Cowan's first NHL goal comes in his ninth career game with the Maple Leafs.
Thirty-three seconds into the third period of Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Easton Cowan received a pass before swiftly firing a shot past Dan Vladar. Almost as fast, teammate and fellow London Knight alumnus John Tavares jumped into the young forward's arms to celebrate his first NHL goal.
"I lived with him a bunch, so just to be able to share that moment with him was awesome," the 20-year-old said after the Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-2 win over the Flyers. "I mean, what a play by him. Just an unreal player and an even better guy."
Tavares had scored his 500th goal in the game prior, a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. It was a massive moment that, sadly, didn't get celebrated too much due to the game's scoreline.
So when Cowan slotted the puck in the top corner, off of a no-look spinning pass from Tavares, it felt like two celebrations amalgamated into one.
"I mean, he's (scored) 500 times, so to see him that excited for a goal was definitely special," Cowan told Maple Leafs host Ryan Leslie after the game. "Just like I've been saying since I met him, what a great player, and just an even better human being.
"I've learned so much from him, and honestly, I've only known him for two years, but I probably wouldn't be here without him."
Cowan has been raring to score his first NHL goal for a while now. Throughout each game, you can notice the emphasis on shooting the puck more. Cowan had three shots against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday before piling up four shots against the Flyers.
At some point or another, one was going to find the back of the net.
"It's a mental grind," admitted Cowan, while trying to hold back a grin.
"You want to score, and the first however many games I played, I didn't score. So just stuck with it in practice, kept getting better, and I'm going to keep doing that. It just felt like it was going to be a matter of time. I stuck with it, kept to my chances, and it felt good that that one went in for sure."
His teammates definitely took notice of his game ramping up a bit.
"He's had a lot of good opportunities over the last couple of weeks. You know he wants to score, and I thought tonight, he was all over it," Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said, with a smile.
"We're all super pumped for him and definitely a cool moment."
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has placed Cowan throughout Toronto's lineup. At one point or another throughout the early part of this season, the young forward has appeared on every line, from the first all the way down to the fourth.
In slotting him with Tavares and Bobby McMann, Berube had to have known that if the Maple Leafs were playing well, a Cowan goal was a possibility.
"He had a hell of a game tonight," Berube stamped. "Just the way he hung onto pucks and made plays and competed on the puck, his stick details. He did a lot of good things tonight. He was a really good player tonight for us."
No doubt it was a fantastic night for Cowan. The Maple Leafs got the win, and on the flight back to Toronto, Cowan got to read all the messages that were sent his way following his first NHL goal, from family, friends, and some former Knights teammates.
"I haven't even talked to (my mom) yet, so I'm pretty sure she's pumped. Maybe I'll give her a call before I get on the plane," Cowan smiled.
Cowan's first goal puck will likely go somewhere in his room at his family's home in Mount Brydges, Ontario, a two-and-a-half-hour drive west of Toronto. "I'm sure my mom will want it there," he said.
Though as he sat inside the dressing room at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, the NHL rookie couldn't help but think back to when he was a child. It was a dream to play in the NHL. It was another dream to score in the league.
But nothing beats conquering each of those goals while playing on the team he grew up idolizing as a kid.
"What a feeling, especially for your hometown team. I wouldn't want to play anywhere else, that's for sure."
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