Casey Fitzgerald fights in front of nervous mom in NHL debut

The Buffalo Sabres called up defenseman Casey Fitzgerald on Friday night to fight the Pittsburgh Penguins. For his NHL debut, the blue liner was ready to prove his new teammates he is all in, and during the second period of the game that the Penguins led 1-0 at the time, Fitzgerald made the sacrifice to show what he meant.

Penguins' Sam Lafferty laid a huge hit on Vinnie Hinostroza, and Fitzgerald felt he needed to pay. Skating next to Lafferty and throwing insults around, Fitzgerald called the Pens’ player to dance and dropped the gloves.

His parents made the drive to see him in his NHL debut - and his father knows what this is all about. Tom Fitzgerald is the New Jersey Devils general manager and attended the game with his wife, who appeared nervous for her son. 

When he started fighting, she became very tense, while Dad was smirking. When the tilt came to an end, she let out a huge sigh of relief and was more than happy it was over.

Check it out:

Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, the Penguins took a 2-0 lead moments after the power-play they earned as the Sabres got another penalty for roughing, served by Colin Miller.

But what a start for Fitzgerald, who showed his teammates what he’s capable of and what he brings to the club. There’s no doubt he won that fight!