r/hawks • u/TheAthletic • 1h ago
[Powers] Blackhawks’ Artyom Levshunov exudes happiness in ‘over the moon’ celebrations
CHICAGO — Artyom Levshunov had no idea what he was thinking Thursday as he leaped toward Patrick Kane after scoring the overtime game-winning goal against the Winnipeg Jets.
“I don’t know. I’m just excited, so happy,” the 20-year-old Levshunov explained the day after.
Kane knew exactly what he was thinking. He had to get out of the way.
“I was hoping nobody noticed me kind of backing off him,” Kane said. “But you see a truck like that coming in, obviously, I’m not gonna try and catch him, right? That would be a bad decision.”
Kane made the better decision. Instead of moving up and attempting to grab the 208-pound Levshunov from the air, Kane, 176 pounds, drifted back, let Levshunov hover for a moment and drop back to the ice before joining him.
No hard feelings from Levshunov. He wasn’t banking on Kane catching him. Also, nothing can really knock Levshunov down from the high of his goal-scoring celebrations. Over his three-year NHL career, his celebrations have become renowned. His outward joy for not only his goals but his teammates’ is unmatched. From his wide smile to the way he skates with enthusiasm to the puck to how he seems to be attempting to hug four people at the same time, it’s as if every Chicago Blackhawks goal Levshunov is on the ice for is his first.
“It’s pretty funny how excited he gets,” Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard said. “But it’s good. That’s what you want — people to enjoy it and be having fun with it.”
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