EDMONTON — It has been a long road for Noah Philp to scoring his first NHL goal.

The 27-year-old native of Canmore, Alta., had his dream come true Saturday as he scored the first goal of his NHL career to help the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1.

It’s a pretty big deal for any player, but made even more so for Philp, who walked away from the game for all of the 2023-2024 season with the plan to retire for good.

After going undrafted, Philp played for the Edmonton-based University of Alberta Golden Bears and impressed the hometown team enough to get signed by the Oilers in April of 2022.

He played the entire 2022-23 season for their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, but opted to call it quits after one year of pro hockey.

However, after some travel and reflection, Philp op

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