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Stanley Cup champion reveals that he nearly walked away from the game this past season

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Mike Armenti
June 18, 2023 (2:22 PM)

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The Vegas Golden Knights are likely dealing with a hell of a hangover on Sunday, following their Stanley Cup parade and celebration last night on the Vegas Strip, following their first Cup win in franchise history last week. But, such is a small price to pay for a celebration of that magnitude.

Speaking of celebrations, it was easy for this story to fly a bit under the radar with all that has been going on in the NHL over the past week or so, but one Golden Knight's celebration following his Stanley Cup win was extra special, as he shared the moment with his daughter. I am, of course, talking about King City, Ontario native Alex Pietrangelo.

Pietrangelo celebrated his 2nd career Stanley Cup win with his 4-year-old daughter, Evelyn, on the ice this week, but it was almost a win that he wasn't a part of, following a very scary ordeal involving Evelyn last November. Pietrangelo revealed that he almost walked away from professional hockey after a brain lesion took away her motor skills for a stretch.

"You wonder what plan God has for you when something like that happens," he said. "You're not thinking about hockey, about when you might play again. Who cares? All you're thinking about is, 'What's happening to her? Why is it happening to her? And what can I do to help her get better?'" - Pietrangelo on where his mind as at when his daughter fell ill

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For Pietrangelo, as much as winning his 2nd Stanley Cup was more than he could ask for, there was something extra special about that night for him. The fact that his little girl, fully recovered, was there to celebrate the moment with him.

"This is the most surreal moment of my life. To have her here in my arms, celebrating Daddy's Stanley Cup win, just to celebrate anything... You have to understand what it means for her to be here with me, with us, like this. Six months ago, she couldn't eat, she couldn't talk, she couldn't walk. Six months ago, I was ready to give up my career for her.

I never envisioned a moment like this back then. And now, to win a Cup, to have her running around the ice to celebrate with us, I mean, dreams do come true. And this is a dream." - Pietrangelo on what it meant to he and his family to have Evelyn out on the ice with him during the Stanley Cup celebrations