Keaton Middleton had the type of year last season that thousands of hockey players who have toiled away in the minors dream of.
He made it.
So, after five months with the Colorado Avalanche and what looks like a spot sewn up on the NHL roster before training camp even began, how did Middleton approach his first exhibition contest? He met with the biggest, meanest-looking dude on the other team at center ice during warmups and agreed to a fight.
“I don’t have an identity crisis. I know who I am,” Middleton said. “I’ve known who I am for years.