Jumbotron watching

John Garrett recollects a major distraction while playing goal for the Hartford Whalers at the old Landover rink in Washington – one of the first rinks to install a Jumbotron.

“I look up the ice, and it’s a two on two. They come in, the guy throws it across, and all of a sudden, it’s a two on one. The guy has an empty net to score. I’m thinking, what happened to my other defenseman? I’m watching the Jumbotron. As I’m watching the Jumbotron, they dropped the puck. RW Mike Gartner tees one up from behind the blue line and scores. At the last second, I look down. He’s scoring, and I’m still watching the Jumbotron. Coach Don Blackburn gets me to come to the bench and sit down. The other goalie goes in. He says, “You can watch the Jumbotron as much as you want, now. You’re game’s over.”