1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

11-year-old hits impossible hockey trick shot, but denied prize money

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by The Big Ragu, Sep 1, 2011.

  1. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I hate to say it, but there are certain situations where you have to lie.

    That's a shitty message to send to your kids, but that's the reality of it.
     
  2. dreunc1542

    dreunc1542 Active Member

    You just needed a better jumper.
     
  3. Machine Head

    Machine Head Well-Known Member

    Why lie about this situation?

    Anyway, some of the money is going to the Owatonna Youth Hockey Association. The drummer in this video, Bill Conway, played hockey for Owatonna:



    RIP Sandman.
     
  4. Machine Head

    Machine Head Well-Known Member

    Better video including comments from the father:

    The boys’ father, Pat Smith, initially wrote Nick’s name down on a form given him by organizers but later felt guilty and admitted to contest officials that the wrong twin had taken the winning shot.

    “You’ve got to do what’s right,” Smith told Reuters last month. “You don’t want to teach kids to lie no matter how much money is involved.”



    http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/01/us-boy-is-denied-prize-after-amazing-hockey-shot

    It's pretty amazing when you actually see the puck in front of the hole and how little room for errror there was. Great shot by the kid.
     
  5. Double J

    Double J Active Member

    I don't like insurance companies, but this was probably the right decision for them to make.

    My understanding is that there are some people at the game who were pissed off at the deception when it became known, believing another name should have been called to try the shot if Nick was not there when his name was called. You gotta figure some asshole would have filed a frivolous but troublesome lawsuit if the insurance company had paid out the prize anyway. "I believe MY name would have been called next if organizers had done the right thing!"
     
  6. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    It's a 3 inch hole for fuck sakes.

    Fuck the people who would have been pissed off
     
  7. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    If anything, I'd almost argue that the contest is a fraud. People are paying money for raffle tickets for the chance to shoot.

    But it's a 3.5-inch hole, with a 3-inch puck. It's nearly impossible to get the puck into the hole, with the exception of this kid. It's like having a rigged lottery in which no one ever wins.
     
  8. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    It's like the basketball hoops at the amusement park. A normal basketball hoop is twice the size of the ball. The ones at carnivals are one inch bigger than the ball. Is it possible to hit the shot? Sure... But it's harder than anyone thinks it is.

    For a hockey puck? Forget about it.
     
  9. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    I hear that argument always goes over well in lawsuits.
     
  10. jlee

    jlee Well-Known Member

    In this case, like the limbless cheerleader case, you'd hope there's no one slimy enough to sue. Sadly, you'd probably be wrong. I don't think giving the money to charity was a bad idea -- the kids learn their lesson about lying but don't walk away completely empty-handed -- but why not give the whole shebang, or let the kids pick the charity?

    But that's all nit-picking when the common-sense solution is simple: Thank the kids for their honesty and let them keep the money.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page