It’s a common refrain that some people these days can just never put down their phones.
Nikita Dynyak only made that case stronger after an unfortunate incident during a KHL hockey game on Monday.
The Ak Bars Kazan forward has gone viral after video showing his cellphone come flying out of his equipment during a shift started making the rounds on social media.
The 27-year-old Dynyak is shown chasing a player from Avangard when his phone comes loose from his equipment before it hits the ice and slides a few metres.
“That’s a first,” Spittin’ Chiclets wrote on X, along with a laughing emoji.
A referee is seen picking it up and returning the phone to the AK Bars bench, asking players who owns the device. After a few puzzled looks from teammates, Dynyak confesses and takes the phone – appearing to accidentally drop it again.
Hopefully, he either has a strong case or a good warrantee on it.
The bizarre moment prompted Avangard head coach Guy Boucher — a former NHL bench boss — to lobby for a penalty to be assessed for illegal equipment. However, referees decided against it and the game continued without incident.
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“I had it on the shelf behind me, I put it down, took off my elbow pads and when I turned around, it fell behind me,” Dynyak said, via Hockey News Hub.
“I didn’t feel anything. Like putting a cigarette behind your ear and not feeling it,” he added. “I went out and didn’t understand anything at first. This is a very funny situation, maybe even a shame.
“There will be a new meme … I hope the league will take pity on me, it was a pure accident.”
The KHL announced later that Dynyak would not face any punishment for the phone incident, stating that there was no violation of the league’s rules. However, he was suspended one game for getting into his second fight of the season, squaring off with Michael McLeod during the match.
The Ak Bars team is having a bit of fun with the phone incident, though.
AK Bars announced that it’s holding a giveaway, featuring a team-branded phone case, complete with Dynyak’s signature.
Many users on social media were quick to joke about the incident.
“This TikTok generation, man,” one user on X commented.
“Good thing Babcock isn’t the coach,” a commenter chimed in.
As for the game, Avangard came out on top with a 3-1 win with former No. 1 overall NHL draft pick, Nail Yakupov, netting the game-winner in the third period.
Dynyak has played for the Kazan-based club since 2018 and, according to hockeydb.com, has seven points in 33 games this season.
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