Here is a recipe: a World Junior Classic medal, a 2024 National Hockey League All-Star Game appearance, a Hockey World Championship medal, the first Bulgarian-born player in the National Hockey League, and a soft spot for animals. Mix the ingredients all together and you have yourself Alexandar “Georgie” Georgiev, one of my absolute favorite hockey players. For many reasons, Georgie is really growing on me and I appreciate him very much.
Georgie, an Aquarius, was born on February 10, 1996, in Ruse, Bulgaria. After playing hockey in Eastern Europe, Georgie began playing elite hockey in Finland for the Liiga team TPS. During that time, he boasted impressive statistics, including a .900 Save Percentage every single year. I applaud Georgie for that. In my opinion, that is worthy of a dance party.
Even though he went undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft in 2017, Georgie still worked to find a way to achieve his goal of playing hockey in North America. Upon arriving at the New York Rangers development camp, he began proving his place. In fact, the Rangers were so impressed with his performance in camp that Georgie was offered a contract in July of 2017. Seven months later, he achieved his goal of playing professional North American hockey, having debuted against the Montreal Canadiens on February 22, 2018. Since then, he has recorded multiple remarkable feats, including recording a shutout against the New York Islanders in November of 2018, and a career high 55 saves on his 23rd birthday, February 10, 2019. The way I see it, becoming the goalie with the second-most saves in franchise history and setting a record for most regulation saves makes for a fantastic birthday celebration.
Georgie deserves the finest unicorn description possible. In fact, he is a platinum unicorn with golden wings studded with his birthstone, amethysts. The horn is also made out of gold and a delicate pattern of pearls. All four hooves are bronze. The left front hoof is studded with diamonds, the left rear hoof glistens with rubies, the right front hoof is agleam with emeralds, and the right rear hoof sparkles with sapphires. I firmly believe that Georgie absolutely deserves that unicorn description.
During the summer of 2022, Georgie’s career led him to the Avalanche following a trade for third-round and fifth-round draft picks for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, as well as a third-round draft pick for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Georgie’s unicorn-worthy performance continued, where he recorded a league-leading 40 wins. What really interests me about that is that Georgie’s jersey number is 40. In my opinion, that is excellent luck, excellent coincidence, and excellent karma. At the most recent NHL All-Star Game, Georgie managed to stop a goal from Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Knowing that Connor McDavid is a talented player and is described as an elite athlete, I see this as a brutally magical feat.
What I absolutely adore about Georgie is his soft spot for animals! When I learned that he has a pet rabbit, I burst from happiness. In addition, I found that he enjoys dogs. Upon being named an All-Star, the Avalanche posted photos of Georgie spending quality time with puppies. I could tell that Georgie and the puppies were enjoying each other’s company. Recently, when I asked my sister who she thought was the best hugger on the team, she said that Georgie deserves it most because of his love for his bunny. I agree with her. People who love dogs and bunnies are extra wonderful members of society, at least from my perspective.
Go Avs Go, and Go Georgie Go!
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandar_Georgiev
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