Ottawa Senators goalie Joey Daccord gives emotional post-game interview
(Screenshot/ Sportsnet)

This is one of the most wholesome post-game NHL interviews you will ever see. Ottawa Senators backup goalie Joey Daccord was emotional with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after earning his first NHL win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday evening.

The 24-year-old Daccord got the start after the Sens’ original starter, Matt Murray, suffered an apparent injury in warm-ups. Murray apparently told Daccord early in warm-ups that something was going on and he might not be able to go tonight. “In my head at that moment, I said I’m going to win tonight”, Daccord said.

The Senators won the game 4-3 behind goals from Drake Batherson (2), Brady Tkachuk and Ryan Dzingel. Daccord stopped 33 of 36 shots for his first NHL win, shutting down Maple Leafs’ superstars Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews in the process.

“What an effort out of our group. I don’t even have words right now honestly. I want to thank my family for everything they’ve done for me. It’s pretty special.”, Daccord said in his post-game interview.

Daccord, who was drafted 199th overall by Ottawa in 2015, was visibly emotional through the interview and gave credit to numerous people for getting him to this point. “There’s too many people to thank…there’s so many people that it takes to make one dream come true. It truly takes a village. I’m just incredibly grateful for everyone that’s been a part of my journey”, Daccord explained.

One of the funniest moments of the interview was when Daccord described his reaction to rookie Tim Stützle’s incredible pass to Drake Batherson in the second period. “That pass from Timmy [Stützle] was… oh my god. I almost fell over at the other end when I saw that pass to Schmaltzy [Batherson] backdoor. Just unbelievable.”, Daccord said.

You can see Daccord’s post-game interview with Kyle Bukauskas in its entirety below.

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Daccord put out a simple tweet after the game that summed up his experience pretty nicely. “Incredible… Thank you.”, Daccord tweeted as a caption to a photo of him posing with the game puck.

Hockey fans often complain about NHL players having to do interviews right after playing a hard-fought game, but every so often, we get a reminder of why they are done.