TORONTO – Mike Palmateer had just sprawled across the crease and tossed his 62-year-old body to the ice to make a save, and then the Toronto-born goalie decided to lay on the ice, face down, for a little bit.
"I was thinking: I killed myself," Palmateer said, laughing, following Saturday’s Centennial Classic alumni game. "Then I realized I didn’t. But I did wrench my back. It seized right up."
What brought on this sequence—one of the highlights of the alumni matchup between Toronto and Detroit—was a Tomas Holmstrom penalty shot. It came less than 3 minutes into the game, and with Palmateer starting in net for Toronto, 42 years after the team drafted him.
"I stayed with him, which was pretty good," Palmateer said, of the penalty shot. "He goes upstairs, he’s got me. It’s all about second effort."
Not only did Palmateer shut the door on Holmstrom, but once he got up—that was possible thanks to the help of a referee, and a couple teammates—the former Maple Leaf was congratulated by both teams before he promptly exited the ice, shutout intact, and with a sparkling 1.000 save percentage.
It was the only shot he’d see on Saturday. And Palmateer was perfect.
"It was certainly a save that I’ve made once or twice in my life, so it was kinda nice to go out that way," Palmateer said. "It’s good: I went out with a penalty, stopped a penalty shot, and got a shutout!
"Still haven’t let a goal in [in] 35 years."
Because of bad knees that plagued him throughout his NHL career, Palmateer said he "could barely stand up straight" and can’t kneel or bend and had only planned to play a few minutes on Saturday. And he looked like he was plucked out of a different era—the ’80s, to be specific—because he wore the same equipment he had when he played his last season as a Maple Leaf in 1984.
"Everything I’m wearing is everything I finished with," he said, "right down to the jock." He wore a replica of one of his old Maple Leafs masks, and had a shot hit him in the head, he says: "It would have knocked me out."
The old school gear and his big save made former teammates remember the Palmateer of old, who played for the Leafs in the late ’70s and at the end of his career in the early ’80s.
"That was classic Palmateer," a grinning Lanny McDonald said of the save, post-game. "It looked like he had no chance whatsoever, flipped over backwards, lay out as far as he could, obviously pulled something—maybe everything—but made the save. How cool is that?"
Tiger Williams was drafted to the Maple Leafs the same year as Palmateer. "Palmy’s made saves like that in front of me hundreds of times," Williams said. "It was a great save. He looked 100 years old with his old pads and that mask. It was really cool."
Once Palmateer went down, teammates knew that he’d need help to get up.
"Before the game he said, ‘if I end up going down, guys, somebody’s gotta come over and pick me up,’" McDonald said. "He said once his knees bend they don’t straighten out so well."
Palmateer may be turning 63 in a couple weeks but one of his knees—the left—is much newer. He had it replaced in 1999. Next year, he’ll get the right one replaced, which will be his 21st knee surgery. He’s had 11 surgeries on his right knee so far.
"Palmy’s never had good knees, and he’s not the fittest individual in the world," Williams said, laughing. "But he still comes and competes, and that’s what it’s all about, you know? Palmy’ll be 63 his next birthday. He’s not a young chicken."
But as Williams then pointed out: They’re the same age. Then he added: "Gettin’ old’s a pain in the ass believe me."
Despite the knees and the age, Palmateer said there was no way he was missing this game.
"It hurts, but you’re a hockey player—just have to do it, have to try. The main thing is I just didn’t want to hurt the knee that was replaced. I could kill the one that wasn’t replaced, that’s ok, because it’s gonna get replaced anyway. That was the way I went into the game: Try not to hurt the good knee."
Well, does he have a good knee? "The one that was replaced, anyway," Williams said, grinning.
Post-game, Palmateer was feeling pretty good. The back had loosened up, and he was about to have some beers with the boys.
"Now, I’m not so bad," he said, still wearing those vintage pads. "Definitely won’t move tomorrow."
