Avalanche's Sam Malinski returns home for playoff series against Wild
The Colorado Avalanche's Sam Malinski is returning to Minnesota for a playoff game against his hometown team, and his family is preparing for his homecoming.
"As it got closer, we got nervous and started thinking, 'Wow, everybody that we know, everybody they grew up playing with, they're gonna be watching him,'" Gabe Malinski said on Wednesday, ahead of his younger brother's playoff return.
Sam Malinski is amid one of the most exhilarating times of his life. The 27-year-old defenseman scored his first career playoff goal in Game 1 against the Wild.
"It was a good way to get it going again and I'm sure my family is really excited, so it was exciting for all of us," Sam Malinski said after the game.
The Malinskis grew up in Lakeville, played for Lakeville South High School and Sam Malinski went to state in 2017.
But the hockey journey has been hard. He was cut from multiple junior teams and wasn't supposed to play much in college at Cornell, but did. He has turned an undrafted free agency signing back in 2023 into a newly inked four-year contract.
"One of the most special things we've experienced as a family," said Gabe Malinski. "To grow up as Wild fans, to see Sam end up in Colorado, where we have other family members. And now to see those teams going head-to-head, it's certainly nerve-racking, but it's so exciting and something that Sam has every bit of attention and recognition that he's finally getting. We're hoping for a good game. We don't want a blowout on either side of it. So yeah, hoping we can enjoy the experience in Game 3."