Dallas– utah mammoth captain clayton keller played on friday night lost 4-3 till dallas starsA day after his father’s unexpected death.
As a tribute, Keller was named the game’s first star.
“He loves his teammates a lot and his teammates love him back,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “He drives our passion and our competitiveness every night. He’s the kind of guy that wants to get better every night. We couldn’t have a better example of a captain.”
The 27-year-old Keller has played all 10 of his NHL seasons with the Arizona-Utah franchise and was named captain before last season, when the club relocated to Salt Lake City. The No. 7 pick in the 2016 draft and four-time All-Star was a 30-goal scorer in each of the last three seasons, including career highs with 60 assists and 90 points last season.
He finished second on the club in scoring with 21 points, including eight goals, in Friday’s game.
“Obviously, Klay is our leader in the locker room but away from the rink as well. He’s done an incredible job leading us and guiding us,” of Utah. Lawson Crouse Said. “I’ve been with them for over 10 years now. It’s really our turn now to support them. It’s tough news, and we’re all trying to deal with it the best we can.”
Dallas coach Glenn Gulutzan said: “To be honest, I don’t know how that young man played. A lot of credit to him. My condolences to him and his family.”
