Tyson Jost of the Colorado Avalanche took a cross-ice pass from his teammate and slid a shot past the Minnesota Wild’s goalie to score his first ever NHL goal in just his fourth game. As you can see from the video above, it was all a little too much for his grandpa Jim to process.
Jim had ventured down from his farm in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to take in his grandson’s first few pro games and when he saw the goal, he broke down. Then, like so many of us, he reached for his popcorn to eat his feelings.
Jost’s grandfather has been a puddle of tears since last June when the Avalanche drafted Tyson No. 10 overall. His emotional reaction to seeing his grandson selected caused him to melt the heart of NHL fans. It also caused his family to tease him about being a big ol’ softy. “I embarrassed my kids all to hell,” Jost told NHL.com. “But, it’s a happy cry. This is so rewarding.” Jim was back with the waterworks when Tyson made his NHL debut for Colorado last week. But Jim wasn’t done, he said he didn’t want to miss a game in person until he saw his grandson score his first goal, and now he’s finally seen it.
For the Jost family, this was a team effort that got Tyson to the pros. His single mother, Laura, balanced work and shuttling Tyson to rinks at 6 a.m. Then his grandparents uprooted their lives to move to Kelowna, British Columbia. with Tyson when he was 13 years old, so he could attend the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy, while Laura stayed home to care for Tyson’s sister. The time at the hockey-focused academy paid off, developing Tyson into a top-tier player. So he was quick to thank his family after the game for helping him get to the pros.
“It’s amazing. I’m a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t have my mom in the stands,” Tyson Jost told reporters after the game. “She had to go back home and work and look out for my sister, but it’s great to have my grandpa. He’s kind of my secret weapon throughout my whole life. He knows a lot about hockey. I don’t think people realize how great of a hockey mind he has. He helped me a lot.”