(Clarification Appended: February 15, 2011) Richard Marsh put the puck in the six-inch goal from nearly 200 feet away. But a misstep cost him – and his charity – a huge reward.
At a U.S. Hockey League game Saturday in Indianapolis, Marsh stood at one end of the rink, staring down the opposite goal nearly 200 feet away. He wound up and hurled the puck across the ice. His shot-in-the-dark just scraped through the inches-wide opening in the goal, shocking the crowd. But the shot wouldn’t count because Marsh was just a few feet too close, standing in front of the designated starting line.
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Was it right for the challenge’s hosts to disqualify Marsh for being too close? That lucky shot came with a $50,000 prize, which Marsh could have kept for himself, but he graciously decided to donate to the St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana. Disqualifying the lucky shooter meant that the charity would be denied their prize. Was it stinginess, or was it just playing by the rulebook? (Clarification: Contrary to previous reports, Allstate was the listed sponsor of the event, but they were not responsible for denying payment. The decision was made by a third-party insurance company, not Allstate.)
Though it wasn’t all heartache for St. Vincent. The USHL said Indiana Ice owners Paul and Cindy Skjodt later made a donation to the heart hospital to honor Marsh’s incredible goal. Turns out Marsh was in good hands after all.
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