Stars' goalie Jake Oettinger has crazy amount of ties to the Boston Bruins
The Dallas Stars visit the Boston Bruins Tuesday night, and it's a meaningful matchup in more ways than one.
Not only is it about two teams trying to continue red-hot starts, but it's also somewhat of a homecoming for Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger. ''Otter'' as they call him, is quickly becoming one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, but before that, he was manning the pipes for Boston University.
Oettinger, 23, and Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, 24, only played the 2016-17 season together at Boston University, but as Matthew DeFranks of Dallas Morning News shared, the two had a strong friendship.
Check out this awesome story of Oettinger and McAvoy below:
''He was BU teammates with Charlie McAvoy, and just missed Matt Grzelcyk. He played with Trent Frederic at the U.S. National Team Development Program, and goes on an annual golf trip with him each summer. He was teammates with Jeremy Swayman during the World Junior Championship, and the two look like they could be the future in the American crease''
''Oettinger played at TD Garden in college in the Beanpot and Hockey East Tournaments. He also attended around five Bruins home games a season when McAvoy turned pro, including Game 2 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Whenever Carey Price or Andrei Vasilevskiy were in town, Oettinger wanted to see them, even if the cost to McAvoy was lost on Oettinger at the time.''
'' 'I feel bad now knowing how much tickets are,' Oettinger said. 'I probably owe him some money for that.' ''
''Oettinger played at TD Garden in college in the Beanpot and Hockey East Tournaments. He also attended around five Bruins home games a season when McAvoy turned pro, including Game 2 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Whenever Carey Price or Andrei Vasilevskiy were in town, Oettinger wanted to see them, even if the cost to McAvoy was lost on Oettinger at the time.''
'' 'I feel bad now knowing how much tickets are,' Oettinger said. 'I probably owe him some money for that.' ''
Oettinger was selected 26th overall by the Stars in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, a year after McAvoy was drafted 14th overall by the Bruins.
The goaltender made his debut on January 28th, 2021, against the Detroit Red Wings but wasn't a full-time player until last season with the Stars. He appeared in 48 games, with a record of 30-15-0, a 2.53 GAA, a .914 SV% and one shutout.
However, his breakout came in the Stars' first-round playoff matchup last season, when he almost single-handedly eliminated the Calgary Flames, ultimately falling in game seven overtime. He finished that series with an astounding 1.81 GAA, a .954 SV% and one shutout.
Oettinger has carried that success into the 2022-23 season so far with a 4-0-0 record, a 1.25 GAA and a .959 SV%.
Full story here.
SOURCE: Matthew DeFrank, Dallas Morning News, Now an NHL starter, Jake Oettinger makes his return to Boston: 'It's going to be awesome'.
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