After he was beating the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Thursday, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist was insisiting that it all felt "a little weird."
Weird? Maybe. Unusual? Definitely.
In general, debuts by NHL goaltenders are not success stories. Last seven, eight goalies were making their NHL bow. Just one, Hunter Shepherd of the Washington Capitals, skated off the ice following his first NHL appearance with a win on his ledger.
"Of course it feels good," Blomqvist said. "Maybe a little bit weird. I’ve always been dreaming about this and looking forward to it.
"I’m happy it ended up this way. I think it’s a sign that I’m able to play at this level."
Goalies winning their NHL debut as young as Blomqvist, 22, well that's even more remarkable.
Last season, just one goalie that young was given an NHL debut. And it was a nightmare. Jesper Wallstedt, 22, of the Minnesota Wild was whipped 7-2 by the Dallas Stars.
In fact, the young Finn that the Penguins are currently going with as their No. 2 netminder is just the second goalie 22 or younger to win his NHL debut in three years.
Yaroslav Askarov of the Nashville Predators and Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets were other NHL goalie prospects 22 or younger who took a loss in their NHL debut. Prior to Blomqvist, it was Devon Levi of the Buffalo Sabres who most recently enjoyed a successful NHL bow as such a tender age. Levi was 21 years and 94 days of age when he beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime on March 2, 2023.
Blomqvist turned aside 29 shots for his first win. Despite being outshot 13-7 during the opening period, Pittsburgh went the dressing room tied 1-1 thanks to the work of Blomqvist. He made several spectacular saves.
"It helps a little bit to get the feel of the puck for sure," Blomqvist said. "It’s the NHL. There are good shooters there.
"They were pressuring hard and there were a lot of things happening, so I just had to battle hard."
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan loved the battle of his young puckstopper.
"I thought he was terrific, especially early in the game," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He made some huge saves early that gave us a chance to stay in it."
Lke Dante, the forelorn convenience store worker in the Kevin Smith cult classic Clerks, Blomqvist isn't even supposed to be here today. An injury to Alex Nedeljkovic propeled Blomqvist into the role as Tristan Jarry's understudy.
Last season with the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Blomqvist was 25-12-6 with a 2.16 GAA and .921 save percentage. The Penguins were projecting him as their goalie of the future. They just didn't think the future would be now.
"Of course a little bit," Blomqvist confessed of pre-game jitters. "I think it helped to get a few exhibition games before.
"I felt a little bit comfortable in there."