“Who is Shane Harper?”
Chances are, plenty of hockey fans - and maybe some members of the Colorado Avalanche - were uttering that question after Saturday night.
Well, we know this about Shane Harper: he scored his first two NHL goals at age 27, helping the Florida Panthers beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2.
You can watch both of Harper’s goals in the recap video:
Harper also drew enough ire from the Avalanche to get into a bit of a skirmish following a hit.
So, who is Shane Harper?
For one thing, he’s from Valencia, California and did not go drafted.
His best junior season came in 2009-10, when he scored 42 goals and 80 points for the Everett Silvertips. He’s become quite the seasoned AHL veteran since then, and while his numbers won’t wow you, he did do enough in 2014-15 to maybe turn a head or two. Harper scored 32 goals and 50 points for the Chicago Wolves that season.
You can tell his teammates were happy for him - gentle ribbing and all - when the media asked about his career milestone:
.@FlaPanthers forward Shane Harper had reason to smile after notching the first goals of his career Saturday. https://t.co/YGIhxfxl4N
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) October 23, 2016
He was modest there, but acknowledged that even playing in the NHL was a dream come true, so scoring a goal must have been even better.
It was my childhood dream to play in my first NHL game. Thank you to my family, and everyone who helped me on that journey @FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/YpPNUSGcQY
— Cali Sharp (@Cali_Sharp) October 18, 2016