As a former goalie, I have seen my fair share of goaltending controversies. From having to start every other game (no matter who won the previous game), to getting pulled once I allowed three goals (no matter how many we had) and getting benched in favor of an inferior goalie, I have seen most of everything. But what happened in a high school hockey game in Minnesota yesterday is something I have never seen before. For those who aren’t aware, they take their high school hockey seriously in Minnesota. Like Texas football and Indiana basketball, high school hockey packs arenas with thousands of fans every night. It is so big the state finals are at the Xcel Energy Center with large crowds in attendance.
In Farmington, Minn., senior goalie Austin Krause spent most of the season disgruntled and with a chip on his shoulder because he was benched in favor of a sophomore. The team played 23 games this season and Krause was making his ninth start because the sophomore was injured. Reports from other media sources state that the goaltending controversy caused a rift between the goalies and their families. And when there is a rift between the players who are supposed to help the team win, it will cause a division among the rest of the team.
When Krause made the Senior Night start against Chaska High, he put his plan to quit on the team to action. His team was leading by one late in the third period when he took the puck from behind his net and scored on himself. When the confused Chaska players were celebrating, Krause took his helmet off, shown his bench and coaches the middle finger before leaving the ice. To make matters worse, the backup on the bench allowed a goal shortly after entering the game to turn a possible Farmington 2-1 win into a 3-2 loss.
And just like any other athlete who makes bad decisions, Krause took to Facebook to post this statement after the game:
“They played this sophomore goalie for the starter, he was terrible, I would try and talk to the coaches about this and tell them I want playing time but they never really listen to me or gave me a chance to show them that I’m a better goalie but still wouldn’t trust me so I had it it with I asked a few of my players if they care if I did it and they didn’t care they thought it would be funny so at the third period they dumped it in I stopped it put in my net started to skate off then flicked the coaches not the team the coaches then I saluted them then got off.”
He added: “My hockey season is over. I did it for myself. (Like my status) if you think the coaches should quit:)”
I hope Krause enjoyed his 15 seconds of fame and will remember this moment for the rest of his life. He embarrassed not only himself but his team, his school, his coaches and his family. I had to watch the last game of my competitive career from the bench as my team lost in the District semifinals for the second straight year. I would have started the final on both occasions, and for a long time it hurt me inside knowing that I never got to play in the state tournament. I felt some consolation when players I played with that final season won the District tournament and played in the state tournament two years later. I still play at the recreation/beer league level to this day but it’s not the same. If he wanted to quit so bad, he could have walked away and allowed the rest of his team to compete to the best of their ability. But all the good memories of playing together this season was taken away in 15 seconds.
The video of the intentional goal is below.
How do you figure he quit in style? What a dick….
Yep, I see these kids everyday coming out of college into the work force like somebody owes them something.
“I did it for myself”….
Yep…..You’re a loser kid. A flat out loser….
You people are kidding right. This kid got crapped on for an inferior goalie all season and then all of a sudden he is suppose to care. If the coaches really cared why didn’t they make an effort to play the better goalie. Extreme reaction, sure, but treating this kid like he is a loser because he stood up and did something about gertting shafted isn’t a loser move, thats just calling it like it is. Maybe if the coaches were higher caliber the situation would never have gotten that far in the first place.
Really man!? How is this not a total loser move? Do we even have proof the other goalie was worse? What coach would purposefully play the worst goalie? They were in a position like that to compete…so, obviously the sophomore could not have been that bad. Either way any good teammate would not have shafted his friends and fellow players like that. The other players on his team were the ones that got shafted. Krause is a selfish idiot.
Always find it funny how when people in authority screw others it is just accepted, like everyone is supposed to grin and bear it. But when someone not in authority challenges that, in this situation this kid, and says he is not putting up with it he is called a loser, a bad sport, everything and anything to segregate and demean. And if you have never been on a team where the less talented player played then you haven’t played a lot of team sports, even the initiator of this article conceded to that point. Anyone can say what they want and toss out opinions, fact is the kid felt screwed and did something about it. Whether that is interpreted as right or wrong by whatever varying value system anyone brings to the table, I much rather respect a kid for standing up and doing something about it than not, for not laying down and taking it, for expressing the flaws and fallacies of being disregarded. Over time I hope he learns how to express that in a better way, but he did show some care for his teammates by asking before hand, and I would much rather value people who decide to stand up and do something rather than swallow it and do nothing.
Getting back at is coach… fine i can live with that. Why did his teamates get screwed?
I’m +1000 with the selfish call. No way this is a team player and guess what … hockey is still a team sport. There is no place for selfishness on a hockey team or any team sports for that mather. He wanted to stand up and do something about it? There was 100 ways he could have done it without screwing his teamates that had nothing to do with is playing time.
Just for clarity I do agree this should have been handled diffferently. Before the game even started he should have said to the coaches “hey, this is not cool and I cannot support the team like this” and that way the team could have planned accordingly, totally agree with that.
What the heck is this kids problem? Hockey is supposed to be for fun but it is also to build friendships and team unity.this kids screwed over his team and completely disrespected the game.what a loser why was he playing in the first place.if ur not good enough work harder in practice and show the coach that your attitude and worth ethic as a backup makes you a good candidate to start.i cannot believe anyone would think this is funny