Keivonn Woodard starred as Sam in an episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, and in addition to blowing us away with his acting skills, the youngster is an avid hockey player and fan of the sport. Woodard, who is deaf, aims to become the NHL’s first deaf Black hockey player.
Recently, Woodard had the opportunity to meet his idol–NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin–and the video of the two meeting will likely melt your heart and make your day.
The encounter was captured on video by reporter Olivia Garvey, and you just have to watch it. Woodard stands in awe and eventually moves forward to give Ovechkin a nice big hug. Woodard plays for the Bowie Hockey Club Under-10 team in Maryland, so it’s no surprise that Ovechkin and the nearby Capitals who play out of Washington D.C. would be his local favorite.
Craig Mazin, the writer and showrunner of HBO’s The Last of Us, spoke about Woodard’s acting and hockey skills in a recent interview. Woodard is “just one of those people you meet where you go, ‘OK, there is such a thing as just natural talent,’ and he has it,” Mazin said.
Mazin said he hopes Woodard continues to act, but at the same time, “if he ends up playing in the NHL, I’ll be OK with that, too.”
Ovechkin, 37, is one of the best hockey players in the history of the game. He recently became the third player in NHL history to score 800 goals in the regular season, joining Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin just recently returned to America and resumed playing for the Capitals following the death of his father.
SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US FOLLOW BELOW
In The Last of Us episode five, Sam became infected and started attacking Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Sam was shot dead by his own brother, Henry (Lamar Johnson), who later turned the gun on himself. It was a tragic ending to another incredible episode.
New episodes of The Last of Us air Sunday nights on HBO.
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