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Wild's Dubnyk lets young Canadiens fan try on mask

Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk looks on as a young Montreal Canadiens fan tries on his mask at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. (Twitter//@NHL)
Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk looks on as a young Montreal Canadiens fan tries on his mask at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. (Twitter//@NHL)

Devan Dubnyk — the No. 1 goaltender for the Minnesota Wild — would probably be the first one to tell you that his start to the 2019-20 NHL season hasn’t been ideal.

The 33-year-old’s 4.44 GAA and .867 SV% both put him near the league’s basement in both statistical categories. On top of that, his team is currently last in the standings with a record of 1-6-0.

His kind gesture while at the Bell Centre on Thursday night may be the start on good things to come, though.

Due to the unique design of the Montreal Canadiens’ arena, there isn’t room for the visiting backup goaltender to sit beside his teammates on the bench. With Alex Stalock getting the nod against the Habs from Minnesota’s head coach Bruce Boudreau, Dubnyk found himself near the visiting team’s entrance/exit for the contest — across from his teammates.

Although separated from his squad, it wasn’t all bad news for the native of Regina, Sask. While watching the game, he became friends with a Canadiens fan and let the youngster try on his mask.

There’s no denying that this was a touching moment that this fan will never forget. However, did he get checked for head lice before Dubnyk gave him his helmet? And, since we’re on the topic, did anyone inspect Dubnyk’s locks? Just because they’re luscious doesn’t mean they don’t have any unwanted guests.

Unfortunately for Dubnyk, his Wild left Montreal with a 4-0 loss — one that teammate Jason Zucker had plenty to say about following a players-only meeting that occurred shortly after the final whistle.

While it was Canadiens’ netminder Carey Price — whose jersey the fan in the video was sporting — that came away with the shutout in the game, Dubnyk may have locked up a lifelong fan as a result of his actions.

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