Ten years ago this week, in a building that no longer exists, Zemgus Girgensons was a 19-year-old basking in his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres.
Reminded by reporters after practice Tuesday, Girgensons smiled and said he had seen the anniversary pop up on his Twitter feed the night before. It was Oct. 2, 2013, at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena in a game most remembered as the Red Wings’ return to the Eastern Conference.
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The Sabres lost, 2-1, but Girgensons scored Buffalo’s only goal with 7:24 left, putting his first NHL shot on goal into the net after a misplay by Wings goalie Jimmy Howard.
“I remember vividly. The building’s not around but I’m never gonna forget that,” said Girgensons, whose linemates that night were Brian Flynn and Mikhail Grigorenko. “It was a cool experience. I definitely remember my first shift I got pinned in my zone with (Detroit stars Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg on the ice. It was over a minute long I think. Remember that the most, but in the end, I got a goal so that was special of course.”