Australian-born Nathan Walker makes NHL history!

Talk about making the most of your return to the big leagues!

The St. Louis Blues needed reinforcements after their roster was ravaged by COVID-19, and they turned to Australian born forward Nathan Walker. Needless to say, he delivered in a huge way, and made NHL history in the process. 

He became the first Australian to score a hat trick in NHL history last night at Enterprise Center against the Detroit Red Wings, registering two first period goals and adding another tally in the 3rd as part of a 6-2 victory. 

He first appeared on the scoresheet by wristing a quick shot past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic after taking a pass from Brayden Schenn. He'd add another before the first frame of the contest was over, and would then post the historic mark after deflecting a shot from defenseman Torey Krug. 

“I knew I tipped it and I saw it in the back of the net,” Walker said. “I didn’t know whether it might have hit (Oskar Sundqvist) on the way in or (Brayden Schenn). I wasn’t sure about that. I knew I tipped it and I saw the back of the net so I just figured I’d celebrate.”

“I think they meant a lot to get us on the board early, especially playing shorthanded like that,” Walker continued. “If you can get a bit of a cushion, it’s kind of nice for the guys. I’m not taking all the credit for all three goals. Everyone on the ice did a lot of hard work to set those up. I’m not taking the credit for that, but getting to play with those guys and the way that they play definitely helps you out a little bit.”

And of course, you can bet that Walker's teammates were happy to see his success. 

“I couldn’t be happier for the guy," explained goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who was also starting due to St. Louis' goaltending depth having taken a hit in recent days. "He’s … just an unbelievable guy, unbelievable teammate, unbelievable leader and to see him pot three tonight, I’m so proud of him."