Watch: Avalanche defenseman shows amazing sportsmanship

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Avalanche defenseman declines penalty in amazing show of sportsmanship

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 12/20/22

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, and he might also be the best sportsman in the league as well.

During the Avalanche's 1-0 win over the New York Islanders on Monday night, Makar appeared to be tripped as he was skating with the puck out of his own zone. His fall brought an immediate penalty call from the backside referee who naturally assumed he had been tripped by Islanders forward Mathew Barzal.

Makar was not having that.

He immediately waved off the official, told him Barzal did not trip him, and that he had fallen on his own.

The referee actually listened, discussed things as a group, and then decided that there would be no penalty called on the play.

The refs called tripping...but Cale Makar told them he just slipped and the call was overturned pic.twitter.com/KkU0BJPOkS
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 20, 2022

How often do you see something like that happen in sports?

Makar did say after the fact that he felt guilty doing it because he was afraid he was going to let his teammates down while adding “I don’t know if it’s something I’ll do again.”

Whether or not he will do it again, the Islanders certainly respected him for it with Islanders captain Anders Lee saying it was an honorable thing for him to do.

But there is another aspect to all of this as well: How referees will now look at Makar.

Officials do not like getting shown up by players, and players that have a tendency to dive or embellish do not always get the benefit of the doubt on calls. By doing the exact opposite of that, former NHL referee (and current ESPN rules analyst) Dave Jackson told The Athletic that he has never seen a player do something like that before, but that it will go a long way toward getting respect from officials.

The Avalanche were the better team all night and did not need the extra power play to win.

You might also never see something like that again in the NHL.

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