagr equaled Rupp’s career total in the 2005-06 season alone when he scored a team record 54 goals.
A brawl resulted
And who can forget Artem Anisimov’s sniper celly that nearly cause an on-ice melee. It happened nine years ago against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ranger fans loved the move and the23-year old Anisimov didn’t know what he did wrong.
The game was played at Madison Square Garden in December, 2011. It was a shorthanded goal that gave the Rangers the lead. When Anisimov made his shooting motion he was immediately assaulted by a number of Lightning players, most notably tough guy Steve Downie. To make matters worse, Anisimov got a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Not only that, coach John Tortorella made Anisimov apologize to his teammates and said that there is no room in the NHL for that kind of celebration. It’s ironic that in today’s NHL, that move would probably get Anisimov a league promotional video. As for the Lighting, chalk it up to thin skins and they won the game in a shootout.
The best ever
There is no doubt who owns the most distinctive New York Rangers goal celebration move and it was magical in its simplicity. When Mark Messier scored, he did nothing more than to thrust his arms straight up into the air and wait to be mobbed by his teammates.
He got to do it three times when he guaranteed a win and followed it up with a hat trick in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils, one of the greatest individual performances in NHL history.
There have been 21,185 goals scored by the New York Rangers in the regular season and playoffs since they first took the ice in 1926. That means over 21,185 goal celebrations. Artemi Panarin is doing his best to make his the most memorable in Blueshirts history.
Fee free to weigh in with your favorite goal celebrations.
light. More. Go to the Olympics please