After one week and two games in the NHL, Minnesota Wild rookie phenom Kirill Kaprizov has already put the league on notice by being named the NHL’s “First Stars” of the week.
Joining Kaprizov as a First Star of the opening week is M Health Fairview nurse Brittany Hutchinson. The NHL is honoring frontline healthcare workers for the work they’ve done during the pandemic, and Hutchinson is the first to receive the honor.
Not only is Hutchinson a nurse for COVID patients, she’s also survived a terminal brain tumor and is the youngest person to receive the Medal of Valor award for her heroic sacrifice as a 5-year-old in 2004 when she pushed her classmate out of the way, saving her friend but getting struck by the bus herself.
Not nearly as impressive as what Hutchinson has done, Kaprizov helped the Wild win a pair of overtime games against the Los Angeles Kings. He scored the game-winning goal in the season opener and assisted on the winning goal of Saturday night’s game.
The 23-year-old is the first player in NHL history with overtime points in both of his first two career games, and just the third player in league history to score the game-winning goal in overtime of his debut.
