Tyson Jost’s NHL debut brings grandfather to tears

Colorado Avalanche rookie Tyson Jost made his NHL debut Friday night, much to the joy of his grandfather.

As the NHL postseason approaches, teams are vying for the final playoff spots, and also looking to sign some of their prospects away from the collegiate and junior ranks in order to boost their lineups. While that isn’t the case for the Avalanche, they still have some things to feel good about, as their 2016 first round pick Tyson Jost made his NHL debut Friday night, much to the joy of his grandfather.

Jost’s grandfather was probably monumental in his grandson’s upbringing, from travel all the way up to playing at the University of North Dakota for a year. The reaction in seeing the hours, days, months and years of constant dedication and love for a sport is emotional for all, but even more so for those who helped Jost along the way.

Jost, the 10th overall pick in last year’s NHL draft, recently completed his first and only season at North Dakota, finishing with 35 points — 16G, 19A — for a North Dakota team that lost in the regional semifinal to fellow college hockey powerhouse Boston University.

Jost’s grandfather got just as emotional at that point as well, and who could blame him?

Jost told Terry Frei of the Denver Post after the draft just how proud of his grandfather he is:

"“I thought it was special,” Tyson said of his grandfather’s reaction. “Everybody could see his true colors and how much pride he has in the game of hockey and how much he did for me and my family. He was a little bit embarrassed once we were telling him, ‘Hey, you’re pretty famous on Twitter right now.’ He’s embarrassed, but I’m proud of him. I’m proud of the person he is.”"

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Jost didn’t score a point in his debut as the Avalanche came away with with a 2-1 shootout victory, but like every rookie’s NHL debut, I highly doubt it will be something that he or his grandfather will soon forget.