Nathan Walker became the first Australian to play in the NHL when he made his debut this past Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens and he made a great first impression by potting his first career goal the same night.
Considering it was the first time an Australian player was playing in the NHL, a lot of people back home were watching the game, including Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who called the 23-year-old to congratulate him on the achievement.
We’ve seen a lot of multi-sport athletes in our day, but this is the first time we’ve come across an athlete who had to choose between rugby and hockey.
Walker played 202 games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL before getting called up to the NHL this season. In those 202 games, Walker scored 34 goals and added 45 assists for 79 points.
