Very few individuals can claim to have scored a goal in the National Hockey League (NHL), and even fewer can boast of doing so while their father, a former NHL player turned coach, watched from behind the bench. Kyle MacLean, a rookie for the New York Islanders, falls into this small category.
MacLean’s father, John MacLean, had a successful NHL career and later transitioned into coaching, primarily serving as an assistant. Since 2022, John has been an assistant coach for the Islanders, coincidentally the same organization his son has been a part of since the 2020-21 season.
While Kyle MacLean has spent the past few seasons playing for the Bridgeport Islanders (personally, I’ll always think of them as the Sound Tigers, apologies) in the American Hockey League (AHL), he received a call-up to the NHL this season and has made appearances in a few games.
One of those games took place after the All-Star break when the Islanders faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road. In the second period, with the score tied at 1-1, MacLean found himself in the penalty box for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty given to his teammate, Bo Horvat, after a fight with Toronto’s Simon Benoit.
As the minor penalty expired, the Islanders gained possession of the puck, and forward Cal Clutterbuck passed it to MacLean in the neutral zone, setting up a breakaway opportunity for the rookie. MacLean displayed impressive composure and skill, successfully slipping the puck past Toronto’s goaltender, Ilya Samsonov.
All of this unfolded with MacLean’s father watching proudly from the bench. It was a remarkable goal that provided a significant boost for the Islanders as they embarked on their final stretch of games, ultimately securing a crucial victory against the Leafs.
However, not everyone was as thrilled about MacLean’s goal as the MacLean family and Islanders fans. Toronto’s head coach, Sheldon Keefe, expressed his discontent, dismissing the goal as “Peewee stuff” in reference to youth hockey. One can understand Keefe’s frustration, as any Peewee player would likely be aware of the possibility of a player coming out of the penalty box to create a scoring opportunity.
While it is true that such plays can catch even the best teams off guard, the Leafs should have anticipated this particular situation. Additionally, the lackadaisical effort from defenseman Timothy Liljegren likely did not help Keefe’s forgiveness.
Nevertheless, Keefe’s criticism does not diminish the beauty of MacLean’s first NHL goal. Moreover, the fact that his father was present on the bench to witness the accomplishment adds an extra layer of significance to the moment.