Tarasenko welcoming Missouri native Keller to the NHL in his debut is why we love hockey

BarDown Staff

@myregularface

There are many things we love about the sport of hockey, from the amazing highlights to the incredible humans, past and present, involved with the sport.

As much as the game is competitive and tensions do boil over, the players have the utmost amount of respect for each other and the sport itself.

Monday night, that was on full display ahead of Clayton Keller's NHL debut for the Arizona Coyotes.

Just before the opening draw, Blues superstar Vladimir Tarasenko wonderfully welcomed Keller to the NHL.

is tarasenko just a really nice person or pic.twitter.com/pAMeLApXaY
— steph (@myregularface) March 30, 2017

Keller, a Missouri native, got to play his first NHL game at home and Tarasenko made the moment that much more meaningful and special for him and everyone there supporting him.

Keller on Tarasenko: "It was awesome for him to come up and say congrats on the first one here." #stlblues #coyotes
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 28, 2017

Keller on Tarasenko "It's something I'll never forget. He's an unbelievable player. He's a star in league & someone I definitely look up to.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) March 28, 2017

It's moments like these that make us love the sport of hockey even more.

The fact that one of the NHL's best players did that displays why hockey is so much more than just a sport.

Keller didn't record a point in his debut, but he did Wednesday night in Arizona against the Blues.

First @NHL point of many for @ClaytonKeller37! #nhlfirsts pic.twitter.com/nTNunb0leN
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 30, 2017

We imagine we'll be seeing more memorable moments from NHL debuts as Tyson Jost, who the Avalanche just signed, is expected to play with the team down the stretch.