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Nathan Walker gets congratulatory call from Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull

Washington Capitals forward Nathan Walker received a call from Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull one day after Walker become the first Australian to play and score in the NHL.

Walker told Turnbull that "it was incredible and really exciting experience" to find the back of the net in his NHL debut, adding that, "I used my butt to get it in."

Sydney-raised Walker scored Washington's last goal in the Capitals' 6-1 thrashing of the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Walker moved to the Czech Republic at age 13 to pursue his hockey career, then moved five years later to North America.

Walker's goal was originally credited to teammate Devante Smith-Pelly, but when the change was announced to the crowd during the third period, Walker's family waved Australian flags in his honor.

"At first, I wasn't 100 percent sure,'' Walker said of his goal, adding he felt in somewhat of a daze during his first game. "The first couple of shifts I didn't know what happened.''

Before finishing the call, Walker told Turnbull how he had met the Australian ambassador to the United States the week before.

The ambassador's name? Joe Hockey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.