Surrey-raised goaltender Derek Dun was made an honorary member of the Boston Bruins this week.
The NHL hockey team, currently in China for pre-season action with Calgary Flames, invited Dun to practice on Monday and he’ll be a spare netminder for a game on Wednesday (Sept. 19, 4:30 a.m. Pacific start time).
Dun, a Canadian of Chinese heritage, was signed to a tryout contract for the occasion, in a fan-pleasing move by the team while in Beijing.
“Ah, I thought I did OK,” Dun is quoted in a story posted to the Boston Globe‘s website. “If I faced 20 shots I might’ve saved 11. It was exciting to be out there.”
Before Monday’s practice in Beijing, #NHLBruins president Cam Neely and O.R.G. Packaging chairman Zhou Yunjie presented Derek Dun with his No. 1 sweater. #NHLChinaGames pic.twitter.com/W8644YNCEu
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 17, 2018
Dun’s Thai mother and Cantonese father moved to Surrey when he was young.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Dun, 24, said about the dream-come-true NHL experience in a video posted to the Bruins’ Twitter account on Monday.
“It was good, it was fast and quick. I mean, it’s pretty much everything you kind of expect. Some of the best players in the world are out there, so I gotta keep sharp and gotta be on my toes.”
“It's unbelievable…a surreal moment to step out on the ice and practice with some of the best players of the world.”
🎥 Goalie Derek Dun, most recently with Beijing-based HC Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, reacts after being signed to a PTO for the rest of the #NHLChinaGames: pic.twitter.com/2gkKMb9sMs
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 17, 2018
Dun, a Sullivan Heights Secondary grad and former University of British Columbia goalie, signed a pro contract with the Beijing-based HC Kunlun Red Star, of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), in June 2017.
• RELATED STORY: Surrey goaltender signs to play in KHL.
Dun was the Thunderbirds’ starting netminder for the 2016/17 season and, prior to that, spent two years in the NCAA with the University of Northern Michigan. Prior to his university career, he spent three seasons in the BC Hockey League, playing for Cowichan Valley Capitals and Nanaimo Clippers. He also played for the Valley West Hawks during the 2009-10 season, according to his player profile at eliteprospects.com.
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