Assistant Mark Recchi chatted with Fantilli as he took slow laps during the morning skate, asking about all the family members coming to the game and offering advice.
“I just told him, ‘Accept it.’ Enjoy. This is a moment you’ll never forget, and just enjoy it,” Recchi said.
Recchi is a great resource. The Hockey Hall of Famer has seen other top draft picks make it to the NHL, most notably the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2005 to 2006. He is a teammate of center Sidney Crosby.
As for Fantilli, so far so good.
“He just wants to be a player and always loves it,” Recchi said. “He always asks questions. He wants to get better. He wants to improve. He wants to understand things. That’s fun to coach.”
Wearing a gray windowpane suit for the game, Fantilli walked down the blue carpet in the plaza outside the arena, smiling and hitting fives as fans lined up on either side of the ropes amid the opening night hustle and bustle. .
He ran his rookie lap without a helmet — a lap, in fact. His teammates took a while to join him for warm-ups. Fans stood facing the glass throughout the Columbus end, some holding signs and celebrating his birthday.
“The first lap was pretty cool,” Fantilli said. “As soon as the puck dropped, I was able to settle into the spot, relax there and play hockey. I was happy to be able to do that. There were a lot of outside things going on, but hockey… I was really happy to be able to play and get my first record.”
Fantilli scored his first NHL point on his first NHL shot. He took a shot from the left side that generated a rebound from defenseman Jake Bean, tying the score at 1-1 at 8:24 of the first period. The packed crowd of 18,614 people roared and the cannons rang out.
“I just wanted to get it off and put it in the net,” Fantilli said. “It wasn’t the best shot ever, but it ended up coming off the pads and into Beaner’s area. I was really happy for him to hit that shot.”
Ohio State Barry Sports found parents in the stands. You can imagine the emotion.
“It’s just unbelievable. To be able to do it here at home in front of our amazing fans… it’s unbelievable,” his father said. “I was overwhelmed.”
“It’s just unbelievable,” his mother said. “You know what? I said to someone today, “Columbus is back.” we feel it. We are so excited for Adam to be able to spend his 19th birthday here and be a part of this organization and this city. we love it. “
