For Becky: Mikey DiPietro's First Shutout Comes on Hockey Fights Cancer Night
Twenty-eight saves, a 6-0 win and a night at TD Garden that meant a little bit more to the Bruins goalie and his family.
When the horn went at TD Garden on Thursday night, the whole Bruins bench poured over the boards and headed straight for one guy. Michael DiPietro had just stopped all 28 shots Nashville threw at him in a 6-0 win. It was his first shutout in the NHL.
The scoreboard was only part of the story, though. Thursday was the Bruins' annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Everyone in the building was there for somebody, and that included the goalie.
DiPietro's mom, Becky, died of cancer when he was five years old. He told reporters he'd been thinking about her all day.
"I was thinking about her all day. Her death anniversary is next week, and her birthday is the week after. So, it was a heavy day today," he said. "I just wanted to get the win today for her and also for the team. This one, I think, meant a little bit more."
Read that one again. Picture carrying all of that into a game, and then going out and pitching a shutout on the one night of the year the whole building is thinking about the same fight. You really can't script it. DiPietro put it about as well as anyone could.
"A little bit stressed out, but obviously you can't write it better," he said. "For me, it means a lot on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. My mom passed away when I was 5 from cancer, so it means a lot for me, my family and everyone back home. I just want to make them proud, and this is a real special moment."
The Road Here
Nothing about this came quickly for him. DiPietro is 27. Before he made the Bruins out of training camp this fall, he spent six seasons in the AHL and one in the ECHL. That's a lot of bus rides and a lot of nights in rinks most fans never see, all while waiting for a shot that might not have come.
He says the way he got through all of that goes back to his family. He talked about his dad, and about a decision his dad made very early on.
"I think when you're that young, and you lose a parent, the first thing my dad said was, 'He's not going to have that be an excuse,'" DiPietro said. "He doesn't want my life – to make excuses, nor would she want that."
No excuses. That's how he's handled all of it, and you could see it on Thursday.
The Night Itself
Last Friday in Anaheim, Dipper got his first NHL win with 26 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Ducks. Six days later he came home and topped it.
The skaters gave him plenty of help. Casey Mittelstadt scored 3:49 into the game. Elias Lindholm tipped in a power-play goal late in the first. David Pastrnak scored twice and added two assists, and Charlie McAvoy set up four goals. JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also scored. Marco Sturm said the group was flying from the morning skate on.
"What I liked about most, other than Mikey's shutout, is that we came out with energy," Sturm said.
Don't let the 6-0 fool you, though. DiPietro still had to make saves. His best stretch came in the second period with the Bruins up two. He shut down a partial breakaway by Mavrik Bourque, then stayed with the play to stop Alex Kerfoot's rebound chance. If either one goes in, it's a very different night. Neither did, and the Garden got louder with every minute that ticked off in the third.
When it was over, the team mobbed him in the crease. The Bruins' own account posted a clip of it with a simple caption: "A meaningful night for Mikey 💜." Couldn't have said it better.
Why It Matters
Hockey Fights Cancer Night lands differently for everybody. Some fans in the building are going through treatment. Some are caregivers. Some are there in memory of someone, the way DiPietro was. Hockey is supposed to be a distraction, and most nights it is. Once in a while, though, the game hands you something that feels bigger than two points.
Thursday was one of those nights. A goalie who spent years grinding in the minors, raised by a dad who told him early on that losing his mom would never be his excuse, got his first NHL shutout on the night the league sets aside to fight the disease that took her.
He said he just wants to make his family proud. We'd bet they already are, Mikey. Becky would be too.
We'll see who gets the net Saturday against San Jose. Whoever it is, Thursday night belongs to Dippy and his mom. 💜