BOSTON — The news could have been bad.
The Bruins called up Jonathan Aspirot on Monday to give them depth on defense for their road trip to Ottawa after placing Hampus Lindholm retroactively on injured reserve.
So when they activated Lindholm on Tuesday, Aspirot could have been sent back to Providence.
Instead, he went into the Boston lineup to make his NHL debut.
It was Michael Callahan, who returned to Providence. Mason Lohrei, who’d played every game so far this season, was a healthy scratch after struggling recently. So Aspirot slotted in next to Henri Jokiharju on Bruins’ third pair.
At 26, Aspirot is old by rookie standards. The undrafted native of Quebec was in his seventh AHL season when he got the call. Guys who kick around the minors long enough sometimes get overlooked. But Aspirot maintained hope.
“I believed in myself. Kept working and believing in my dream,” he said, with a hint of a Quebec accent. “It makes everything I worked for happen. I’m just super happy.”
For most games, he’d have learned he was playing at morning skate — either when Sturm told him or when he was paired with Jokiharju for drills.
But there was no morning skate on Tuesday, coming off a road game on Monday.
“I found out when I walked in for the game. Quick turnaround,” he said. “I told a few people then I tried to focus on the game. I was super excited and happy to be here.”
His girlfriend, who was already in Boston, was in the crowd, but his parents didn’t have time to make it down from Quebec.
Wearing the No. 45, last donned by Cole Koepke, he played a simple, direct game on his 20 shifts over 14:41. He blocked four shots and avoided mistakes.
He said the first few shifts were nerve-wracking.
“Stressful. My brain was going a thousand miles an hour,” he said. “I was just trying to enjoy the moment.”
After the game, his teammates secured him a game puck. As he met with the media, the feeling hadn’t worn off yet.
“It was a great day. Probably one of the best days of my life,” he said. “I’m so excited.”
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