Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s first NHL goal a story for hockey players everywhere

By @MichaelCaples –

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare isn’t from Michigan, nor does he play for a Michigan-based team.

In fact, he’s not even North American. He’s from France.

However, what he accomplished last night is something for aspiring hockey players in Michigan (and hockey players worldwide) to remember.

Bellemare, a native of France, scored his first NHL goal last night – at the age of 29. He’s so old that even though he is an NHL rookie, he’s not considered one, and won’t be eligible to win the Calder Trophy if he turns this first goal into many more.

He’s in his first NHL season, just finalizing his seventh game last night. Before coming to the NHL, he was playing professional hockey in Sweden.

He told Sporting News last night what it felt like to score his first NHL goal:

“It’s kind of a different route that I took,” he said. “Obviously, to be honest, I didn’t even think I’d be here today, so for me, it just feels like a bonus. I just keep on working, and I’m loving it here. I just want to stay here now.”

“You have to understand, the way that I (came), people just keep telling you this won’t happen. Suddenly, you’re here today.”

Publications like MiHockey often share messages from players or coaches telling aspiring players to never give up. Chances will come if you work hard enough for them. You might just get that shot some day if you keep working hard.

Last night, the hockey world saw a guy closer to retirement than to a traditional rookie season score his first NHL goal. Talk about perseverance. And talk about fighting for your dream – you never know when the effort might pay off.

Here is the video of his goal; the expression on his face during the celebration is priceless.

 

Nice job, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. We’re all still working on learning how to spell your name, but last night, you showed hockey players across the globe that hard work really can pay off.