The longtime NHL commentator tossed a puck for the nearly 3-month-old English Labrador retriever during a heartwarming pregame play session before Emrick called the Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday Night Hockey on NBCSN.
Emrick and his wife Joyce have long been dog people, and he once took a leave of absence to care for his sick dog. So it's no surprise he'd want to meet Barclay, and as expected Emrick jumped right into playing with the pup.
Barclay, like most of the hockey world, took kindly to Emrick, giving his face a lick.
The Blues adopted Barclay, or Barc for short, in October with the plan to train him to become a future assistance dog. Blues fans were tasked with naming the dog and picked Barclay after Barclay Plager, the Blues defenseman who played from 1967-77 and whose No. 8 hangs from the rafters at Enterprise Center.
Barclay isn't the only
NHL assistance
dog
in training
, and we can only hope Emrick gets to meet and play with them all.
