Most hockey parents dream of someday watching their child make the NHL. Probably none of them envision watching their son get punched in the face from glass-side seats.
But that was the experience for Angela and Blaine Peterson, who were at Canadian Tire Centre to see their son, St. Louis Blues rookie Dylan Peterson, make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.
Late in the third period, the 24-year-old Blues forward dropped the gloves with Senators defenseman Jorian Donovan, exchanging jabs and haymakers in a long, spirited fight that had Peterson’s parents feeling big things.
After the bout, the television broadcast cut to Peterson’s family, where his father seemed to enjoy every second of the violence while his anxious mother looked increasingly distressed, eventually putting her hands on top of her head. Peterson’s sisters Justine, Cassandra, and Tessa seemed worried as well.
The Blues shared the family’s reaction on social media, playfully captioning their X video: “THAT’S MY BOY!!!” — Mom.
The debut for Peterson was particularly meaningful, as he spent part of his childhood playing minor hockey in the Ottawa area and was beginning his fourth year in the minors with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Peterson, a third-round pick of the Blues in the 2020 NHL Draft, was recalled from the AHL after forward Dillon Dube suffered a neck injury.
The 6-foot-4 forward finished his debut with four hits, five penalty minutes, and 8:57 of ice time as St. Louis defeated Ottawa 7-2.
“It was good,” Peterson said of his night. “I kind of blacked out it was going so fast. My heart was going a million miles per hour. I’m really happy we won. It was a solid game.”
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery praised Peterson afterward, saying the rookie delivered exactly the kind of physical, energetic performance the team needed from its fourth line.
“Really good first game in the NHL,” Montgomery said. “As a fourth-line right winger, he did exactly what a fouth-line right winger to do. He was heavy on pucks. He was relentless on pucks. He was physical. He executed relaly well, with and without the puck. So overall really good game game for him in his NHL debut.”
Peterson also expressed gratitude for his family’s support and the opportunity to share his NHL debut with them.
“It’s so worth it, all the effort me and my family have put in,” Peterson said. “All the love and support I received from them to get here and play with the Blues, it’s super fulfilling and I’m very grateful.”
Though, he was unaware of how viral his family went on social media for how they experienced his fight.
“I can’t wait to see what the reaction was. I’m super happy they could come.”
In a fun coincidence, Peterson’s opponent, Jorian Donovan, is the son of former NHL player Shean Donovan, and his dad was also in attendance, looking on while serving as an analyst for the TSN broadcast.
