Pietrangelo celebrates Stanley Cup win with daughter after health scare

On this, basically the most special of all special nights for the Pietrangelo family, it used to be a little blonde-haired miracle named Evelyn, his precious 4-year-ragged daughter who wore a mammoth unlit ribbon in her hair and an infectious smile on her face that would possibly presumably also gentle up an NHL area.

Which, in this 2nd, it did.

“Here’s basically the most surreal 2nd of my life,” the Golden Knights defenseman said, his disclose cracking with emotion as he hugged Evelyn. “To non-public her right here in my fingers, celebrating Daddy’s Stanley Cup ranking, resplendent to non-public a super time something … “

He paused. The feelings flooded by technique of him. His eyes welled up.

Vegas had resplendent defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Sport 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. With the victory, it won the Cup in its sixth season of existence.

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These non-public been tears of joy. And now now not resplendent for his 2nd Stanley Cup championship, adding to the one he’d helped the St. Louis Blues ranking in 2019.

“It be important to esteem what it ability for her to be right here with me, with us, adore this,” Pietrangelo said. “Six months ago, she would possibly well per chance now not use, she would possibly well per chance now not disclose, she would possibly well per chance now not run. Six months ago, I used to be ready to provide up my profession for her.

“I surely now now not envisioned a 2nd adore this again then. And now, to ranking a Cup, to non-public her operating around the ice to non-public a super time with us, I mean, needs pause come correct. And right here’s a dream.”

Video: Golden Knights ranking Sport 5, 9-3, 1st Stanley Cup

He crooked over and put aside Evelyn down on the ice. She without prolong scurried over to her mom, Alex’s companion, Jayne. At the side of Alex, it regarded adore a lifetime ago that their lives non-public been, in his words, “a nightmare.”

In slack November of last year, Evelyn caught the flu. Or so the family belief. Unfortunately, it rapid turned into encephalitis, stripping her of her motor skills.

“She would possibly well per chance now not open her eyes for five days,” Pietrangelo recalled.

He used to be ready to provide it all up at the time. If it meant striking up his skates for genuine, so be it.

He’d cherished hockey ever since he used to be a boy in King Metropolis, Ontario, resplendent north of Toronto.

He cherished his daughter more.

“You shock what thought God has for you when something adore that occurs,” he said. “You is inclined to be now now not fascinating about hockey, about have to that you just can play as soon as more. Who cares? All you is inclined to be fascinating about is, ‘What’s occurring to her? Why is it occurring to her? And what can I pause to motivate her get larger?'”

The doctors and Mother Nature took care of that. And even though it will silent rob months for her to absolutely get larger, Evelyn Pietrangelo on this night time looked adore any little girl who can non-public a super time her fifth birthday July 20.

“Here’s unreal,” Pietrangelo said. “I will now now not utter it ample.

*****

Evelyn’s trek, a lot adore that of her family, has been something but simple. But for somebody so young, so dinky, so lovely, she has produced the form of mettlesome battle her dad would possibly presumably now now not be prouder of.

One 2nd earlier within the series reminded him of that.

The Golden Knights non-public been in South Florida for Video games 3 and 4. With Vegas up 2-0 within the excellent-of-7 series at the time, the focal point used to be on zone clearances and breakout patterns, vitality play setups and defensive face-off positioning.

Then came a video name from Pietrangelo’s family again in Las Vegas. And all that changed.

There used to be his little girl, grinning ear to ear, bouncing and bopping round to the tunes being played within the background. The identical little girl who would possibly presumably also barely transfer slack last year.

Miracles pause happen, it appears.

“Now and again you would perchance perchance rob a step again and search for at where she is,” Pietrangelo recalled. “It regularly hit me after I used to be on the side motorway and my companion would send me a video of her. Now and again you rob issues as a genuine and wish a reminder.”

This, he said, used to be one among these times.

“There she is, on the video, dancing and singing within the front room,” he recalled. “The kids got a few songs about God and Jesus that they adore and explain and dance to.

“That is when it surely hits you onerous. That is have to you surely esteem how far she’s come.”

In this kind of short whereas too.

On July 20, 2018, Jayne gave delivery to triplets: Evelyn, a girl, and brothers, Oliver and Theodore. A year later, Pietrangelo, the Blues captain at the time, brought the Cup home to King Metropolis, where his mom, Edy, put aside her selfmade pasta within the end of it. At one point, wee Evelyn would possibly presumably also simply be seen sticking her fingers in there to get a lick.

“The kids non-public been so young at the time,” Pietrangelo said. “They didn’t realize. They resplendent most standard operating round and touching it.”

In September of 2020, the couple welcomed a fourth child, Julia Grace. For Alex and Jayne, who had suffered a miscarriage in 2017, every child used to be a blessing.

Then came last drop, when all that changed.

Encephalitis is a form of brain lesion that nearly alarmed Evelyn for several days. Pietrangelo suggested Golden Knights overall manager Kelly McCrimmon and coach Bruce Cassidy that he would possibly well per chance now not and wouldn’t return to work till Evelyn used to be larger. And if that took years, so be it.

Fortunately, after doctors opted for a definite form of medication, it worked. After a alternative of days within the health center, Evelyn returned home. Pietrangelo returned from a 9-game absence Dec. 17.

“I’m resplendent so grateful to the Knights,” he said. “They supported me every step of the device.”

For Cassidy, it used to be now now not even a ask.

“We’re all grateful for Evey’s recovery and genuine neatly being,” the coach said. “I will now now not imagine what ‘Petro’ and Jayne went by technique of. As a mother or father myself, I’m definite they would non-public done something to alternate areas with their daughter.

“Alex is a enormous section of our team, but family comes first. He had the stout make stronger of his Vegas Golden Knights hockey family every step of the device. Very provoking space. No person knew how extreme it used to be, and then we non-public been on the side motorway, so it used to be sophisticated for the guys to cease linked. 

“Grateful it worked out within the end.”

So is McCrimmon.

“We’re all incredibly grateful that Evelyn is doing neatly and would possibly presumably simply survey her dad play hockey,” the GM said. “Organizationally, it be simple. Family comes first. Our avid gamers are husbands and fathers first, then hockey avid gamers. We will make every decision regarding avid gamers in that shriek.

“Gamers esteem it, and so pause their families.”

Jayne and Alex surely did.

*****

On Oct. 13, 2020, Pietrangelo signed a seven-year, $61.6 million contract with the Golden Knights. It had an moderate annual stamp of $8.8 million.

He used to be the workhorse Vegas had hungered for on the blue line. The Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs had shown interest, but McCrimmon within the end happy him financially and competitively that The Strip used to be the plight to be.

This season, he accomplished with 54 aspects (11 targets, 43 assists) in 73 video games. The excellent video games he omitted non-public been these he’d left the team for to be with Evelyn.

In 21 Stanley Cup Playoff video games, he had 10 aspects (one aim, 9 assists), used to be plus-9 and led the Golden Knights in moderate ice time per game (23:25). And when the rest horn sounded Tuesday, he used to be one among the predominant avid gamers to mob goalie Adin Hill.

“These guys are resplendent so special,” Pietrangelo said. “They came to work on each day foundation having a search for to get larger. They non-public been a relaxing community to be round. And so they non-public been so supportive.”

The 33-year-ragged looked around the rink at his teammates. At center Jack Eichel, whose profession used to be in jeopardy now now not goodbye ago attributable to a neck damage. At wing Phil Kessel, who’d resplendent won his third championship, the diversified two coming with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

“It ability loads to all of us,” Pietrangelo said.

To his father, Joe as neatly. Joe Pietrangelo had coached Alex on a summer season team identified because the Toronto Blues when he used to be 11. Additionally on that roster: Steven Stamkos, now captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and John Tavares, who holds the identical role with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now, there used to be Joe, standing on the ice staring at his son playfully rub noses with Evelyn.

“I’m so proud,” Joe Pietrangelo said. “It says loads that he used to be prepared to provide all of this up for his family.

“As a mother or father, you resplendent need the excellent for your kids, better than something.”

Given his past six months, Alex Pietrangelo, Stanley Cup champion for a 2nd time, would possibly well per chance now not agree more.