THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503230734
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
Call it the shot seen 'round the world.
Saturday at Scope, Hampton Roads Admirals goalie Corwin Saurdiff wristed a puck over a crowd of attackers and down the ice into an empty net. It is believed to be only the fifth goal scored by a goaltender in a regular-season professional hockey game.
The game was televised by a Charlotte station. The shot was uplinked via satellite and has been shown on ESPN, Prime Network, CNN and The Sports Network, Canada's version of ESPN. The Admirals have been deluged with phone calls from reporters, including one from London. The Hockey News and Hockey Inc. plan feature stories.
And the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has asked for and will receive the stick.
``I knew it was going to go over big, that it would be on TV,'' said Saurdiff, who had all his teammates sign the stick after the game. ``But when I would see it, I didn't know.''
That came Monday night, when Saurdiff was in Chicho's, a Virginia Beach restaurant, celebrating teammate Rick Kowalsky's birthday. The TV was tuned to ESPN when he saw himself on the screen on a teaser for a series of highlights to be shown following a commercial.
``That's me,'' he hollered to everyone within earshot. ``I'm going to be on ESPN!''
Those around him smiled and winked skeptically until the commercial ended and The Shot appeared in living color. ``The bar music was too loud for us to hear the sound, but we could see it,'' Saurdiff said.
Did Saurdiff hesitate when asked to give up the stick? ``No,'' he said. ``It's something to be proud of. I can always say I have a stick in the Hall of Fame. My name will be there.
``And any time I want to see it, I know where it is.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Corwin Saurdiff's potent goalie stick will be enshrined at the
Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. ``It's something to be proud of,''
he said. ``And any time I want to see it, I know where it is.''
BILL TIERNAN Staff
by CNB