Goalie-stick-rider Tate was unaware of Tiger Williams; Clouston talks showmanship

“Just kind of a chat among the guys,” Tate said when asked what spurred him to jump aboard his paddle. “It started as a joke in practice and I got the chance to pull it out on the ice. I knew as soon as the shootout started, as soon as overtime ended, that I had the celebration in my head.”

Vancouver Giants’ top scorer and Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Mathis Preston was methodical in his approach to a shootout attempt on Friday [Oct. 23] at Sandman Centre, creeping in on Tate needing a goal to extend the contest.

Tate outwaited Preston.

“Caught the puck, tossed it, said a little something to him and then just rode my stick,” Tate said. “He was talking trash to a bunch of the guys, so I thought I’d give it to him right before.”

Kamloops won 4-3 and by the time Tate reached for his phone after the game, the clip was well on its way across the Internet.

“It’s a little funny to me, such a random thing to happen, such a random thing to do,” said Tate, the 6-foot-4 backstop who is 5-1 this season with a .936 save percentage. “I didn’t expect anything to come out of it, maybe a post from the Blazers, but that was all.”

Blazers’ head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston has mixed feelings on showmanship.

“To me, I’m a little bit old school,” he said. “I would rather the guys be a little bit more reserved. I think the other team can use it as ammo a little bit, payback. But, again, I’m not going to make a big deal about it. I try to let the young players have their fun.”

Tate plans to keep his stick out of his five-hole in the immediate future.

“I think if it ever comes out again, it’s got to be a big win,” he said. “For now, I’ll just keep it tucked away.”

by Marty Hastings

Goalie-stick-rider Tate was unaware of Tiger Williams; Clouston talks showmanship

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