From the start of his professional hockey career, Colorado Avalanche rookie Tyson Jost has never failed to wow the crowd with his resiliency and resolve on the ice. On Thursday night in Colorado’s 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild, his patience and hard work paid off as he snuck his first-ever NHL goal over the shoulder of Devan Dubnyk and into the net, much to the sheer excitement of the crowd in attendance.
“It was definitely great to get that off my chest, and that was a great play by my linemates to get that pass over,” Jost said. “It’s special. It’s nice, obviously, to be in front of the home crowd. Hopefully there’s going to be many more of those at home and on the road too. I was just disappointed we couldn’t get that win.”
The goal came just one week after the 19-year-old’s professional hockey debut, during his fourth game in an Avalanche uniform, following the end of his freshman season at the University of North Dakota.
While nearly every Avalanche fan cheered with elation at Jost’s successful conquest near the start of the second period, one special fan, Jost’s grandfather Jim, couldn’t contain his utter joy as he burst out in tears following the momentous score.
Love Jim Jost. My new favorite Grandpa. @josty_17 pic.twitter.com/xHUQQp0pL0
— Kyle Keefe (@kylekeefetv) April 7, 2017
Head coach Jared Bednar applauded Jost’s determination to get better as the night wore on, especially after a rough first period.
“I thought he had a little bit of a slow start tonight, wasn’t very good in the face-off circle,
but he stuck with it,” Bednar said. “His pace of play went up as the game went on. It was a great play on goal.”
Team captain Gabriel Landeskog said that based on Jost’s short history with the Avs, he wasn’t surprised that success came so early in his career on the big stage.
“It’s great,” Landeskog said. “I mean, he’s shown a lot of potential and he’s come in and it’s not easy to come in like that and start making an impact. But he’s made an impact right from the first game and shown a lot of talent and determination, and [he’s] not afraid to go to the dirty areas and then obviously tonight, he shows off his skill with a quick shot. He’s been fun to play with so far, and he has a bright future.”
With the the worst season in franchise history coming to a close, the Avs could use a little light in the darkness as they better themselves during the offseason. That light, it seems, would be none other than Tyson Jost.
Your can view Jost’s goal here: