Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk Had ‘Surreal’ Moment On Florida Road Trip

Wednesday was a special night for Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk.

DeBrusk put the final nail in the Panthers’ coffin when he gave Boston a two-goal lead with a hard-fought goal late in the third period. But even before puck drop at Amerant Bank Arena, DeBrusk was primed for a memorable evening at the rink.

Lou DeBrusk, Jake’s father, was on hand with many other Bruins dads to watch the final leg of Boston’s road trip to Florida. And as fate would have it, Jake surpassed Lou in NHL games played in the Bruins’ 3-1 win over the Panthers.

“It was pretty surreal,” Jake told reporters, per the team. “He actually brought it up when he first came for the Dads Trip. I didn’t even know. It’s something you think about as a kid. …I always looked up to him and just wanted to be like my dad. It was kind of cool to follow in his footsteps and now surpass him hopefully for a couple more games here. It’s one of those things that it’s a big picture moment. Something in the family that I have bragging rights for.”

Lou acknowledged his son already has or is in line to surpass him in every major NHL statistic. Well, besides one.

“I’ll never catch him in penalty minutes,” Jake told reporters. “We always joke about that.”

Jake will play in his 403rd NHL game Friday afternoon when the Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings. NESN’s complete coverage of the Original Six matchup begins at noon ET.