It became a familiar reaction during the historic Las Vegas playoff run this year. Hockey commentators were repeatedly shocked, stunned and in awe of some of the saves that goalie Adin Hill was able to make.
The Golden Knights netminder, born in Comox, B.C., was pivotal in helping the franchise lift its first Stanley Cup trophy on Tuesday, when they blew out the Florida Panthers 9-3 en route to a 4-1 series win.
The 27-year-old’s journey to hockey’s most coveted prize, however, started far north of the desert city — in Calgary.
“You never expect these kids to make it to the NHL, but Adin was one of those kids you could see was super athletic, talented, driven, worked extremely hard,” said Brent Harrison, who coached Hill when he played for the Calgary Bisons at the U15 AAA level.
“He’s had to work his way up and he’s been a backup, you know, with multiple teams, and just had to prove himself again and again.”
Hill grew up playing minor hockey and junior hockey in Calgary with the Bisons, Rangers, Buffaloes and Canucks. In 2013, he made his way to Portland to play for the Winterhawks in the WHL.
Hill was taken in the third round of the 2015 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes at 76th overall. He’s been a backup goalie for a number of NHL teams, including the San Jose Sharks and the Golden Knights.
When the playoffs began, he was still second fiddle to first-choice netminder Laurent Brossoit.
“I think it shows, like, just never give up,” Harrison said of Hill’s mentality.
“If that’s your goal, then continue to do everything you can to help yourself get to that point and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make it … he’s a great example.”
Hill’s play throughout the finals was a big part of why the Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup.
During Game 4 on Saturday, Hill made the biggest save of his career as he denied the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk — a former Calgary Flames star — in the game’s closing seconds to give his team a win and commanding 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup final.
“I kind of saw where the puck was and just tried to do anything I could to get a piece of something on it,” Hill said. “In situations like that, it’s just full-on desperation.”
Hill came through with another strong performance in Game 5 with 31 saves that quickly made him a Knights fan favorite, even earning “MVP! MVP!” chants in the third period.
“You dream about it every day growing up as a child.” Hill said. “To be here with this group of guys, in this city, in this building, is a dream come true.”