The entertainment industry has the EGOT. Maybe the NHL needs the EPSEG?
The EGOT is the prodigious designation given to those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Only 15 people can lay claim to having won all four of these awards.*
The NHL’s version would consist of those scoring a goal in the following fashions: even strength, power play, shorthanded, empty net and game winning.
OK, so maybe the EPSEG isn’t quite as tremendous an honor than the EGOT and just maybe we made it up so we could present the following:
Only seven players this season have an EPSEG, with Minnesota’s Zach Parise one of those and he’s done it despite having just six goals. The others: Carolina’s Sebastian Aho (9 goals), San Jose’s Tomas Hertl (10), Vegas’ William Karlsson (8), Ottawa’s Vladislav Namestnikov (6), Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg (9) and Washington’s Tom Wilson (9).
Parise tallied his first shorthanded goal in nearly six years (his previous one was Nov. 23, 2013) during Saturday’s 4-3 loss to Carolina.
On the season, Parise also has three even-strength goals, two on the power play, two empty net and one game-winning goal.
While the EPSEG might not be as rare as the EGOT, it’s only been done by 16 different players (for a total of 30 times) in Wild history.
Parise also did it in 2013-14, when he scored 29 goals with 14 even strength, 14 power play, one shorthanded, five game winners and two empty net.
Last season, Mikael Granlund was the only Minnesota player to accomplish the EPSEG, one of four times he did it (every season since 2015-16).
The others in Wild history to claim an EPSEG:
Kyle Brodziak (2010-11), Marc Chouinard (2003-04, 2005-06), Cal Clutterbuck (2011-12), Pavol Demitra (2006-07), Marian Gaborik (2002-03, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08), Darby Hendrickson (2001-02), Mikko Koivu (2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2015-16), Antti Laaksonen (2002-03), Antti Miettinen (2008-09), Owen Nolan (2009-10), Brian Rolston (2005-06), Eric Staal (2006-17, 2017-18) and Jason Zucker (2014-15, 2017-18).
Other notes:
-- Koivu has the most points in Wild franchise history against the Buffalo Sabres, Tuesday’s opponent, with 16 (four goals, 12 assists). Ryan Suter is next with 12 (two goals, 10 assists).
-- Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has the most career assists in the NHL of anyone born in 2000 or later, with 47. His next assist will move him into a tie with Bobby Orr and Scott Stevens for sixth-most assists by a defenseman before turning 20. Dahlin doesn’t turn 20 until April 13. Former Buffalo defenseman Phil Housley tops the list.
Statistics courtesy Sportradar, NHL.com and hockey-reference.com
* - For those wondering, in alphabetical order: Mel Brooks, John Gielgud, Whoopi Goldberg, Marvin Hamlisch, Helen Hayes, Audrey Hepburn, John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Robert Lopez, Rita Moreno, Mike Nichols, Tim Rice, Richard Rodgers, Scott Rudin and Jonathan Tunick. Six others have an EGOT with an asterisk, having earned one only through being given a special honorary award (Harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones, Alan Menken, Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand).
