The last twelve days have been a whirlwind for Taylor Chorney. A journeyman AHL defensemen for most of his career, the Caps’ 7th D earned a two-year contract extension that will keep him in the NHL through 2018. Chorns’ good play while Brooks Orpik was out injured inspired the Capitals to make a deal.
The monetary raise wasn’t the only thing Taylor’s family could celebrate. On Tuesday, Taylor Chorney’s wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, a son named Turner William. That night, Chorney was scratched for the Pens game and likely missed out on a lot of sleep, but with back-to-back games, Barry Trotz immediately put Chorns back into the line-up Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the first period, Chorney’s good luck continued. The defenseman scored his first goal since February 15, 2011, and his very first goal as a Capital. How long has it been since Chorney has dented the twine? During that stretch, Alex Ovechkin scored a whopping 225 times.
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The goal was made possible by Chorney’s former teammate at the University of North Dakota, TJ Oshie. Oshie used a deceptive back-pass to find Chorney jumping into the play. The defenseman then beat Jonathan Bernier with an old fashioned wrist shot over the goaltender’s left shoulder.
“When you get a chance to contribute, Nisky finally putting a couple in and I guess me as well, it’s nice,” Chorney said after the game. “Hopefully we’ll get more of that down the stretch.”
While the goal was fun, Chorney was more preoccupied with something else.
“Hopefully I can get out of here and go see my wife and Turner,” Chorney said, before elaborating on his feelings of being a first-time father. “It’s such a cool experience. I think anyone who’s been through it will tell you you don’t even think about the lack of sleep. It’s definitely all been worth it.”
Chorney also spoke about his plans with his milestone biscuit.
“Hopefully someday Turner will be able to go back and jump on YouTube and see the goal,” Chorney said. “Maybe I’ll keep the puck for him.”
Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.
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