Insurance company dies boy prize after amazing hockey shot

A boy who made an unlikely hockey shot into a small hole from centre ice while standing in for his identical twin brother will not get a $50,000 prize, the official who organized the event said Thursday.

The company that insured the event last month, Odds On Promotions of Reno, Nevada, will donate $20,000 to youth hockey in Minnesota in the twins’ names, said Vance Vinar, Jr., who organized the fund-raising event for the Faribault Hockey Association, located near the boys’ home in southern Minnesota.

Three days before making the unlikely shot that captivated America, 11-year-old Nate Smith had his arm in a cast. The boy told his father to write the name of his identical twin, Nick, on three raffle tickets that gave a shot at a $50,000 prize.

But when it was time for the event, Nate’s arm was out of the cast and Nick wanted to hang out with friends rather than wait around the rink for the contest. So Nate shot a puck into the 1-1/2 inch high by 3-1/2 inch wide target from 89 feet away. Former NHL player Tim Bergland, who has watched video of the event, called the shot 1 in a million.

The boys’ father, Pat Smith, initially wrote Nick’s name down on a form given him by organizers but later felt guilty and admitted to contest officials that the wrong twin had taken the winning shot.

“You’ve got to do what’s right,” Smith told Reuters last month. “You don’t want to teach kids to lie no matter how much money is involved.”