What's the 'Scoop' with Alex Nedeljkovic

After Alex Nedeljkovic first arrived in Pittsburgh, he planned to keep his Cleveland roots somewhat under wraps, considering the rivalry between the Browns and the Steelers.

But a couple of months later, the Penguins goaltender wore his Myles Garrett jersey to watch practice while rehabbing from an injury … and then donned it again for his postgame interview after shutting out the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights in his return game on Sunday, Nov. 19.

What changed?!

“Victory Monday, you know?” Nedeljkovic shrugged, grinning. “Doesn't happen often. But you know what, once (Browns head coach) Kevin Stefanski took over, I think we've got a pretty decent record now. It's not totally embarrassing when we play the Steelers. So yeah, you just gotta take advantage of it when you can.”

Penguins President of Hockey Operations and President Kyle Dubas, who inked Nedeljkovic to a one-year deal when free agency opened this summer, got a kick out of his netminder’s allegiance to his hometown team.

“We liked what we saw from Alex when we signed him in the offseason, and I think as everyone has now seen – with his very open affinity going into the lion's den with his Cleveland Browns fandom and apparel – he's unafraid of the pressure that comes with a position and criticism that can come from being a fan of a bitter rival in the city of Pittsburgh,” Dubas said. “He’s added a lot in terms of personality and character to the room. I think he’s a guy that all of his teammates enjoy, and the staff enjoy being around.”

Nedeljkovic is an affable, agreeable, and good-natured guy, someone easy to talk to and get along with who is an open book. He took the time to share more about his background and interests in this getting-to-know interview.

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Nedeljkovic, whose Jan. 7 birthday is the day Serbia celebrates Christmas Day according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar pays homage to his heritage on his helmet with the ‘Serbian Cross.’ Also known as the ‘four C’s’, it is one of the country’s national symbols that is part of Serbia’s coat of arms and flag.

Alex got the chance to visit his paternal grandparents a few years back in the village where they live and first met, a tiny town in the mountains near Ljubovija. Seeing what life is like there was a humbling experience, as it’s developed, but not like it is here.

“Every day, you wake up in the morning and you go and get whatever you wanted for breakfast. Walk to the bakery, grab a loaf of bread, bring it home for the day, stuff like that,” Nedeljkovic said. “You know everybody in town, there's one grocery store and one church. It was pretty eye-opening.”

Alex is the oldest of four children, with one younger brother and two younger sisters. To this day, he’s still not sure what his father does for a living – “Sorry, Dad” – and his mom is a nurse.

Just like Alex’s wife Emma, who found out she was pregnant with their first child the day she graduated from nursing school at Michigan State University. The couple, who met when Alex was playing junior hockey for the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League, welcomed son Greyson earlier this year. They drew inspiration for his name from a clothing line based out of Detroit, where the family resides in the offseason.

“We couldn't come up with a boy name, honestly, that we both liked,” Alex said. “Then there's a clothing line based out of Detroit called Greyson Clothiers. I kind of like the stuff, so I think that's where we ultimately came up with the name, it’s from there.”

Greyson joined fur brothers Zeke and Brady, who have their own Instagram account (@zekeandbradyned). Zeke, a black Lab, came first. He’ll be five years old in February, with Alex lovingly calling him a “big, goofy bear.”

“He's a little timid. Unfortunately, he was attacked twice when he was like 1. But when he sees people, he goes after people. He just loves people,” Nedeljkovic said. “Every time my parents come over or Emma’s mom comes over or anyone comes over, it’s like, I haven’t seen another human being in years, right? So, he’s awesome.”

He’s a gentle giant at 95 pounds, while Zeke – who’s going to be 2 – weighs around 60. “He’s wacky, he’s got that Golden energy,” Nedeljkovic said of their Retriever. When Alex isn’t at the rink or on the road, he loves taking them outside, since it can be difficult for Emma to manage two puppies and a baby on her own.

Apart from that, at this point in his life, what Nedeljkovic looks forward to most is getting some sleep of his own once Greyson goes down.

“I was a video game guy for a long time there, and I haven't played hardly at all since he was two or three months, where he started to get a little bit of a personality,” Nedeljkovic said. “So, I really haven't done any of that lately. Fantasy football is a big one this time of year. In the summertime, I golf a lot.”

Nedeljkovic also said he wants to get his pilot’s license at some point, after his experience in the summer of 2022 flying with the Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron of the U.S. Navy, back home in Detroit.

The day Nedeljkovic was supposed to fly, there ended up being some issues with the jet. The civilians were offered two options: a guaranteed flight on a transport aircraft nicknamed ‘Fat Albert,’ or choose to wait and see if the repairs could be completed before the Blue Angels left Detroit.

“So, I waited and got lucky. They were able to fix it up and I was able to do it, and it was cool,” Nedeljkovic said. “It was pretty cool to see what they did and do the loops. We got up to seven and a half G’s. It kind of turned into, yeah, I want to do that.”

Nedeljkovic, whose uncle flies for one of the main shipping couriers, said the process actually isn’t super complicated. “It just takes time,” he said. “Basically, I think your first day when you go in, you fly. You land the plane yourself. A little prop plane, but you're actually flying. So you just got to get some hours and pass the test.”

Being a Blue Angel is a pretty awesome job, but playing in the National Hockey League is certainly up there as well. Nedeljkovic first got started when his parents put him on the ice for Learn to Skate-type sessions, which evolved into playing hockey. As they left the rink one day, a goalie camp/clinic was going on, and Alex told his parents that’s what he wanted to do.

“You get a good rush, when you're playing good and you're feeling good and you're on your game, the game moves a little slower,” he said. “And it's nice being a part of something bigger, obviously, right? If you're not doing your thing, it's tough. It's hard to win and you don't feel like you're doing enough for the guys in front of you. When I'm feeling on and when I'm feeling good about my game and giving these guys a chance to win, it just makes it more fun, obviously.”