Frank “The Tank” wins big after scoring from center ice.
An unlikely winner.
If you've been to enough hockey games during your lifetime you've probably seen numerous attempts at challenges similar to this one. It usually involves an unsuspecting fan from the crowd firing off the puck from the blue line or from center ice, one in which prizes are almost always involved.
On Friday the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL hosted their own challenge, but this time around the man taking the shot was none other than Frank "The Tank" Fleming, a sports commentator and podcaster that has made a name for himself in recent years for his rather unique perspective on the world of sports. Frank is not what you would envision when you think of the prototypical athlete, but in spite of his size and stature on Friday night he brought the crowd in Glenn Falls, New York to their feet in celebration.
Frank not only made a rather difficult shot from the blue line, one in which the net is covered by a wooden panel with only 3 slots at the bottom for the puck to pass through, but he also made the much more difficult shot from center ice. In the case of the shot from center ice the challenge was considerably more difficult, as a different wooden panel was brought out onto the ice, this one with only a single opening in the middle for the puck to pass through.
Although I'm sure most expected that Frank had little to no shot of scoring either from the blue line or from center ice, he managed to defy those expectations in an incredible display of skill and perhaps a little bit of luck as well. Proudly sporting his ridiculous #69 t-shirt, yes it was a t-shirt and not an actual jersey, Frank buried the puck from center ice which prompted some very special chants from the crowd.
As Frank danced a little celebratory jig in the middle of the arena, he was showered with love from the crowd that chanted "Frank The Tank, Frank The Tank" repeatedly in celebration. The best part of it all however was no doubt the cold hard cash that Frank received for accomplishing the feat, $100 for the shot from the blue line, and a $500 prize for the shot from center ice.
Here is his shot from center ice, with audio from the crowd:
If you would like to see the shot from the blue line as well, you can check that out below: