Rendulic made NHL history
Borna Rendulic became the first Croatian-born player to score an NHL goal.The last day of 2014 will be an unforgettable day for Avalanche forward Borna Rendulic. During the game between the Avs and the visiting Philadelphia Flyers, Rendulic wrote NHL history, as he became the first Croatian-born player to score a goal in the NHL. The game was just the fourth game in the league for the young Croatian’s, but he made sure he rewarded coach Roy’s trust in calling him up from Lake Erie the best way possible – with scoring goal. Rendulic was in front of the net as Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog skated with the puck near to boards. Waiting for a play to develop, Landeskog gave the puck to blue-liner Brad Stuart, who gave the puck back to Landeskog. In the meantime, Rendulic got open in the slot. Landeskog made a neat tape-to-tape pass and Rendulic unleashed a one-timer that got by Steve Mason. The goal was a bit lucky, as the puck did a weird bounce just in front of Mason, to which the Flyers goalie didn’t have enough time to react.
“I was on the ice with Landy and Ryan (O’Reilly) and I knew that I had to be in the right spot. Landy found me with a great pass, after which I closed my eyes and shot the puck. It worked,” said the youngster after the game. “A few years back, I couldn’t have imagined myself being here, left alone scoring a goal. I’m sure my parents were watching the game back home in Zagreb, as were other Croatian hockey fans. My parents always wanted me to succeed and I’m sure that I made them very proud.”
Rendulic was full of joy after accomplishing a historic feat
Rendulic not only scored a historic goal, he also back-checked really well and played great in his own end. He even continued to play on a line with Landeskog and O’Reilly. Coach Roy really trusted the 22-year-old Croatian, as was evident by him lining up for a crucial faceoff in front of his own net in the third period. The game went into overtime, where Ryan O’Reilly scored the game-winner with 20 seconds left.
Rendulic earned third star honors and also racked up 4 hits and 2 PIMs. He finished the night with a TOI of 11:05. “Borna played a great game; he scored his first career goal, the first Croatian-born player to do so. He really deserved it. He’s a smart guy, he found the perfect spot to get open. He’s a guy that isn’t afraid to hit people,” said Ryan O’Reilly. “He later played with us on the top line. He’s really smart, he’s going to make plays no matter where he plays.”
Rendulic's game puck won't just remind him of his first career goal, but also of the first goal scored by a Croatian-born player
Source: KHL.hr
Source of photos: Official Avalanche twitter account
Michal Hezely, Slovakia, hezely@eurolanche.com
02/01/2015 - 01:46
