There's nothing a goalie hates more than when a teammate takes a shot at them when they're not expecting it.
Usually, such transgressions occur during the pre-game warm-up or at practice.
In a Boxing Day game in the KHL, it happened in the midst of game action.
Pretty unique kind of friendly fire 🧐 pic.twitter.com/hMXiqkCBOj
— KHL (@khl_eng) December 26, 2025
As SKA St. Petersburg was facing Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo forward Vitaly Pinchuk brought the puck along the boards toward the SKA end, passing in front of the St. Petersburg team's bench.
Timing it perfectly, SKA defenseman Markus Phillips delivered a punishing body check, lifting Pinchuk over the boards. He was still airborne as he went crashing into SKA backup goaltender Egor Zavragin.
The force of the collision sent Zavragin spilling backwards and down the tunnel leading to the dressing room. Impressively, almost immediately, Pinchuk was back on his feet, climbing over the boards and back into the action.
Bad Advice From The Professor
SKA coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov is considered among the most knowledgeable minds in hockey. His wisdom about the game has earned him the nickname "The Professor."
However, even professors sometimes give out bad advice. In this instance, Larionov was guilty of such a transgression.
“Literally a minute and a half before, I told the goalie on the bench, Zavragin, ‘Take off your mask," Larionov told Russian broadcaster MatchTV, according to translation provided by the website RMNB. "This isn’t junior hockey. You need to watch the game so they can see your face.'”
Just moments before the collision with Pinchuk, Zavragin found himself dodging a flying puck.
“In the second period, I told him, ‘Take off your mask again," Larionov said. "People want to see you on TV.’ He said, ‘No, I was almost knocked out.’ Zava said he won’t take his mask off again, even on the bench.”
The incident left one unanswered question.
Can a player be penalized for backup goalie interference?