Zach Fucale gets emotional in postgame interview as his mother sobs in the stands

It was a long time coming for goalie Zach Fucale, but it was worth the wait. On Thursday night, Fucale finally got his first start in the NHL and made 21 saves in the Capitals’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. With the clean sheet, Fucale becomes the first Capitals goaltender in franchise history to pitch a shutout in his NHL debut.

This was the perfect NHL debut, which left the netminder speechless after the game in his interview with NBC Sports.

“I’ve never been speechless,” Fucale said after the game to NBC Sports Washington. “This is one of the greatest moments of my hockey career… What a great defensive game everybody played here.”

His teammates were quick to mob him on the ice and surprised him in the dressing room after the game, but most of Fucale’s thoughts were with his family who witness his wonderful performance from the stands of Little Caesar’s Arena.

Fucale’s family including his parents, Jack and Kathryn, cheered Zach on as the buzzer sounded : his mother sobbed, overwhelmed with emotions. His parents scrambled to get to Michigan to make the game with Jack driving from Montreal and Kathryn from Toronto (work trip).

The goalie was emotional too after the game.

“That’s unreal,” Fucale said of his family’s reaction as he began to tear up. “My parents stuck with me through the great times but also there were some real tough times, and I think that’s awesome. There are so many people who have helped me to get here. And there’s a lot of people who did not believe in me that helped fuel me. This is a team effort. My family is a part of it. This is a great moment.”

This is the start Fucale deserves, he who was selected 36th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL Draft. During that span, he played for 14 different teams across the QMJHL, ECHL, AHL, DEL, and NHL.

“[There were] a lot of times where sometimes I didn’t believe in it,” Fucale said. “There were some moments where it was hard to believe in it but I stuck with it. A lot of resilience and I just kept playing, kept learning, kept going. And here we are. Wow!”

What a moment!