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The television footage shows Fraser, who would normally drink in the thick air of the spotlight on such occasions, looking like a child scared out of his wits. He later claimed that he had asked Gilmour what happened and that the Leafs captain had told him Gretzky had clipped him on the “follow-through.” It was a critical distinction because in the early 1990s, like now, hitting an opposing player while “following through” shooting the puck was not normally a penalty.

The Wayne Gretzky–led Los Angeles Kings and Wendel Clark’s Leafs engaged in an epic playoff battle in late May 1993.

Courtesy of Graig Abel.

There was also some doubt at the time as to whether Gilmour was struck by the deflected puck or by Gretzky’s stick, to the point that the NHL offices cited the confusion as part of the league’s official explanation for why a penalty wasn’t called.

Replays of the incident — widely available on YouTube in raw video but also in many hilarious spoof formats — show Fraser feverishly consulting with his linesmen Kevin Collins and Ron Finn. Linesmen are allowed to call stick infractions, or at very least advise the referee that an offence had taken place.