If Ben Bishop Had To Poop, The Lightning Just Need To Say So

The Tampa Bay Lightning squeaked by the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 to win Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night, tying the series at one game apiece. Jason Garrison scored a power play goal nearly nine minutes into the third period, and it proved to be the game-winner for Tampa Bay.

It was an exciting game, but the mystery of Lightning goalie Ben Bishop proved to be even more intriguing. Bishop left the game twice during the third period, once at 7:17, returning at 8:49, and then leaving again at 12:19. (It’s not the first time Bishop has left the ice under some less-than-ideal circumstances. You’ll recall this nut-shot during warmups before a game against the Rangers.)

So what could it possibly be that would remove Bishop from the biggest moment of his professional career? Some are speculating Bishop injured his groin after taking a push to the leg from Marian Hossa. Yahoo’s Nick Cotsonika offered a vague “treatment” report, saying the absence wasn’t restroom related.

Even still, our favorite theory comes from another South Florida goalie (who incidentally knows a little something about leaving and returning):

Roberto Luongo wasn’t the only one circulating the thought, with Twitter jumping all over the possibility that Bishop had to make during the third period of an intense Stanley Cup final game. Not helping? The Lightning, who have been completely mum about the whole situation. Coach Jon Cooper refused to comment on the situation after the game. Players said they had to keep track of the goalie changes through the public address announcements.

Who knows if Ben Bishop actually left the game to poop. Perhaps Tampa Bay just wants to be super cautious about any kind of potential injury and this all comes down to gamesmanship. (That’s the likely scenario here.) But if it is poop? I’ll be damned if one time a professional sports organization actually has some fun and admits a player had to use the bathroom during an important moment.

Photo credit: Associated Press