Igor Shesterkin breaks down his historic goal in hilarious fashion after tonight's game

If you weren't watching the Rangers' home opener tonight, you missed something truly special. New York rolled over the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 at Madison Square Garden, but the final score isn't even close to the best part of this one. Igor Shesterkin, the man, the myth, the $11.5 million netminder, went ahead and scored the first goalie goal in New York Rangers franchise history. And his post-game comments about it? Somehow even better than the goal itself.

A Historic Night at MSG

Shesterkin became just the 18th goaltender in NHL history to find the back of the net, firing the puck into Tampa Bay's empty cage at 17:26 of the third period to cap off the 5-1 victory. It was unassisted, because of course it was. The guy didn't need any help.

The win itself was a breath of fresh air for a Rangers squad that got blanked 3-0 by Boston in their season opener on Tuesday. If you remember last year's nightmare start, where New York got shut out in their first three home games and five of their first seven, going 0-6-1 to open up, this was about as opposite of a vibe as you could ask for. Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Adam Fox chipped in two helpers, Pavel Dorofeyev scored his first as a Ranger, and Eeli Tolvanen also potted his first in a New York sweater. The penalty kill went a perfect 7-for-7. Everything was clicking.

But let's be honest, nobody is going to remember any of that tomorrow. They're going to remember Shesterkin's goal and, more importantly, what he said about it afterward.

"At Least Nobody Punched My Face"

When Rangers insider Peter Baugh caught up with Shesterkin after the game and asked him where scoring a goal ranks among his career highlights, the Russian netminder didn't immediately point to the historic empty-netter. Instead, he said he still enjoys watching his fight from last season, the memorable scrap with Jacob Markstrom that had the hockey world buzzing.

Baugh pressed him on whether tonight's goal tops the Markstrom bout, and Shesterkin delivered the line of the young season: "At least nobody punched my face."

That's an all-time quote right there. The guy literally just became the first Rangers goalie ever to score a goal, joined an exclusive club of just 18 netminders in NHL history to accomplish the feat, and his takeaway is that it went better than his last viral moment because he didn't take a fist to the jaw. You can't teach that kind of personality.

Shesterkin also noted that he had been telling people he would keep trying to score, and he finally delivered on that promise. So apparently this wasn't just a lucky bounce or a desperate heave. The man had intent. He's been manifesting this.

With the Rangers now 1-1-0 and the home crowd at Madison Square Garden finally getting a proper show after last season's early-season misery, the vibes in New York are about as good as they can be two games into a season. And if Shesterkin keeps providing moments like this, both on the ice and behind the microphone, it's going to be a fun year on Broadway.