Is It Really A Record?

Sometimes, I wonder if things are just posted to social media for a reaction. We see politicians saying things that are wildly inaccurate in the news cycle, but sports are pretty cut-and-dry when it comes to records that have been achieved because all it takes is a quick glance at history books. The man pictured to the left is Matt Salhany, and he is currently playing for the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder where he apparently set a record tonight. Having read the social media post a few times, I'm not sure that this achievment should be a record because it seems more like a footnote in one player's career.

First, let's look at the tweet posted by the Thunder tonight.

There's no arguing with the information as Salhany did last score for the Thunder on March 6, 2020 against the Newfoundland Growlers at 18:22 of the first period in a 5-2 loss. That goal was the 26th of his season that year, and immediately that should raise eyebrows because it's not like Salhany is some low-scoring, defensive defender.

Why this record shouldn't be in the realm of records is because Salhany has been scoring goals between March 6, 2020 and tonight, but they weren't for the Thunder. Salhany signed with Soenderjyske in Denmark where he scored 19 goals in 41 games, jumped to the Aalborg Pirates in 2022 where he scored seven goals in 15 games before returning to North America in 2022-23 with the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen whee he had two more goals in 11 games. He played with Marseilles Spartans in the Ligue Magnus last season where he notched 17 goals in 43 games, so Salhany has been denting twine since he left Adirondack at the end of the 2020 season.

It would be different if Salhany had spent 2073 consecutive days under contract with the Thunder because his goal tonight would certainly merit some celebration for breaking what would be a nearly six-year goalless drought, but he went and played in Vojens, Aalborg, Jacksonville, and Marseilles where he scored 45 goals combined before coming back to Adirondack. It's a cool footnote in Salhany's career, but it doesn't come close to being a record of any sort outside of being a neat coincidence for the Adirondack Thunder franchise.

Salhany, the 32 year-old Rhode Islander native, recorded his first goal in six games tonight, and the Thunder are going to need his scoring as they struggle to find the back of the net. However, we can't be fabricating records when a player chooses to exercise his right to free agency before returning to a team years later. That's just a bad look.

Congratulations to Matt Salhany on his first goal of the season. Shame on the Adirondack Thunder for conflating his goal into a record.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!