One of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s stars will play in the NHL All-Star Game’s Breakaway Challenge. People might not have enjoyed John Walker very much during the show, but Wyatt Russell will be lacing up his skates. Long before picking up the shield, the actor was a goalie. In fact, he was a pretty good one. Russel actually played with All-Star Cam Talbot back in college at the University of Alabama Huntsville. Their relationship stretches all the way back to the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The 35-year-old is ecstatic about gettin the chance to put his gear back on and talk to his old friend. However, he acknowledges that it’s been a long time since he hit the ice with any stakes. The John Walker had some short words about his teammate when speaking to NHL.com.
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“We played against each other in junior hockey before we went to college,” Russell told fans, “so it’s just a weird twist of fate that in the first year [Talbot] makes the All-Star Game, they also invite me. It’s going to be a blast, though. The NHL is making this competition as fun as possible.”
“I don’t know if my dream was, 12 years after you’re done playing hockey, get invited to literally face the best goal-scorers in the world in a breakaway competition where they get to do whatever they want for however long they want,” Russell said, tongue in cheek. “But in terms of just going out and seeing everybody in real life in that kind of arena, it’ll be a fun little rush. I’m looking at it like who am I just trying to survive against. I’m going to be in constant survival mode.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star also talked about trying to be like his idols on the Los Angeles Kings.
“Everything [Kelly] Hrudey did I wanted to do but as I got a little older, Martin Brodeur was sort of my hockey icon,” Russell explained. “I probably stood up more than I should have when I was playing but I think I always saw myself in [Brodeur] because he wasn’t super traditional. He kind of did anything he could to stop the puck and his puck handling skills were so much fun to watch since I was a goalie.”
Will you be watching the MCU star in the big event? Let us know down in the comments!
