Vasily Podkolzin caught on camera making comment about death of Brandon Montour's brother.

Seattle Kraken veteran defenseman Brandon Montour gave one of the most emotional interviews I've seen from an active player in the National Hockey League in quite some time over the weekend, an interview that came after he returned from a leave of absence.

During the interview Montour would break down in tears as he revealed the reason he had stepped away from his team, the death of his brother Cameron Montour after a years long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or better known simply as ALS. It was an incredible display of raw emotion, one that spoke to the genuine love and admiration that Montour had for his older brother, and one that I know has touched the hearts and minds of millions of us in the hockey community.

On Saturday night, just hours after the interview, Montour would return to the ice for the first time since the passing of his brother and it was at that moment that Edmonton Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin was caught on camera in an unbelievable moment.

Prior to the puck being dropped, Podkolzin was seen skating over to Montour, his opponent and ostensibly his enemy for the next 60 minutes of hockey, to share words of kindness about the loss of his brother. Podkolzin was either just as moved as many of us by the interview Montour had given earlier in the day or had caught wind of the news prior to Montour revealing it to the public, and he expressed his condolences to Montour in a beautiful fashion.

"Sorry to hear about your brother," said Podkolzin while skating up to Montour.

It was only a very brief exchange but thankfully the cameras were rolling and the moment was captured for all of us to see the beautiful display of class and grace from Podkolzin. Montour seemed to genuinely appreciate the kindness as well, sharing a few words of appreciation with Podkolzin after he delivered his message.

As Podkolzin skated away from the exchange he looked extremely somber with a pained expression on his face and his head hanging low, no doubt a result of Montour's story hitting very close to home. Earlier this year Podkolzin lost his father, Alexander, when he passed away suddenly in September, causing Podkolzin to take a leave of absence much like the one we just saw from Montour.

The moment was made all that much more beautiful thanks to some added context from former NHL player Kevin Bieksa, who revealed that there appears to be no history between the two opponents.

"As far as I know there's no prior relationship between those two, they might not know each other at all, and that still meant enough for Podkolzin to go over there and give him his condolences," revealed Bieksa. "That's hockey players in a nutshell."

Full credit to Vasily Podkolzin for his display of humanity and kindness, one that I hope can bring a sliver of sunshine to the Montour family during a very dark time.