Jakub Lauko impressed in his NHL debut Thursday night for the Bruins, but his parents nearly missed it.
The Boston forward didn't appear on the scoresheet, but he did finish the 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals with three hits and drew two penalties. Lauko found out he'd be playing the season opener after Tuesday's practice, so his parents didn't have a whole lot of time to pack their bags and catch a flight to Washington D.C.
They did, but not without issue which almost caused them to miss the game.
Immigration issues kept Lauko's parents at the border for hours, but they made it to Capital One Arena with minutes to spare.
"They just told me they were waiting for like four hours at immigration," Lauko told reporters after the game, per a Bruins video shared on Twitter. "So they made it, like, 10 minutes before the start of the game. It was a rush, but I'm really, really happy."
Lauko added they will fly back to Czechia on Thursday so they won't be at the home opener Saturday. But Lauko was just happy they were able to see his first NHL game.
Lauko has worked tirelessly to get to the NHL level and to have his parents in the stands for his debut after all his hard work paid off certainly provided a boost of energy for the forward.
"I feel like if I'm gonna build on this game, it's gonna be better and better," Lauko told reporters. "For me, I trust my abilities and my upside. I just need to adjust for the pace of the game for the guys that are playing. Last two years, I haven't PK'd much and now I'm PKing against (Alex Ovechkin) or (Evgeny) Kuznetsov so it's a big step up. I think I was pretty decent."
Head coach Jim Montgomery agreed and praised Lauko after the win for the tenacity and energy he brought to the game.
Lauko will try to replicate Wednesday's performance Saturday night when the Bruins play their first home game of the season against the Arizona Coyotes. Puck drop from TD Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET. You can catch the game on ESPN, but NESN will air an hour of pregame and postgame coverage.
