TORONTO -- Dean Evason had an inkling Adam Fantilli would be the hero for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, long before the puck was dropped.
A day ahead, actually.
Indeed, standing outside the jubilant Blue Jackets dressing room about 20 minutes after Fantilli’s overtime winner gave the visitors a 3-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Columbus coach was asked when he first thought it might be a special night for the young forward.
“Yeah, as soon as we landed in Toronto (Wednesday)," Evason said. "That’s as early as we knew he was into it."
He then broke into a wry grin.
“If we could play all of our games here, he would probably have had 50 (goals)."
Evason was only half joking, given Fantilli’s success at Scotiabank Arena in recent times.
As a boy growing up about 30 miles northwest of Toronto in Nobleton, Ontario, young Adam and his dad Giuliano would come to this very same arena to watch their beloved Boston Bruins take on the Maple Leafs. It was, for both, a special place.
For the Fantilli family, it still is.
Consider that back on Jan. 22, Adam, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, scored his first NHL hat trick in front of dozens of friends and family in a 5-1 Blue Jackets victory over the Maple Leafs. Moments after he’d potted his third goal of the game, his mom Gloria was the first person in the building to chuck her hat on the ice as a tribute to his accomplishment.
Now, here he was, back in the same location 302 days later, causing headaches for the Maple Leafs again, this time doing it in front of what Gloria estimated was a gathering of 125 pro-Fantilli supporters on hand cheering him on.
He certainly didn’t let them down. Far from it. In the end, the 21-year-old finished the game with a pair of goals and an assist.
Fantilli admitted he actually thought he’d opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets early in the second period until teammate Dmitri Voronkov “showed me the puck mark on his pants.” The goal correctly was given to Voronkov, with Fantilli awarded the helper.
Fantilli would score the Blue Jackets' second goal of the game. But it was his spectacular rush in overtime that sent his entourage into a euphoric frenzy.
With the game knotted at 2-2, Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski head manned the puck to a speeding Fantilli in the neutral zone. Turning on the jets, he blew past Maple Leafs forward Max Domi before completing the perfect deke around Toronto goalie Joseph Woll for the winner with 38.8 seconds on the clock, causing Gloria, who was seated right behind the Toronto net, to start jumping up and down with glee.
“It was a great play by Werenski, he just kind of let me get my speed going there to make that (Maple Leafs player) hesitate for a half second and I was able to get a step on him,” Fantilli said. “It was a perfect play by him, it was great.”
To say the least.
“Yeah, that was a blast,” he said. “I seem to have a lot of good luck in this building so maybe it’s all the friends and family wishing me luck here.”
In the process, it brought him back to the days when his dad would take him to games here.
“He would always bring me here when he could,” Fantilli said. “At that time, I would dream about playing on this ice.
“That dream came true.”
Once he’d completed his media obligations, he quickly showered and changed into street clothes before heading to Section 117, where friends and family of the visiting players greet them after games. On this night, there were hundreds there, many waiting for him.
Including his loving mom and proud poppa.
“I wouldn’t say I’m his lucky charm,” Gloria said, her face beaming with joy. “It’s this whole group of people. That’s his lucky charm.
“It’s incredible for this to happen. And to have all these family and friends with us, it’s the best thing ever. I love it.”
Especially the way her son helped shut up some of the loud-mouthed Maple Leafs fans sitting around them.
“The people behind us were heckling him a little bit so I was praying that he was going to do something special,” Gloria said. “And he did. I was very thankful.
“It was so special.”
Alas, the Blue Jackets do not play in Toronto again this season.
For the Fantilli family, that just means they’ll have to wait until the 2026-27 season to make the 50-minute drive to downtown Toronto to see what their son has in store in what he considers his NHL hometown.
Chances are it will be something good, judging by recent history.
You must be logged in to post a comment.