Fan wins $50,000 with a near impossible shot from the opposite blue line!

This may be the single greatest example of beginners luck that has ever transpired. 

A fan was randomly selected out of the Bell Center crowd and now he finds himself $50,000 richer after what has to be considered a miracle shot given the circumstances of the play. The man, named Patrick Proteau, scored an absolutely miracle shot from the opposite blue line through a hole just slightly larger than the puck itself, a shot that should not be possible for an amateur player. Not only is Proteau an amateur though, the man did not even know which side he should be shooting from according to his comments.

"They offered me a hockey stick, left or right?" Proteau said as per NHL.com. "I don't know. I don't play hockey."

"It was beginner's luck," Proteau said. "I didn't think it was going in. It was going in slow motion, and then I was wondering where [the puck] went until everyone started cheering, and then my jaw dropped."

Proteau said he'd use the money to "spoil" himself and his family. He'll also be going on vacation.

"A trip south is pretty much a sure thing," he said.

The craziest part about this story though is the fact that there were actually 3 shots involved in the contest. The first two were considerably easier and were clearly designed to get the fan a win and hype up the crowd for the event. The first shot, which Proteau made, earned him a mini-fridge which is pretty nice. The second shot from center ice would have won him a pair of seasons tickets, but to give you an idea of the level of skill Proteau has he completely missed the net on that attempt. That is not a slight against Proteau, but instead I merely illustrate it to highlight just how amazing this third shot truly was. 

For the third shot the area in which he has to shoot is reduced to a miniscule, puck-sized, hole and he has to fire it from over 125 feet away. In spite of missing the much easier second shot Proteau completely nailed this one, and you can see the replay below.