Must See: Alex Goligoski “Throws” One-of-a-Kind First Pitch

The Minnesota Wild are not the only ones in town that are enjoying the talents of NHL defenseman Alex Goligoski.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Wild veteran took the mound at Target Field to throw out the first pitch when the Minnesota Twins hosted the Kansas City Royals. What made the pitch so unique was that it wasn’t really a pitch at all.

The 37-year-old blueliner walked onto the field with his hockey stick in hand and fired a wrist shot from the infield grass into the glove of the Twins player behind the plate.

It would have been an impressive shot even if it was a little outside, but Goligoski made sure it was right down the middle for a strike, and he looked just as surprised by the result as the rest of us.

Alex Goligoski is turning heads on the baseball diamond.

While his first pitch has absolutely nothing to do with hockey, sometimes it’s fun just to keep up with things that players are doing during the offseason. The preseason is rapidly approaching, with the regular season soon to follow, but Goligoski made time for one more offseason activity.

On the ice, the 15-year NHL vet is preparing to begin his second season with a Wild team that is poised to once again be a difficult out in the Western Conference.

Last year, he played in 72 contests for the Wild, recording two goals and 28 assists for 30 points. He also ended the year with a plus-41 rating, which is impressive in general, but it’s even more incredible given his career rating is now a plus-72.

Minnesota was eliminated in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring by their Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues. Despite another early exit, the Wild are an exciting team again in 2022 with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal and young talent throughout the lineup.

Again, a first-pitch strike for Goligoski doesn’t exactly translate to hockey, but the Twins are 1-0 in games where the defenseman delivers the first pitch, and with as superstitious as hockey folks can be, the Wild and their fans will be hoping for the good mojo to continue on the ice.