Ask any NHL player and they’ll tell you they wouldn’t be where they are now without the impact their parents and grandparents made on their careers.
From driving to early morning practices, purchasing expensive equipment, or the calming influence after a disappointing game, it takes an entire family to craft together a professional hockey player and athlete.
On his special day with the Stanley Cup, Robby Fabbri decided it was best to let his ailing grandfather touch and get an up-close view of hockey’s ultimate prize. Lying in a bed inside Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga – the same hospital Fabbri was born in 23 years before – grandpa Fabbri even got his own Stanley Cup St. Louis Blues and got to eat some authentic Italian pasta.
“He’s been watching me ever since I was young," said Fabbri of his nonno. "He’s been a big fan. For him to get to experience it and see it, it means a lot to the family."
Fabbri was then able to do one popular exercise with the trophy: eat authentic Italian pasta and some meatballs out of the mug.
Even the dogs got some.
Fabbri even brought the cup back to his home rink where he grew up playing hockey for the Mississauga Rebels.
Over the weekend, the Blues avoided arbitration by inking Fabbri to a one-year deal worth $900,000. Rebounding from a time series on injuries, the former Guelph Storm star notched just 2 goals and 4 assists in 36 games last season.
The Blues are hoping he can bounce back to his rookie form where he notched 18 goals, 19 assists in 72 games back in 2015-16.
