Six Nations' Brandon Montour flew home for son's birth between playoff games
Scoring the opening goal of game three of the Stanley Cup finals wasn’t the only celebration Florida Panthers defenceman Brandon Montour was a part of this week.
The NHL player, originally from Six Nations of the Grand River, also celebrated the birth of his son, Kai, between games one and two of the series final against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
An Instagram post on Thursday from the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) shows a photo of Montour holding his son.
“I tried to get there as quick as I could, but luckily I was there for it all and got to experience it with her,” Montour described his reunion with wife Ryian in the NHPLA post.
According to an article on NHL.com, Montour hopped on a private jet, leaving Las Vegas at 11 p.m. and landing in Florida around 6:30 a.m.
Once on the ground, he went right to the hospital in Boca Raton, where he met with his wife who was still in labour, according to the article – before hopping onto another plane, and flying to Vegas with only hours to spare before game two.
"Got right there to Boca, went ot the delivery room, and it was kind of game on from there," Montour said during a post game press conference. "I was there at 6:30, and we were joking that as soon as I got there it was straight to work for her, not me.
"I tried to get there as quickly as I could. Luckily I was there for it all and got to experience it with her."
Down by two games in the series, Montour opened up game three with a goal in the first five minutes of the first period.
Carter Verhaeghe scored the overtime winner for Florida to give them the 3-2 victory. They're now down two games to one in the best-of-seven series.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

India suspends visa services in Canada and rift widens between countries
India's visa processing centre in Canada suspended services Thursday as a rift widened between the countries after Canada's leader said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.
From Centre Ice Conservatives to Canadian Future, a new federal party takes shape
The interim leader of Canada's newest federal party says he wants it to be an option for people who are tired of both the governing Liberals and the "rage farming" coming from the Conservatives.
Cutting obituary for B.C. man thanks karma for 'doing what she does best'
Few obituaries begin with the words, "I am pleased to announce" – but Amanda Denis believes in blunt honesty.
Cross-country rallies against 'gender ideology' in schools meet with counter-protests
Thousands of people gathered in cities across Canada on Wednesday for competing protests, screaming and chanting at each other about school policies on gender identity.
Video shows officer repeatedly discussed charging 11-year-old victim with child sexual abuse offence
A Columbus police officer summoned to a home by a father concerned his 11-year-old daughter was being solicited by an adult man repeatedly asserted that the girl could face charges for sending explicit images of herself.
Canada showcases tragic wildfire season to promote carbon pricing initiative at UN
The federal government is hoping Canada's devastating wildfire season sparks momentum for carbon pricing at the United Nations.
Younger Canadians are not having children. Here's why, according to Statistics Canada
Younger Canadians are being impacted by many compounding issues including the high cost of living, which is one of the reasons they aren't having children, a new report by Statistics Canada shows.
Russia strikes cities from east to west Ukraine, starting fires and killing at least 2
Russian missiles pounded cities across Ukraine early Thursday morning, according to authorities, sparking fires, killing at least two people and trapping others under rubble, and Ukrainian ally Poland said it would stop providing weapons amid a trade dispute.
Immediately stop using these child safety seats: Health Canada
Health Canada has issued a safety advisory asking Canadians to immediately stop using certain child safety seats due to injury risks.