The Last of Us actor Keivonn Woodard had one of his longtime dreams come true recently.
Woodard, the deaf actor who stars as Sam Burrell in the HBO series and is an aspiring hockey player, got to spend the day with NHL star Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Woodard also toured the facility and spent some time in the rink. According to USA Today, the 10-year-old scored twice during practice drills with Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren and forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
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Keivonn Woodard (A deaf hockey player) meets his idol Alexander Ovechkin. @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/OnFEXEJUDb
— Olivia Garvey (@Olivia7News) February 24, 2023
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This kid is…
*checks notes*
TEN YEARS OLD pic.twitter.com/hn7z2IB0fl
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 24, 2023
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“Oh, this is so cool,” Woodard said via an American Sign Language interpreter, USA Today reports. “I can’t believe it. This is a dream of mine.”
The actor also taught Ovechkin to sign his nickname “Ovi” in ASL. Ovechkin presented an autographed hockey stick to Woodard, who was also introduced to retired Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, one of 11 Black players in the organization’s history.
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Keivonn Woodard, a young actor on HBO’s “The Last of Us”, had a dream day with the @Capitals 🤩 #BlackHistoryAlways
More: https://t.co/fVTPRGbmqX pic.twitter.com/PVyAIWULOH
— ESPN (@espn) February 27, 2023
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The two also attended the “Celebrating Black History” pregame festivities on February 25. The actor even dropped the puck before the Capitals hit the ice against the Rangers.
At 10 years old, Woodard already knows what he wants to do when he grows up: to be the first deaf Black player in the NHL.