BY STAFF WRITERS

Nathan Walker could be the first Australian to play in the Stanley Cup after his Washington Capitals won through to the NHL’s playoff finals.

The former Cronulla Sharks development player’s Capitals defeated Tampa Bay to clinch the series 4-3 and will now face Las Vegas for ice hockey’s greatest prize.

Walker is already the first Australian to play in the NHL but did not get any game time against Las Vegas despite starring against Pittsburgh in the second round of the playoffs.

“Nathan Walker, he played unbelievable, played like a little mother f****r,” Capitals teammate Evgeny Kutznetsov said after Walker scored his first NHL goal in game 6 against the Penguins.

“That’s the only one word I have for him.”

Walker grew up in Sydney and had a shot of making the NRL after being selected in a Sharks development team.

He chose ice hockey.

“I was in the development program with the Cronulla Sharks … I’m not sure where that path would’ve taken me, but I definitely don’t regret choosing hockey,” he told ESPN in 2016.

Like all of us, he loved the Mighty Ducks movies growing up.

Meet Nathan Walker. He's from Australia. And he's really good at hockey. #ALLCAPS #CapsDevils https://t.co/bwMRapLZZp

— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 18, 2017