The Artemi Panarin high kick and other cellys

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.