Washington Capitals forward Nathan Walker made history on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first Australian player to skate in an NHL game.
He also became the first Australian to score an NHL goal, as he wound up getting credit for a marker originally given to teammate Devante Smith-Pelly. (See the goal at the top of this post.)
Walker had plenty of his fellow countrymen cheering him on as he made his NHL debut. The Capitals posted a video on Twitter earlier Saturday featuring several well-known Aussies from around the pro sports world—including golfers Jason Day and Adam Scott, NBA stars Thon Maker and Andrew Bogut, pitcher Grant Balfour, and several active and retired NFLers—saying g’day and wishing him well as he prepared to make history.
It’s a pretty awesome video—good on ya, mates!—but perhaps the best part is at the end, when Australia’s ambassador to the United States gets on camera.
The man’s name is Joe Hockey. How great is that?
Watch the video here:
Australians from around the sporting world send their praises to @NathanWalks10 on making his @nhl debut tonight! #GdayNate #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/ZlLKBHZzMU
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 7, 2017
Walker first made hockey history back in 2014 when he was the first Australian to be drafted to the NHL (third round, 89th overall).
It was a seriously #GdayNate! #ALLCAPS #NHLFirsts pic.twitter.com/eo3TRsnPcR
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 8, 2017
@NathanWalks10 family. #GDayNate pic.twitter.com/LqPSSchXg8
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 8, 2017
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