Growing up, Addison said he spent three weeks every summer visiting his grandfather in McAuley, Manitoba, doing what he described as, "country things" while hanging out and spending time in the small town.
Alex was in the stands at the majority of Addison's games, but died when Addison was 14, four years before his grandson would be selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 53) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He was traded to the Wild with forward Alex Galchenyuk and a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft for forward Jason Zucker on Feb. 10, 2020.
Addison said he is doing his best to make his grandfather proud, with one goal hoping to lead to many more.
"He was one of the closest people to me growing up throughout my life," Addison said. "He grew up playing hockey, too, and he was always watching my game -- every game -- so it was just a special moment for my entire family."