Some Things... I Just Don't Understand

In the NHL, You can be given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for over celebrating a goal. A rule that I don't agree with personally. Arenas are allowed to play obnoxious music, shine lights on the opposing goalies, and wear out the goal horn button but players themselves are now limited to what they can do?

In the HBO special 24/7 Rangers Flyers, We see the officials assess an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Artem Anisimov following his short handed goal celebration (as can be seen below).


Quickly following the game, various members of the Rangers organization including Anisimov apologized for his colorful celebration. I don't see why such an apology was necessary. I also don't agree that a penalty should have been assessed.

In the 1992-1993 season, when Teemu Selanne did a much more animated version of what Anisimov did, no one was up in arms regarding that.



Has the game of hockey changed so much in the last 20 years that in addition to the many alterations hockey has gone through, goal celebrations will now be made obsolete? Excessive celebrating is the term used most often to describe what Anisimov did. What if it had been a milestone goal? Would it then have been considered unsportsmanlike conduct or would it have been considered "okay" given the circumstances? Excessive celebrating shouldn't be an infraction. If Anisimov skated over to Mathieu Garon and taunted him face to face or something along those lines I could see an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty being assessed. But for mimicking a shotgun, I can not.