Tuesday, February 15 will be a day Brendon Nash will long remember.
At first, it seemed like another day in the life of an American Hockey League defenceman: get up, get ready for practice and begin preparing for a game the next night. But after being taken aside by Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Randy Cunneyworth, plans changed in a hurry.
Nash, a Salmon Arm SilverBacks alum, hurried home, packed a bag and flew to Montreal where the Canadiens were getting ready to host the Buffalo Sabres.
Nash, who had been leading all Hamilton defencemen in scoring and plus/minus, acquitted himself well in his NHL debut, finishing even and logging 11:53 of ice time, two shots on goal, four blocked shots and a hit in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Both the Bulldogs and Canadiens websites have stories posted about Nash's callup and debut. Click HERE for the former and HERE for the latter.
The 23-year-old Kamloops native signed with the Habs in 2010 after a four-year career at Cornell University. Prior to that, he played two seasons for the SilverBacks registering nine goals and 51 assists in 112 games.
At Cornell, Nash teamed with his younger brother Riley for three seasons. Riley, also a SilverBacks product, was a first-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2007 and last season was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The younger Nash is currently playing for Charlotte of the AHL. With the brothers both situated in the NHL's Eastern Conference, there could soon come a day when they face each other at the game's highest level.
(Brendon should play his second NHL game Thursday night with the Canadiens visiting the Edmonton Oilers).
