As Washington Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk drove the puck to the net and banked it in off the back of San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgi Romanov, he pointed emphatically to the net, signalling to everyone loud and clear that he'd finally done it; he scored a goal.
It'd been a long time coming for the 33-year-old blueliner; his 145-game drought was the longest active goalless streak in the NHL.
"(It felt) pretty good. It's been a long time," van Riemsdyk said, adding he hadn't realized at first it went in.
The last time he scored was on March 9, 2023, against the New Jersey Devils. His son, Lucas, was born just two weeks later.
"I was joking in the locker room saying that my son's almost two and hasn't been alive for a goal yet, so it was nice, a week before his birthday, to get one," he added.
Fittingly, van Riemsdyk was awarded the gold chain by Aliaksei Protas as the Capitals' player of the game, and his teammates were also sure to secure the puck for him, which will go to Lucas.
"That's the best," Strome said of the moment.
With his goal, van Riemsdyk stepped up and helped spark Washington en route to a 5-1 win.
"The guys were all fired up on the bench," coach Spencer Carbery affirmed.
That said, van Riemsdyk's reliability is nothing new for his teammates, who said he's gone under the radar and is one of the big reasons for the team's success this season.
"You can't say enough good things about him. Been around for a long time, doesn't complain, does his job, plays his minutes, doesn't get beat and you win with guys like that," Strome said, adding, "Couldn't be happier for him."
