When 62-year-old Mike Palmateer made a sprawling, diving penalty shot save on 43-year-old Tomas Holmstrom to kickoff the 2017 Centennial Classic Alumni Game, none of his teammate’s were surprised.
“Oh my god, in Detroit when he kept waving “get me out of here, get me out of here,” we kept saying “no, no, you’re playing so well”,” Leafs legend Lanny McDonald said after Toronto’s 4-3 loss to Detroit, remembering the 2014 Winter Classic.
Palmateer, wearing the exact same equipment he wore in his final NHL game in 1984, right down to the jock strap, the mask, and the skates, committed so aggressively to the shot that he hurt his back and needed help off of the ice.