Being a hockey parent certainly isn’t a cake walk. It involves early mornings, cold arenas, shoveling snow off of outdoor rinks. There can be long miles clocked on the odometer, dealing with unruly parents of other kids, and it’s certainly not cheap either.
That’s what makes the tradition of NHL rookies debuting with a solo rookie lap so special. It’s not just a moment of achievement for the player, it’s equally as special for the people that helped get the player there.
On Tuesday, Jim and Susan Perunovich were the parents to take in the rookie lap experience with their son Scott. In a video shared by The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, Jim and Susan – also known as mom and dad – can be seen taking in the moment with their emotions fully on display as Scott took the ice in his new St. Louis Blues jersey.
Nerves, excitement, overwhelming anticipation. 23 years of raising a kid for it to culminate in this one special moment.
After the game, Scott was shown the video of his parents. It was a special moment for him to see them so excited for his debut.
Perunovich ended up playing over 18 minutes of ice time, including nearly three minutes on the power-play. Following the game, Blues head coach Craig Berube spoke about Perunovich’s game:
What a moment.
