Oliver Ekman-Larsson makes an incredible gesture to the Arizona Coyotes

The past few years have been a struggle for Oliver Ekman-Larsson since leaving Arizona, but in 2023-24 things changed, with the veteran defenseman finally winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. He followed that up by signing in Toronto, making his third organization since leaving Arizona, but in a recent interview, the talented defenseman revealed an incredible gesture to the Coyotes.

In an interview with Craig Morgan, Ekman-Larsson revealed the two meanings behind his son's name, first revealing that the name Leo is simply OEL backwards.

It was the next part of his statement that showed an incredible gesture to the now defunct Coyotes however, as he would reveal that Leo's middle name is Phoenix, the name of the Coyotes back when he was drafted in 2009.

After being drafted in 2009, OEL remained in the desert until 2021 when he left for the Vancouver Canucks, finishing his Coyotes career with 789 games played with a solid 388 points. Ultimately though, the team failed to have playoff success during his time, and he's now gone and made a name for himself elsewhere, but this gesture shows just how much those 11 years meant as he grew up to be a great player in the NHL with this organization.

Source: Hockey Feed
Ekman-Larsson pays tribute to former team in son's name.