Prince Harry performs ceremonial puck drop before Canucks game

The Vancouver Canucks had a royal surprise on Monday.

Prince Harry performed the ceremonial puck drop before the Canucks game against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena.

The Duke of Sussex received a warm welcome from Cancuks fans as he dropped the puck between Sharks forward Tomas Hertl and Canucks captain Quinn Hughes.

Hertl reflected on the moment after the game.

“It's a pretty cool moment," said the Sharks forward. "Anytime you have [the] chance to shake hands with Prince Harry, it was for sure cool moment. Probably [I'll] never forget it.”

Prince Harry, who is the founder and patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, was in town to tour Vancouver and Whistler which will host the 2025 Invictus Games.

The event will take place from Feb. 8-16, 2025, where injured, sick and wounded veterans from all over the world will compete in adaptive sporting events. Rogers Arena will host the closing ceremony.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, also joined her husband at the game.

The couple had a glorious reaction after J.T. Miller's third period goal to extend the Canucks' lead.

- NHL.com correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report